Priyadarshan has given Bollywood some of its most loved comedy films, from Hera Pheri to Bhool Bhulaiyaa and Hulchul. Yet, the filmmaker has now admitted that he hates “shooting comedies.”
Ahead of his upcoming film Haiwaan, the director opened up about how Hera Pheri changed the way the industry looked at him. Priyadarshan started his Hindi film career with serious stories and earned praise for films such as Gardish and Virasat. But Hera Pheri in 2000 made comedy his main identity in Bollywood. From 2001 to 2021, he directed 20 Hindi films, 16 of them light-hearted comedies.
Now, with Haiwaan, he is returning to serious storytelling. Priyadarshan also explained that he does not like filling films with forced jokes or separate comedy scenes. Instead, he prefers humour that comes naturally from the story and the situations.
Speaking with Hindustan Times, Priyadarshan said, “I started with serious films. Gardish worked for me, Virasat worked for me. Then Hera Pheri made my life miserable. After that, it was just comedy, comedy, and comedy. To be honest, I hate shooting comedies.”
“Now, I have realised I can shoot films with humour and stories that have humour, instead of just joke after joke. I try situational humour. I don't put gags and comedy tracks. Even in comedies, I believe all my characters are serious, but people find what happens to them humorous. I don't like actors making faces. This is the only way I know.
“Still, I don't like making comedies. When you make so many films in the same genre, you need a change. A lot of directors have a signature. But I don't want that. That's why I tried Haiwaan, because I really enjoy making serious films.”
Haiwaan stars Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan in lead roles, along with Boman Irani, Shriya Pilgaonkar, Saiyami Kher, Rajpal Yadav, Sharib Hashmi, Rajesh Sharma, Manoj Joshi and Jisshu Sengupta. The film is scheduled to release on 11 September.
