JOIN USI was scared to work with Rishi Kapoor but we bonded well: Hitesh Bhatia on 'Sharmaji Namkeen'
Director Hitesh Bhatia says that he was scared to direct Rishi Kapoor in his maiden directorial venture Sharmaji Namkeen as Juhi Chawla told him that 'Chintuji' would not hesitate to rebuke him during the shoot. He, however, struck a bond with him over their shared love for food. Bhatia added that the film, which deals with the challenges faced by the protagonist after he retires from his job, stems from the problems faced by his father when he found himself in a similar situation.
Edited excerpts from the interview with DH:
How did Sharmaji Namkeen'happen?
The story stems from a personal experience. When my dad retired, he had absolutely nothing to do in life. In fact, my mother used to jokingly say ki 'do something or else we will get divorced at this age'. Then, when I researched the subject, I realised that this is a universal subject. This really is a story I wanted to tell the world through my first film.
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How was the experience of working with 'Chintuji'?
I was scared of working with him initially as Juhi said 'bahut daant padegi'. It eventually proved to be a fabulous experience as we bonded over food and other things. He fell madly in love with the character.
The film was incomplete when Rishi Kapoor passed away. How did you deal with this setback?
It was a difficult time as I knew that the film was done for. The producers, however, assured me that they had an intent to finish (complete) the film. They called me a day or two after his death and assured me that they would finish Chintuji's last movie. This gave me confidence.
What was your first reaction when Paresh Rawal decided to 'step in' for Rishi Kapoor?
There was a lot of anxiety as such a thing had never been done before. We also did not want to disappoint his family. It was brave on Paresh Rawal's part to come on board. I finally managed to breathe easy when I saw the final version on the editing table after putting together what was shot. The thing that really helped was the script itself as Paresh Rawal too fell in love with the script.
How was the experience of directing two seasoned performers in the same film? Did it ever get overwhelming?
It was never overwhelming but yeah, it proved to be a challenge. That said, I was always on a learning curve while working on this project.
Would you want to make Sharmaji Namkeen-like movies going forward?
The idea is to tell stories that speak to me as an individual even if these are not in the Sharmaji Namkeen space.