JOIN USA newbie in the Bollywood industry, director Ritesh Menon is all excited about his debut film ‘Crazy Cukkad Family’.
What adds to his excitement is that his first movie is produced by ‘Rajneeti’ director Prakash Jha’s production house. “I was writing another film which I thought I would direct first. It went on for two and a half years but it never happened. I was also writing with a friend named Suhas Shetty and he said that he had another film in mind. He narrated the story.
Six months later, he sent the script to me and from the first page itself, I was rolling on the floor and laughing. The comedy was intense and interesting. That is how ‘Crazy Cukkad Family’ happened to me,” says Ritesh.
How was it to debut with ‘Prakash Jha Productions’? “It was like a dream. I could not believe my luck. I went to many producers but nothing worked. One of my friends asked me to send the script to Prakash Jha. But I was skeptical about it getting approved by him. After I had sent the script, I got a call to meet Prakash Ji.
I went and met him at around 4 pm and my script was approved in half an hour,” says the delighted director. Ritesh, who enjoyed the process of direction, says that Prakash Jha’s great support helped him as a debut director.
“Prakash’ji’ has sustained himself at the top as a very successful and important filmmaker. He is in the team and I realised that I should use his wisdom and experience. I loved the fact that he was so involved. He was there for every script reading and would write the notes on the script. But never once did he impose his views on me. It was this amazing attitude from his side that helped me as a debutant,” he says.
The good looking director, who is happy about his new movie, says that it is not a path-breaking story but a very simple comedy drama. “It is not a movie that has not been done in Indian cinema before. It is the story of a dysfunctional family that is united by greed. But then, they discover the meaning of being a family.
This is all done in a humourous way. We have tried not to overdo the comedy. What is different is that it is a modern family film. This family is the most uncultured bunch that you can see. All of them are crazy characters. There are some surprises and secrets that are being shown for the first time in Indian cinema,” he explains excitedly. The director concludes by hoping the audience likes his film and it opens to a full house.