10 years of Tanu Weds Manu: Director Aanand L Rai says, ‘The film gave me my identity in Bollywood’
Taking a trip down memory lane, filmmaker Aanand L Rai says every single day on the set was enjoyable and not for once did he think about what would eventually happen to the film upon its release.
Ten years ago, Aanand L Rai gave the audience raw and rustic emotions through his film Tanu Weds Manu and as expected, the film tuned out to be a sleeper hit. The filmmaker, who at that time was had two not so successful outings before the film, is forever indebted to the audiences for loving the Kangana Ranaut and R Madhavan-led movie.
“It feels very nice to reach this milestone and I’m thankful that I was allowed to tell this story so honestly and so well. This film is something that gave me my identity in Bollywood, you know. This film brought the honesty through me in the story. It’s a great feeling to be associated with a story like this and to receive so much love from the audience,” shares Rai, who’s currently busy with his new film, Atrangi Re.
Taking a walk down memory lane, the filmmaker says every single day on the set was enjoyable and not for once did he think about what would eventually happen to the film upon its release.
“The only thing I remember was that I was feeling very fearless while making the film. I was enjoying a lot, we all were. Nobody not for a single day wondered ki kya yeh picture chalegi? We were having a lot of fun and we had great energy and in our own creative space everyone was contributing. I did feel that something magical was happening,” the 49-year-old explains.
But he admits that there were some minor hiccups. “It was made in a very tight budget and all. Commercially and financially we were in a tight spot but it never looked like a hurdle,” he adds.
Rai feels that the reason why the film still remains in public memory is because of its relatability factor if the story about an unlikely love story.
“The reason it became a part of our life was because it was our life. It was Indian to its core and it was culture that was actually us. Jo ek apnapan tha na it was owned by the audience so beautifully. The pulse of the story and audience was the same,” he says.
The film’s 10th anniversary also marks 10 years of his production house and Rai could not have asked for a better journey.
“11 years back I was struggling to direct a film and in these ten years, if I can be part of other directors and help them make their films then it is makes me feel very happy. I always let a lot of new directors use this path to make their own journey. If I can make their life a little easier for them, then that is great. We are a happy bunch of people who keep on working on stories,” he concludes.