Dry Day director Saurabh Shukla: Jolly LLB was a humble start, became a big franchise

Saurabh Shukla says that instead of making a blockbuster, makers should come up with good films that the audience love and that become a box office phenomenon.

Actor Saurabh Shukla, who last directed the web film Dry Day (2023), asserts that instead of making a blockbuster, makers should come up with good films that the audience love and that become a box office phenomenon.

Saurabh Shukla recently shot for two projects in Lucknow (Instagram)

“Dry Day in its zone is a huge star cast as Jeetu (actor Jitendra Kumar) is the hottest on TV for a long time and then Annu Kapoor is a star in his own right. The film had a mes-sage (protest against alcohol)! So, I am lucky to work with good and big actors. As far as working with so-called commercially viable big stars is concerned, I surely want to cast them as well but har cheez ka samay hota hai! The day I have such a script in hand I will surely love to do that,” says the Jolly LLB (2013) actor.

On the kind of films he wants to do, Shukla says, “My hunger is not to work with big stars or make a big film. Instead, I hunger to make a good film which becomes very big aur kuch badi baat kahe. If your film touches the heart of the audience and becomes big then there is nothing like that. So, the focus should not be to make a premeditated blockbuster but to make a good film that has the potential to eventually become one. Jolly LLB was a humble start which became such a big franchise.”

In the current phase, he is enjoying acting in films, series and plays. “I completed the shooting of season two of the OTT series Yeh Kaali Kaali Akhein in March, wrapped shooting of Raid 2, then Sudhir called me for his series and now Jolly LLB 3. Besides, we recently did a seven-city tour in the US where we staged our play Barff,” he says.

Enjoying the current phase, he says, “I enjoy all phases. When you have less work then you are relaxing and writing and when flooded with work uskey maze le rahe hote hain! When I was making films, I enjoyed to the hilt and now when I am acting for others, I am enjoying that as well. For me, it’s a very good scenario and I am very happy about it. In industry too, new types of content — in films or series — are being made which is very interesting.”

On a signing-off note, he says, “I will be directing again but maybe during the year-end or early next year. By then, I will wrap up my commitments as making a film needs my full time and attention. Writing has been happening for a long time as it takes years for a project to take shape.”

The actor shot for Raid-2 and Sudhir Mishra’s project in Lucknow recently.