1 971 , his first film six years ago, won the National Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi. It dwelt on the true story of Indian prisoners of war post the Indo-Pak war of 1971. “It was a very satisfying film,” says Amrit Sagar Chopra, grandson of renowned producer-director Ramanand Sagar, best known for his work in the mythological space. “But it took a lot out of me. It required a lot of detailing and mental strength as well. I lived the life of those POWs when I was directing the film and even after.” That’s the reason for his absence from the silver screen for quite a while and his comeback with a light-hearted romcom this August. “Well, I wanted to direct something light this time. I had been scouting for subjects and that of Rabba Main Kya Karoon appealed instantly,” he adds.
It was Amrit’s father producer-director Moti Sagar, who came up with the idea for the film. “Writer Aakash Kaushik and I then came up with a script around the seven days leading to a grand Punjabi wedding. It’s a commercial film that’s meant to be a family entertainer.”
Ensemble cast
Rabba Main Kya Karoon ( RMKK ) deals with the confusion of a young man (played by Amrit’s younger brother Akash) about to marry his childhood sweetheart (Tahira Kochchar). He is ‘advised’ by his elder brother (Arshad Warsi) that the foundation of a strong marriage lies in cheating on his wife at least once. In this endeavour, the elder brother is ably supported by three of his uncles — played by Paresh Rawal, Shakti Kapoor and Tinnu Anand. “When I approached Arshad, my brief to him was that he’d have to play the Devil’s Advocate here. Even senior actors Tinnu ji and Shakti ji agreed instantly because our family shares a great rapport with them. I wanted Paresh ji also to be part of the cast and thankfully even he agreed given that he had to shoot for a limited number of days,” says Amrit. Veteran actor Raj Babbar plays the eldest uncle who is the conscience-keeper of the family. The film’s set-up is just right for his brother to make a debut with dance numbers and a wedding premise. “I never wanted any established stars for my film. Even in 1971, barring Manoj Bajpai, I had a host of newcomers. I always scout for new faces. Not just Akash, RMKK is even Tahira’s first film.”
It it difficult to explain the switch to comedy after the thought-provoking 1971. “When we expect our actors to showcase a variety of skills, why typecast directors? If I had done a serious film after a comedy, I would have been asked the same question. So it really doesn’t matter. The songs and the trailer of my film have already received a good response and I think the audience will respond positively to my film,” he says. To break free of any further stereotypes, the director has a horror film, a thriller, a biopic and a mature romance up his sleeve. One of these films will be directed by an associate director.
