EXCLUSIVE: Siddharth Roy Kapur talks about Tumse Na Ho Payega; reveals that he plans to make Saare Jahan Se Accha soon: “The film has never gone away. It’s something that we are working on in the background”

The heart-warming film Tumse Na Ho Payega was released with minimal buzz but has managed to be the number 1 film on Disney+ Hotstar. It is adapted from Varun Agarwal’s life experiences, documented in the novel ‘How I Braved Anu Aunty & Co-Founded A Million Dollar Company’, and tells the story of a coder who creates a path-breaking app after getting fired from his job. The app shown in the film is killer and it won’t be surprising if it soon gets launched in the market.

Tumse Na Ho Payega’s producer Siddharth Roy Kapur spoke about this film during an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama. He also discussed about the positive box office performance in 2023.

The first thing that came to my mind while watching Tumse Na Ho Payega was that it reminded me of the golden days of UTV Motion Pictures and UTV Spotboy. This is because the film is meant for a certain audience and also it talks about doing things you love. Moreover, with this film, you have collaborated with Ronnie Screwvala and Nitesh Tiwari, with whom you worked when you were at UTV Disney. Did you also feel the UTV connection while working on this film? That’s a lovely way of putting it! I can’t say that’s the reason we decided to make the film. You are quite right about the spirit with which we strive to do things in terms of the cinema we make. We try to push the envelope and do something that’s against the norm. What appealed to Ronnie, Nitesh and me about the book was that it talks about what the youth are going through but in a fun and irreverent way. When they are told, ‘Log kya kahenge, tumse na ho paayega’ or ‘why not take the safe route and stay in a secured job’, they don’t really adhere to it and try to break boundaries. Not many films have been made on this topic. Also, Nitesh Tiwari and Nikhil Mehrotra then wrote a great screenplay.

Was Tumse Na Ho Payega meant for a digital release since day 1? Yes. I have to give credit to Disney+ Hotstar for coming on board at the script stage itself. We wanted this film to reach out to the youth of our country. The platform that Disney+ Hotstar is in terms of penetration gave us the opportunity to reach that audience successfully. The fact that it’s trending on number 1 since the time it dropped proves that we made the right decision.

Also, when you release a film on digital, it becomes easier to have abuses. Had Tumse Na Ho Payega released in cinemas, the abuses would have been muted… Yes. If we hadn't made it real and authentic in terms of how the youth talk to each other, it would have seemed artificial. We had to get right the lingo that the youth uses. We had the advantage of doing that (on OTT).

In real life, Varun Agarwal started a merchandising company called Alma Mater. In the film, Gautav (Ishwak Singh) starts a food-based app named Maa’s Magic. Could you tell us what made you and the team of this film to make this change? We wanted to show that the business has an emotional edge. I think the idea of maa ke haath ka khana and mothers feeding bachelors and bachelorettes in a city had an emotional angle to it. Moreover, Varun’s app is an online merchandise store. It was an interesting concept. But the book was written years ago and we wanted something more relevant to the present day.

A heartening track in the film is that of the chaiwallah investing in the app. Did that happen for real? There are certain liberties that we have taken. What was great is that we might never imagine that a chaiwallah might have the money to invest in a business. But sometimes, these are the people who shed their blood, sweat and tears to collect money for their children’s education. And there’s an emotional arc where we feel that he invests in the business and we feel that he has lost the money. But the dignity that he shows is lovely.

Any chances of a sequel to Tumse Na Ho Payega? It’ll be interesting to know what happens next… You are right. It’s a little early. I thought of it just now when you mentioned it! I think right now, the team is just enjoying the great feedback that’s coming in.

There was a lot of negativity surrounding Bollywood in 2022. But in 2023, we saw back-to-back hits and even blockbusters releasing in cinemas. Do you think that we are in a much better position today? There’s no question about it. Last year, a section of people was writing the obituary for cinema and were wondering if the audience would ever come back to theatres. There was the ‘Boycott Bollywood’ trending on social media. The audience is back in huge numbers and it proves that the box office is back. Just the last 9 months have been testimony to the fact that the audience really enjoys the theatrical experience. If we deliver good content, they’ll come. It’s upto us filmmakers to be able to give great cinema and keep the numbers coming.

Your production Dangal (2016) was the first Indian film to collect Rs. 1000 crores at the box office. This year, two more Hindi films, Pathaan and Jawan, also entered the Rs. 1000 crores club. Do you feel that the box office is not just back but is going places we never imagined before? For sure. Dangal was a great example of the fact that Indian films can work in a market like China and make $200 million worldwide. This proves that our films can really break through and appeal to the audiences of the non-Indian markets as well. We don’t need to assume that our movies will work only among the South East Asian diaspora. Our films can work with the global audience and Dangal is the best example. Hopefully, we'll only be pushing boundaries from here on.

A trend that emerged this year is the buy-one-get-one ticket-free scheme. It has its share of supporters and critics. What are your thoughts? The filmmakers feel it works and hence, they implement it. There’s nothing wrong with experimenting with it. This is especially when the film is at its last leg at the box office and you want to give it another uplift. If you do it at that point in time, then you bring in the audience who might not have otherwise not watched your film in the cinemas. If you do in the release week, then it’s a call that a filmmaker can take, but then maybe you are not exploiting the full revenue potential of your film. But again, there’s no right or wrong answer. Every filmmaker has to take his/her call. If they feel their film is in danger of being overpriced, then going for a buy-one-get-one offer makes sense.

Which are your upcoming films? We have Pippa and Woh Ladki Hai Kahaan. We are yet to announce the release dates of these films. A call will be taken very soon. We also have some films in post-production. Then we have a film with Shahid Kapoor that goes on floors in October. It’s an action thriller and directed by Rosshan Andrrews. Lastly, we are making a few series that the platforms will announce at the right time.

Would you like to revive your space film Saare Jahan Se Accha, especially looking at the hype around Chandrayaan-3? The film has never gone away. It’s something that we are working on in the background and we’ll be ready to announce it at the right time. Director Mahesh Mathai and I are convinced that we’ll make it. But sometimes, films have their own destiny. Hence, I am sure that this is a story that will be told at the right time. The story is timeless. It’s not in danger of getting dated at any point.

You are a big Amitabh Bachchan fan. Interestingly, you made so many films but none of them have starred him… I was the junior member of the marketing team at Star Network. That was the time when I worked with him, during the first season of ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ in 2000. This was when I was and still am in awe of the man. I hope to work with him soon (smiles).

Also Read: Siddharth Roy Kapur on being featured on Variety’s 500 Most Influential Leaders list: ‘It is a great honour’

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