Paresh Rawal blasts ‘vulgar, double-meaning comedy films’, says nobody will have to leave the room while watching Coolie No 1

Actor Paresh Rawal, who will soon be seen in the Coolie No 1 remake with Varun Dhawan and Sara Ali Khan, has said that he hates ‘vulgar and double meaning’ comedy. He said that Coolie No 1 is a ‘family entertainer’.

He said in an interview that Varun is ‘not only a sincere actor’ but a mischievous presence on set, and he was fun to work with. “If my co-star doesn’t react, my comedy will fall flat; if the director doesn’t direct me properly, I’ll fail,” he said, acknowledging the entire crew.

“These days, you can’t tell when a nude scene might show up in a movie, or if there’s going to be bad language,” he said in Hindi, in an interview to Bollywood Hungama. “This is the first family entertainer that audiences can enjoy without worrying about all this. No one will have to leave the room out of embarrassment.”

The actor continued, “To be able to make people laugh in a year like this is very important.” Praising writer Farhad Samji, he said, “He writes economically, and his words are juicy, boisterous and textured.

“Ideally one should not sacrifice one’s character for the sake of laughter,” he said, talking about his approach to comedy, “I believe in making things effortless. I simply hate vulgar and double-meaning type of comedy, and fortunately I’ve been able to stay away from those films.”

In an earlier interview, Sara defended the original film’s ‘problematic’ plot, in which Govinda’s character cons Karisma Kapoor’s character into falling for him. She told Mid-Day in an interview, “I’d urge people to watch the film with the honest intention with which it is told. There is a difference between what you say on Twitter, and what an entertaining comedy tries to say. If everybody [expects] everything to be politically correct, any scope of humour in our lives will be [lost]. Of course, you can’t be demeaning. Govinda sir duping Karisma to make her believe that he is not a coolie, is funny. It’s not about him cheating. Ultimately, he falls in love with her, and that’s what most of us look forward to in life.”

Directed by David Dhawan, the new Coolie No 1 also stars Jaaved Jaaferi, Rajpal Yadav, and Johnny Lever. The film is slated for a Christmas day release on Amazon Prime Video, after its theatrical release was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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