Hitting the bull’s eye

Sheetal

More than one-and-a-half decade in Bollywood as a writer, Tushar Hiranandani waited long to make his directorial debut. When he finally made it on Diwali with Saand Ki Aankh, the movie was received well by the audience! The film narrates the story of two aged, yet ace shooters, Chandro and Prakashi, played by Bhumi Pednekar and Taapsee Pannu, respectively. 

Positive note

Amidst all the ageism debate that floated around, the husband-wife duo seemed to look at it in a positive way. Says his wife and producer Nidhi Parmar, “We knew we would get both positive and negative feedback. Somebody recommended that Shabana Azmi could have been a better choice to play the lead, but during the special screening of the movie even Shabana ji praised us.”

As far as releasing a movie on Diwali goes, Nidhi adds, “We knew we could generate better revenue if we had released it on any other date, but this was about setting the trend for a change.” 

Tough choice

A seasoned writer, Tushar has written screenplays for hit movies like Masti, Sunday, Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge, ABCD and Ek Villian. So, why did he choose a biopic to make his debut as a director? He replies, “It was a tough choice indeed. I came to know about these real-life heroines through an episode in the show Satyamev Jayate. When I got in touch, it was not easy to convince them to share their story. We encountered many other hurdles too.” 

One line by Chandro and Prakashi goaded Nidhi —“Even Russians called us to honour our talent and zinda dilli, but here nobody knows us.” 

“There were people who asked me why I was picking a tough film as my first, but I think there is no such thing as a tough movie. Movies can be good or bad, but they cannot be categorised as tough or easy. It took five years to make the movie and I credit my team for the success,” says Tushar.

Perfect score

Tushar admits that more than the producer, it was the dadis he wanted to impress. “Those who have lived that life would not like its picturisation. Which is why when the real heroines gave a go-ahead, I was really relaxed,” says Tushar. 

As for upcoming projects, Tushar has his eyes set on two biopics — one with a pan-Indian approach and the other with a South-Indian connect.

About his chemistry with Nidhi, he says, “We are poles apart, just like chalk and cheese, but we bring different opinions on the table, which is quite helpful.”

Chandigarh connect

The film also marks the Bollywood debut of Pollywood writer-director Jagdeep Siddhu, who has written dialogues for Saand Ki Aaknh. Balwinder Singh Janjua, who has produced movies like Shadda and Mubarakan, has written the screenplay.

What’s more, Nidhi completed her schooling from Sacred Heart Senior Secondary School, Sector 26, and graduated in commerce from M.C.M DAV College, Sector 36! 

“I will definitely work on some regional story as my heart still resides in Chandigarh, but first let us establish a name for ourselves. I have dragged my husband up till Meerut and will surely bring him here as well,” she beams.

sheetal.dadhwal@tribunemail.com