Mumbai: If you’ve been a fan of singer Kumar Sanu, and still hum the string of songs he lent his voice to in the 90s, here’s more reasons for you to rejoice. Ayushmann Khurrana’s film Dum Laga Ke Haisha, in which Sanu has sung Dard Karara, could well be the comeback film of sorts for Sanu. Sharat Kataria, the director of the film, says Sanu was always important for his film. “Kumar Sanu was always a part of the script. Those who grew up in the 90s can never forget the value of Kumar Sanu’s voice in their lives. It’s not just about his voice in the film. Even the story has references about him.”
Sharat adds: “We were initially not thinking about making Sanu Da sing the song in the film. We were only thinking of references about him. Then we had an idea and decided to create a song like the 90s. It was not an easy job as we had to recreate everything like those days. You see, most of the technicians from that era are out of job now, but we contacted them and asked them to come up with something special. I don’t think they disappointed. Our lyricist Varun Grover understood the script well and we finally came up with Dard Karaara. Anu Malik’s magic only added to the effect.”
The film, Kataria reveals, is a humorous take on a mismatched marriage. “It’s about the simplicity that we hide beneath our tough exteriors. Basically, it’s an attempt to make a film with which everybody can relate to. In a way, it’s everybody’s story.”
That it is set in Haridwar too has reason. Says Kataria, “It’s about a dysfunctional family where nobody is happy with the current situation. We decided to set it in Haridwar because of its spiritual value. People come to Haridwar in search of peace and we have a local family here which is not at peace at all. This paradox interested me a lot.”
Kataria, who’s earlier written films such as Bheja Fry, 10 ml Love and Hum Tum Shabana, says he’s comfortable dealing with the genre of humour. “I was watching Calendar of Unusual Sports one day and came to know that people in Canada, USA, Germany and many other countries celebrate a festival in which people carry their partners on their back and race. That made me wonder ‘what if one of them is a bit overweight’. That was the inception of Dum Laga Ke Haisha.”
The film’s trailers suggest it will introduce Khurrana in a completely new avatar. “Ayushmann suited the part. He has nothing starry about him. He is a humble, modest guy. We were looking for someone with ‘non-hero’ attitude and he was our guy.”
Dum Laga Ke Haisha is also going to be a test for its leading lady Bhumi Pednekar. “It wasn’t a gamble. We don’t have anything to lose, so we decided to have fun while on the sets. Yashraj Films also gave us the liberty to enjoy our time during the shoot.”
The Cricket World Cup is a great threat for the films at the box office, but Sharat is not too bothered. “I don’t think the Cricket World Cup will affect the film’s business. In fact, it’s the ideal time to release our film as no other big films are releasing and that gave us the freedom to choose the number of screens. See, if you’re confident about your film then its release timing is doesn’t matter much. We are banking on the word of mouth publicity and are confident of its merit. Big starrers can get you openings but there onwards it’s about the film’s content.”
Dum Laga Ke Haisha will hit the screens on February 27, 2015.
