Raj Mehta: I hope Neetu Kapoor’s popularity has rubbed off on ‘JugJugg Jeeyo’- Exclusive – Times of India
An elated Raj says, “The reactions that I am getting so far have been positive. I am still getting so many messages from friends, family, industry people, random people who don’t know me. So I think ‘JugJugg Jeeyo’ has hit the right notes. It was meant to be an entertainer at the end of the day. People have said that they have laughed, they’ve cried. So I think it’s served the purpose.”
The film boasts of an ensemble cast including senior artistes Anil Kapoor, Neetu Kapoor joining forces with the younger lot Varun Dhawan, Kiara Advani, Maniesh Paul and Prajakta Koli. Raj Mehta managed to pull off a coup bringing together these stars form his film. The director was all praise for his cast as he said, “When you cast for a part in a film that you’ve written, you don’t think of external factors. You just go by who’s perfect for the part. Anil sir was always on my mind even while writing and I am happy that when he heard it, he agreed to do it. Otherwise I don’t know who I would have wanted. And I had worked with Kiara in ‘Good Newwz’. She was bang on for the part. Varun was perfect for his part. Neetu ma’am was actually Karan Johar’s suggestion. She hadn’t done a film for a while and we didn’t know whether she wanted to do it. But thankfully after Karan’s suggestion we went to her and she really liked the script. And now in retrospect I don’t think anyone would have done it better. So yes, I got lucky with the casting.”
Talk about the steady success of the film at the box office, and the director admitted to being overwhelmed with emotions over the last few days. “You always want more. For me as a filmmaker I wanted to reach as many people as possible. So I went through each emotion like anxiousness, excitement, happiness over the last few days,” he shared.
Reflecting upon having such a passionate cast on board who, despite having a pre-occupied schedule, made time and commitment to the promotions of the film as well, Raj said, “I’m just fortunate to have them on board. Promotions is just one thing, even during the making of the film, I can’t tell you how involved everyone was. And sometimes that’s not the case, but everyone was really gung ho about the subject that we were making, which is the reason why they were very passionate from the word go. We went through so much while the film was being made, we started right after the first wave, then there were interruptions during the second wave (of COVID-19). But everyone came together again and were really excited to start shooting. It’s fortunate to have such cast members.”
Working with a highly passionate and energetic cast can come with its own challenges on set. Talking about the same, Raj said, “The challenge is not so much about having actors from different generations and that everyone has achieved so much in their careers and their lives in their own way. The challenge is to make sure that everyone comes together to do the scene the way it’s written. If you have something good on paper, you try and make sure it translates on screen and it turns out the way you had imagined. My life was made easier by the fact that everyone wanted to do their best.”
‘Jug Jugg Jeeyo’ is a complete family entertainer. When asked if Raj took some reference while working on the film, he said, “You don’t necessarily reference a film when you write one. Subconsciously, because all of us like to watch films, I think every filmmaker becomes one first by watching films. When you’re writing you try and stay away from something that you’ve seen, be in a situation in a different manner. Subconsciously that’s there but you don’t reference a film directly when you write.”
The audience has thoroughly appreciated Neetu Kapoor’s return to the big screen. Her sociable personality has also got her back being popular in the media. When asked if Raj felt her popularity could possibly have rubbed off on his film, Raj said, “I hope so. I hope it has. She’s just amazing. Like I said, when we started working on this film, Neetu ma’am was not sure if she wanted to work. Now I hope she just keeps working and doing more films. She’s that good. She has not worked for a while, but once an actor, always an actor. Now that she’s become a social media sensation as well, it does a lot more work.”
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