Mohit Suri opens up on rumours of casting Sidharth Malhotra and Alia Bhatt in Aashiqui 3

Malang director Mohit Suri opened up about the success of his latest film, Ek Villain 2 and the much-awaited Aashiqui 3 in an exclusive interview with Hindustan Times.

Filmmaker Mohit Suri is basking in the success of his latest release, Malang, starring Aditya Roy Kapur, Disha Patani, Kunal Kemmu and Anil Kapoor. The film, which has earned more than ₹50 crore (the third Bollywood film of 2020 to do so), is still going strong at the box office.

Mohit Suri is elated with the success of Malang.

Even as Malang continues its great run at the box office, Suri has already moved on to his next project, Ek Villain 2. While the original 2014 hit starred Sidharth Malhotra, Shraddha Kapoor and Riteish Deshmukh in the lead roles, the sequel will feature Aditya Roy Kapur and John Abraham.

In an interview with Hindustan Times, Suri opened up about the response to Malang, Ek Villain 2 and the much-awaited Aashiqui 3. Excerpts:

Q. With your last two films - Half Girlfriend and Humari Adhuri Kahaani - not doing too well at the box office, has the success of Malang been reassuring?

A. The major change I made is that I essentially went back to writing. That’s why I took a break for around a year and a half. Following Malang, I wrote Ek Villain 2. I am also working on something for Vishesh Films and for Rohit Shetty also. I felt that the last two subjects, even though I had worked on the screenplay and the script, were not essentially my stories.

It was the most obvious choice to make Ek Villain 2 or make a love story with Aditya and ride on the success of Aashiqui 2. But I decided to not play defensive. I wanted to do something unconventional and take Aditya for an action film, because I felt that he had the aptitude for it. I am working with Disha for the first time. It’s a film I did not do with Shraddha after very long, even though I have worked with her so much. I’m making a film with Kunal after 15 years. I worked with him in Kalyug and although he is now known only for comedies like Go Goa Gone and Golmaal, he has an intense and insane role in Malang. Someone like Anil Kapoor came in the end and added a certain amount of energy and authority to the film; he is also someone I have never worked with before. Even for Luv (Ranjan, producer of Malang), this was a very different kind of film - he usually makes rom-coms or romances.

Everything was unconventional about it, and then the kind of response that we got is definitely very encouraging. I got responses from people who have probably never watched my films before. In the kind of limitations we had, I think whenever you are confined, your creativity goes to break the barrier. It’s an adult film, it’s not held back, doesn’t fall into your conventional endings where the hero is beating up everybody. So, it’s a new animal which has been appreciated.

Q. Are there any plans to make a sequel?

A. Did you recognise whose voice was there in the last scene? There was an interesting scene in the end, we will come out with the twist of that later. It’s a little too early to talk about it now.

Q. Ek Villain 2 has an all-new cast - Aditya Roy Kapur and John Abraham. Is it a standalone sequel or will it take off from the events of Ek Villain?

A. It has references of the previous film but what Ekta (Kapoor, producer) and I tried to do is build a couple of badass villains who can play heroes. We wanted to create antiheroes or dark superheroes in a realistic space. I loved all the guys I worked with - Riteish, Sid and everyone - but there are references of their characters in this, so I couldn’t cast the same people. But it’s a standalone film by itself and we are looking to make other standalone films like this, almost like a dark superhero universe.

Q. Have you cast your leading ladies for Ek Villain 2 yet?

A. The boys are locked, but we are looking to cast the girls. In my films, the girls don’t come and dance around trees or feature in songs. They are really interesting roles, so I have to be able to cast the girls right.

Q. There has been talk that Sidharth Malhotra and Alia Bhatt will star in Aashiqui 3. What’s the update on the film?

A. I have been working on the script of that. With Aashiqui 3, I have to get the script and the music right before I start work on it. Sid is a friend and we do hang out, but no one has been confirmed for the film till now.

Q. A few years ago, you were writing a film for Karan Johar. What’s happening on that front?

A. I write films and pitch them to people, based on what they like and don’t like. Some people make it and some don’t. It’s not like every film I write, I make immediately. Sometimes, I come back to it. I had written Malang but I was not getting the right cast and timing to make it. My job as a filmmaker is to keep writing and making films. I don’t stop that process. When Karan approves the script that I have written, I will make the film with him.

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