Movies which look askance at monogamy and find philandering funny, have been aplenty in the last few years. Rabba Main Kya Karoon adds to the list later this week, promoting the mantra “In order to live a happily married life, one must cheat on his wife.” Director Amrit Sagar Chopra however begs to differ as he calls his second outing, a “satirical romantic comedy.”
“It is a human story where a lavish Punjabi wedding provides the back drop to a situational comedy. The humour is not slapstick and the treatment of the subject is mature,” says Amrit whose directorial debut, 1971 – based on the lives of six prisoner’s of war and their journey, won critical acclaim and the national award. “I wanted to make a romantic comedy after 1971. The next will be a thriller which I might direct and the other would be a horror movie I would like to produce,” he adds.
The detour was conscious, says the filmmaker who happens to be the grandson of Ramanand Sagar. “Comedy is not an effort to be funny. It is the treatment while acting. Arshad Warsi’s comic timing was great in the movie whereas seasoned actors like Paresh Rawal have the quality to throw you off balance with their repartees,” says the director whose younger brother Akash Chopra debuts with the project.
“I wanted fresh faces to play the lead pair in the movie. I have viewed Akash’s play and was impressed with his acting skills,” adds Amrit.
Pitched against seasoned actors such as Rawal, Shakti Kapoor and Arshad Warsi, debutant Akash Chopra had a tough time holding his own. “It was learning experience as well as a challenge to maintain my own ground,” says Akash who trained in acting with Chitrangan Giri of National School of Drama and has composed music for various telly serials as well as Amrit’s directorial debut, 1971.
“I wanted to be an actor always and I am exploring the craft,” adds the Akash who goes on to add that the film is less about forced comedy. “The situations in Rabba Main Kya Karoon are believable and so are the characters. It is not slipping on a banana peel and generating laughs,” adds the actor who is in talks with a production house to finalise his next. Till then, catch the drama which takes a potshot at the concept of a one-woman-man on August 2.