Vishal Pandya, who made his debut as a director with Hate Story 2 (2014), is back with the third installment of the franchise. The filmmaker talks about the challenges of making the erotic thriller, Hate Story 3 and why he feels his cast is the best.
What prompted you to make one more film in the Hate Story franchise?
It is what today’s audience wants to see. The Hate Story series is a successful franchise, and we thought the third one will enhance it. The story revolves around hate, love and revenge. We fortunately got the right production house and the right star cast. I am trying to build my own brand name. I can proudly say that I have grown as a director with Hate Story 3.
Was it difficult to cast the stars for your film?
Frankly, Sharman, Zarine, Karan and Daisy were never in my mind for the roles. I had approached other actors but they refused. Eventually, when these four were the final selection, I realised I couldn’t have got a better cast.
Was it easy to convince the actors to do the bold scenes?
It is difficult to convince actors, be it male or female. They know all eyes are on them. As a director, I had to explain to them the shots, the narration and all the details. I told them to say stop as soon as they felt uncomfortable. Finally, they were okay with it and I didn’t have much problem.
Sharman Joshi’s cute image is contrary to the intimate scenes he has shot in your film.
Sharman wanted to experiment with this kind of cinema. People love Sharman after the release of his song. Although Sharman and the others were uncomfortable during the shoot, the result has come out well. In fact, not just Sharman, but Daisy and Zarine too have had different images in the industry so far and are seen in completely contrary characters in this film. This is my way of working, I like to show audiences stars who have never acted in this vein before.
Is it true that both your actor were asked to lose weight?
Yes, I had given Zarine and Daisy three months to manage to get the perfect look. The results are on the screen and everyone is happy. I used to feel bad because I would eat on the sets, while they just looked down at their boiled food.
The film’s trailer reminds us of the Hollywood film Indecent Proposal.
Well, it is just one dialogue which you get to see in the trailer. The story is completely different. We have hardly given any hints in the trailer because the audience should come and watch the film.
Multi-starrer films are not easy to manage. Was there any resentment among your actors?
I had made it very clear from the start — these are your roles and these are your songs. They all knew the length of their roles. There were no issues and that made it easy for me.
Your earlier film Hate Story 2 featured the remake of the Dayavan song Aaj phir while Hate Story 3 too has the remake of the Sadak song Tumhe apna banane. Is that a strategy?
Aaj phir was a super hit and this time, we thought Tumhe apna banane would work too... and it seems like it has. We haven’t used the exact lyrics but the tune and the song goes well with the story of the film.