Actor-director Satish Kaushik gave Salman Khan’s career a fresh lease of life with the hit Tere Naam. Kaushik’s latest venture, Mukta Arts’ Shaadi Se Pehle (starring Suniel Shetty, Akshaye Khanna, Mallika Sherawat, Ayesha Takia, Aftab Shivdasani and Rajpal Yadav), is about to release, followed by the Shahid Kapur-Kareena Kapoor starrer, Milenge Milenge. HT City caught up with Kaushik on Shaadi Se Pehle.
Not a comedy of errors: The film is about a guy, played by Akshaye Khanna, who gets entangled in problems that he creates for himself. Neither is the film a comedy of errors, nor is it based on extra-marital affairs. I would say the film is a clean comedy that aims at entertainment. I have tried to bring the genre of Hrishida (Mukherjee) and Basuda (Chatterjee) back on the screen. The script is such that every character makes you laugh.
Great idea: Comedy isn’t new to me. I have acted in quite a few including Kundan Shah’s Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron and have done a comedy show on TV. But I have never directed an out-and-out comedy before. Subhashji (Ghai) narrated the story to me and I was attracted by it.
Mallika in a new
{{/usCountry}}Mallika in a new
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: You discover the actor in Mallika in this film. I am indeed very impressed by her. I have always given weightage to performances and Mallika has excelled. She plays a character that suits her image. She is focused and was extremely punctual on the sets.
Sympathise with actors: I am an actor myself so when I am calling the shots, I can understand the sentiment and emotions of my actors. I relate to their insecurities and I must say it was great fun working on the film. Akshaye is a brilliant actor. Doing comedy is tough and Akshaye’s sense of timing is excellent. He did everything naturally and his dedication is worth appreciating.
Superb music: Himesh and I go a long way back. We worked on Tere Naam together. Working with him was easy. Scoring music for a comedy is no joke but Himesh has done a good job. I wanted some melody and Himesh hasn’t disappointed. And with Subhashji around (we all know his films have great music), it was a ball.
Acting’s fun: I act to relax in between my directorial projects. I am considering some offers. My next directorial venture will be a project with Balaji Telefilms. And I also have plan to get into production soon.