“My first love story had to be a musical”: Neeraj Pandey

In 16 years, Neeraj Pandey has achieved almost everything! He made his debut with A Wednesday!, Since then he has done various genres such as Special 26, infant, MS Dhoni: The untold story and the great patriotic web franchise, Special forcesAs a producer, author or both, he has achieved many other successes: Action thriller Name Shabanathe short film Ouch and that Secrets Series that explores history and also regional films, including the award-winning Marathi film, Taryanche Bait.

With his first love story he is now breaking new ground. Auron, my God, did you do this? (Who else had the courage?), whose romance is also completely new in concept. Ajay Devgn and Tabu play lovers whose passion remains undiminished even after life separates them for 23 long years. We begin our conversation with the intriguing title.

“Well, the feedback is that it’s one of the rare long titles that fits the story well,” he says, smiling. “I chose it after the script was finished. You have to watch the film to find out why I chose it.”

Why didn’t he also show Ajay and Tabu as a younger couple, as is common now that makeup, prosthetics and visual effects are so advanced? Shantanu Maheshwari and Saiee Manjrekar play the younger couple. “I faced a lot of resistance,” he smiles again. “But for me, the rejuvenation here just didn’t make sense. This isn’t about a flashback, and unless it’s believable, you won’t buy it.”

And what did he think about Ajay and Tabu? “I was also thinking about that,” he says. “I knew they would be perfect for those roles, but I remember being tormented by the thought that Ajay and Tabu had done so many films together. Even those were films in which they were not a romantic couple.”

Did they exceed expectations? Neeraj grins and says, “I know it’s a fashionable statement, but honestly, as experienced artists, you expect so much from them, even something new. They have fulfilled all my expectations.”

How did I come up with the idea and why a love story? “Well, I have never done a love story before, although some people close to me insist that the Dhoni biopic, though real, was more of a love story than a cricket film and you have to respect every feedback,” laughs Neeraj. “You talk to someone or something happens and then you start thinking in a certain direction, you spin a story and even develop a backstory. That’s how it must have started, I think! And when a story excites you, you start working on it. This time, I knew it had to be a musical and that the music had to stand out and support the narrative.”

Aren’t three songs too few for a musical? “Not really. ‘Ae dil zaraa’ consists of three parts, along with ‘Tu’ and ‘Kisi roz’,” the filmmaker replies. “Each song is not an interruption, but part of the story.”

Oscar winner MM Keeravani is his composer again after ‘Special 26’ and ‘Baby’. He composed the mukhda of the semi-classical ‘Kisi Roz’ in just five minutes in Raag Yaman. Neeraj believes that this film will show a new side of Keeravani to Hindi cinema.

How does he decide on his next film or series? Does he let trends influence him? “Not at all!” he exclaims vehemently. “From concept to release, every project takes at least one and a half to two years. How can we predict trends that far in advance? The story has to excite you, Bas!”

Every filmmaker has personal favorites and we ask him what his most satisfying work to date is. “That’s coming!” he says. “If you ask me that question 10 years later, I might have an answer.”

The second season of Neeraj’s Special Ops will be released in September.