NEW DELHI: With more than 45 Malayalam films and around 25 Hindi films, many of them comedies, under his belt, Priyadarshan says he is “almost exhausted because nothing more is left.”
Given his unique perspective on the two major film industries, the Hera Pheri director also observes fundamental differences between them.
While Bollywood films can suffer from sameness, with directors and writers forced to stick to whatever format has proved successful, Malayalam cinema is story-centric.
“Hindi cinema has one habit which has been there for years – from those days (where stories were) about brothers getting separated and reuniting years later.
In Hindi, if one film works, everybody wants to make that kind of cinema, and when people get fed up with those things, somebody makes another break with a new story. Then everyone goes behind that kind of cinema,” Priyadarshan told PTI in an interview.
“They have to listen to the ideas of many people – the producer, the actor – everybody interferes mostly.
So the directors and writers are forced; their hands are tied. They have to make what others want. This is the situation,” he added.
The main issue with Malayalam cinema is quite different: filmmakers often face budget constraints.
“I always say this – we have shoestring budgets and our immediate competitor is Steven Spielberg. We don’t have money, so what we do is we believe in content,” he said.
The director, known for memorable comedies such as Hulchul, Hera Pheri, Bhool Bhulaiya, Khatta Meetha, and Chup Chup Ke, is now looking forward to his latest Hindi film, the horror-comedy Bhoot Bangla.
According to Priyadarshan, films don’t flop; budgets do, and this philosophy has been at the centre of everything he does.
When asked how he handles interference from producers or the tantrums of stars, he said: “I always put my foot down and say that this is the only way I want to do it.
The actors don’t have a problem with me. I have worked with everybody and I was very comfortable, even with actors like Govinda. I finished Bhagam Bhag in one schedule. I never had an issue, though I had heard that he doesn’t come on time or honour his dates.
It all depends on how you handle them, and the confidence you give them,” he added.
Priyadarshan is often credited with popularising the horror-comedy genre through his 2007 hit Bhool Bhulaiya, starring Akshay Kumar in the lead role. It spawned a franchise with Anees Bazmee taking over as director and Kartik Aaryan in the lead.
“It feels good that the story carries on. Manjulika (Vidya Balan’s character from Bhool Bhulaiya) still lives on in Bhool Bhulaiya two and three. I just started the genre; the rest of the people carried it forward very well. When you do something good for the industry and your attempt is taken forward by others, you feel good,” he said.
Bhoot Bangla reunites Priyadarshan with some of his favourite stars, including Akshay Kumar, Tabu, Paresh Rawal, Rajpal Yadav, and the late Asrani in his last screen appearance.
It is the director’s first Hindi film since 2021’s Hungama 2.
“When one is working in multiple languages, such gaps are natural. I was not getting the right script to start again here, so when this came along, I was very happy. As you said, my two most favourite actors – Akshay and Tabu – are back in the film,” he said.
The film has an exciting plot and will appeal to audiences, he added. It releases in theatres on 10 April and is produced by Ektaa Kapoor’s Balaji Motion Pictures and Kumar’s Cape of Good Films.
Priyadarshan has been one of the most successful comedic directors in Hindi cinema over the past three decades and admits that comedy is the most challenging genre to tackle.
“It is easy to make someone cry or feel sad, but it is most difficult to make someone laugh, and they should laugh from the heart because there is a child in every human being’s mind. You have to bring out that child and make them laugh,” he said.
“I basically don’t believe in double-meaning comedies, because a family should be able to sit together without embarrassment and watch films. That’s the way I make my films mostly. It is most difficult to make comedies and create new situations. I think I’m almost exhausted, because nothing more is left,” he added.
After Bhoot Bangla, Priyadarshan’s next project is Haiwan, starring Akshay Kumar alongside Saif Ali Khan, Saiyami Kher, and Shriya Pilgaonkar.
There may be more ventures before he reaches the milestone, but Priyadarshan has already announced that his 100th film will be with Malayalam superstar Mohanlal.