With three consecutive hit films— Murder 2, Aashiqui 2 and Ek Villain— to his credit, Mohit Suri is a director to watch out for. He says his latest offering Hamari Adhuri Kahani is an emotional saga that will inspire love.
You started off by directing thrillers like Zeher, Kalyug and Murder 2. But your recent films, especially Hamari Adhuri Kahani, are heavily emotional
Change happened to me with Aashiqui 2. I stopped trying to impress with skills and techniques; special effects are not my cup of tea. I stopped lying to myself. I thank my wife Udita for that, for letting me be the person I want to be. Marriage made me come to terms, and I did Aashiqui 2 and Ek Villain.
Did the idea for Hamari Adhuri Kahani take off immediately?
Bhatt saab called me during my honeymoon to pursue me not to do this film since a similar film had not done well then. He said that I should do a light film and that HAK was a very mature romantic drama. But this made me stronger. This film is bigger than me, with Bhatt Saab, Vidya and Emraan being a part of it.
A major character dies in both Aashiqui 2 and Ek Villain. Do you think there is an audience for tear-jerkers?
Everyone watches a movie for a reason, and I don’t think people only go to the theatre to laugh or see action. They also go to the theatre to cry! We stopped making this kind of cinema … somewhere we lost the emotional connect. After watching a film like this, you might want to go home and hug your wife or hug your loved one and tell them that you love them. We have stopped doing that! That’s the reason I was dying to do Aashiqui … I remember I was so frustrated after making thrillers, I practically begged Bhatt saab to let me make a romantic film.
How did you decide to cast Vidya in HAK?
I thought she was just being nice when she said she liked Aashiqui 2 and called up Bhatt saab and told him that she wanted to do this film. What I have learnt from Vidya is that her hunger never dies. She gave her own house for workshops. Even after so many films, so much success, she still asks on the sets: ‘Am I doing it right?’