1 Year of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 EXCLUSIVE: Murad Khetani reveals that several people thanked the team of Kartik Aaryan-starrer for reviving the industry; reveals that Tara Sutaria’s Apurva will release directly on Disney+ Hotstar; BREAKS silence on Animal-Gadar 2 clash

The blockbuster Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 (2022) completed one year on May 20. The Kartik Aaryan-Kiara Advani-Tabu starrer came at a time when the Bollywood industry was desperate for a hit. The horror comedy was released with a lot of expectations but by collecting Rs. 185.92 crores, it spread jubilation in the industry. On Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2’s first anniversary, we spoke to its producer Murad Khetani about the film and a lot more.

How do you look back at Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2? It came at a very crucial time… It’s a very special film because the situation at that time was pretty bad. It was truly depressing. And for this film to do such business at that point and get immense love from the audiences was truly commendable. It was an experience of a lifetime if you ask me. So many people thanked us and told us ‘Aapki film ne industry ko revive kar diya’.

What do you think worked in favour of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2? It was a complete entertainer and that’s something I strive for in every film. It had a perfect balance of emotions, comedy, horror, music etc. Audiences always crave for an entertainment package. It waits for such films. Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, I believe, fits the bill.

The pandemic has confirmed the fact that the public wants to see complete entertainers. They will reject films, which are not up to, their expectations or even films that are preachy. They want entertainment in abundance.

All your films, in fact, have been complete entertainers and boasted of quality scripts. One of your most underrated films was Satellite Shankar (2019). It’s surely one of the best films in recent times. Did it feel bad that it didn’t do well despite being so touching and moving? It’s a part and parcel of this business. We can’t expect all our films to work. Of course, we feel bad (when films fail). After all, we work hard on all our films, be it Satellite Shankar or Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2. When films don’t click, we have no option but to move on and perhaps work harder.

How did you come into this business? Not much is known about your journey… My first film was The Shaukeens (2014). I was into real estate before and always wanted to be a producer. Filmon ka shauq toh bachpan se raha hai. With The Shaukeens, I began my journey. I had a couple of friends here and they supported me a lot. I learnt as I moved forward. Acche log milte gaye and I kept moving and I kept making films.

Speaking of your forthcoming film, your next release will be Animal… Yes, and there will be one more release around the same time. It’s called Apurva and it stars Tara Sutaria. It’ll release on Disney+ Hotstar. This was always planned as a digital release. It’s not like we made the film for a theatrical release and then decided to go on OTT. It is expected to release between July and September.

Then one film will go on floors around July or August. We’ll soon make an announcement.

Speaking of Animal, it’s one of the most anticipated films of 2023 thanks to its casting. Also, it’s directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, who delivered the monstrous blockbuster, Kabir Singh (2019), which was also co-produced by you. What can audiences expect from Animal? The only thing I can share is that it’s going to be a very good film. It has shaped up really well. Even we are excited about it.

Kabir Singh is a rare blockbuster to collect Rs. 200 crores, despite the ‘A’ certificate. The bloodshed seen on Animal’s poster makes it clear that it’s going to be quite violent. Will you be opting for an adults-only certificate for Animal as well? Let the Censor Board decide!

Will it release on August 11 or will it be postponed, as speculated by some? It will release on August 11, as scheduled. There’s no change in its release date.

Are you worried about clashing with Gadar 2? It’s a big week and I believe there’s space for two big films to co-exist. So, we are not worried about the clash.

Last year, you confirmed that you have the remake rights to Thalapathy Vijay’s 2021 blockbuster Master. Is there any update on this front? Yes, I do plan to remake Master but not right away. There’s no update.

It is also said that you will co-produce No Entry 2… That’s not true. I am not a part of the film…

Is there anything else in the pipeline? There are a few projects. But the times that we are living in, filmein soch samaj ke banani padti hai. We have to be very careful and choosy.

We hope you keep doing smaller films with great concepts like Satellite Shankar… Yes, definitely. We’ll keep doing it. Like I have backed Apurva as I loved the script. I felt that it should be made and should be released on a digital platform because post-pandemic, it’s difficult to predict the box office scenario. So going forward, if we get such scripts, we’ll try and make it for OTT.

Wouldn't you like to bring such films to cinemas first? We would love to come to cinemas. But hopefully, time sahi ho jaaye. Ultimately, we make films for audiences. They should come to cinemas for all kinds of films.

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