“Andaaz 2 has its heart in the right place” – Suneel Darshan

From his father, producer and distributor Darshan Sabharwal, Suneel Darshan inherited the love for cinema.

Suneel began his career as an independent producer with the 1988-released actioner ‘Inteqam’ which featured Sunny Deol, Anil Kapoor, Meenakshi Sheshadri and Kimi Katkar in principal roles. In his next venture ‘Lootere’(1993) he launched his younger sibling Dharmesh Darshan as director & thereafter, he started his journey as a director with the Sunny Deol – Karisma Kapoor starrer ‘Ajay’. The runaway hit ‘Jaanwar’(1999), his next film, proved to be a turning point in his career as a filmmaker & a milestone that established Akshay Kumar who had 14 consequtive flops before it.

As a filmmaker, Suneel is known for gravitating towards stories that talk about traditional family values, ethics, morality and selfless love. ‘Andaaz’(2003), a film produced by him and directed by the late Raj Kanwar, too revolved around these themes. The love triangle, featuring Akshay Kumar, launched Priyanka Chopra and Lara Dutta, had emerged as one of the biggest hits of 2003.

More than two decades later, Suneel is ready with ‘Andaaz 2’, which has been designed as a spiritual sequel to the romantic drama. The film introduces Aayush Kumar, Aakaisha and Natasha Fernandez. in the lead roles and is slated to hit the theatres on August 8.

In this interview, the filmmaker talks about ‘Andaaz 2’, making a film with newcomers, the importance of having traditional values in cinema, the importance of having traditional values & why music is crucial for a film, special bonding over music with Nadeem, and more.

Yes! Times have changed but back in the day, things were quite different. Before we present a film to the audience, we must take the necessary steps to ensure there is enough awareness around it. The music of ‘Andaaz’ was introduced in the month of February & launched thereafter in 2003 while the film came out in May. We decided to follow a similar strategy for ‘Andaaz 2’. Just like ‘Andaaz’, ‘Andaaz 2’ has several melodious songs. A film’s popularity is driven by its music. Once the music catches on, you get a sense of the film’s identity. These days, some films release after being promoted for just 10-15 days. I guess that works for some people. For me, this works better.

Whenever you think of a great film, you also remember the wonderful songs that are a part of it. A film needs to have something that draws you in. Music is one of the biggest hooks for a film. When your film has good music, you need to flaunt it. You need to ensure it reaches out to the listeners. ‘Andaaz 2’ has nine tracks. There are 7 primary tracks. Then, one song has a sad version and another song has a female version to it. When Palak heard the song ‘Kitni Pyaari Si’, which has been sung by Javed Ali, she asked if she could do a female version. I happily agreed. I might make a standalone video of that song at a later stage. The story required the film to have as many songs.

While Priyanka Chopra and Lara Dutta were starting out in their careers, ‘Andaaz’ had an established actor in the form of Akshay Kumar. ‘Andaaz 2’ marks the acting debut of Aayush Kumar and Aakaisha. Natasha Fernandez has done just one film prior to this. What made you opt for a cast comprising fresh faces?

Today, ‘Andaaz’ sounds like a big film owing to the kind of success it had. However, it was not designed like one. It had two new girls. Akshay Kumar was on an upward trajectory but had not become a major star. The success of the film, in fact, contributed towards consolidating his status as a bankable star. The music of the film, put together by Nadeem-Shravan, was one of its biggest strengths.

While a star adds some value, a film is always driven by the filmmaker’s vision and conviction. Andaaz 2 has a strong subject. The actors, though new, are extremely talented. The star system in the film industry has become very complex. There is very little youth left. The bigger stars are in their 50s or 60s. The younger ones like Ranbir (Kapoor) cannot be available for everyone. One must, therefore, keeps looking for fresh faces and offer them the right platform to showcase their talent.

How long did the casting process take?

Once I finished writing the script, I got somebody to look for actors initially for the side characters & who were interested in playing the role of the hero’s friends. One amongst them was Aayush. I thought he had an interesting personality and signed him to play the leading role. He was pleasantly surprised as he was just hoping to play the hero’s friend. Now, he was the hero of the film. I put him through the grooming process. He attended several acting workshops & rehearsed with Raju Khan’s team for the dance sequences for a month.

It is interesting how Aakaisha was cast. I saw a Punjabi music video featuring her & found her to be a very good performer. She was asked to come to my office & 30 seconds into this meeting & I knew she was the right choice for the role.

Some of the established actresses wanted me to cast them in the role which Natasha Fernandez plays in the film but since I had worked with Natasha in ‘Ek Haseena Thi Ek Deewana Tha’, I felt she deserved preference… If she didn’t have talent, the songs and music videos of that film would not have received the kind of response they did. With these three actors cast, the triangle was ready.

There are ten important character in the film. Most of them auditioned for the parts and were cast on the basis of that.

Is there any thematic similarity between ‘Andaaz’ and ‘Andaaz 2’?

The soul is the same. Nadeem, Sameer and myself are a part of both the films. There is a romantic triangle. However, it’s a fresh story that stands on its own merit. It is a strong human subject which has multiple layers to it. These days, we mostly see westernized movies being made in India.

Everybody is copying English films and their sensibilities. We are Indians. We are Orientals. We have our own emotions. Indians are based in almost every country in the world & no matter which country you release the film in, you will find enough Indian audience for it. To ensure that your film resonates with an Indian audience, you need to make sure it has Indian values.

What drew you to this particular subject?

There are several thoughts, ideas and themes in the film which will bring back memories of ‘Andaaz’, a film which the audience had showered immense love on when it released more than twenty years back. In the last twenty-five years, few other filmmakers’ films have been watched as widely as mine which have billions of views on YouTube and they are aired on television all the time. However, I was never the Media’s darling.

I think every filmmaker should stay true to his belief. Rajshri Films, for instance, have always espoused traditional values. I have my own slot. I have constantly strived towards making oriental, Hindustani cinema. I believed in the subject and satisfied with the way it has been put forth. ‘Andaaz 2’ is not as big as the films that the corporate houses are making these days. However, it has its heart in the right place.

With ‘Andaaz’, you also launched your music company, Shree Krishna Audio. ‘Andaaz’ was the third-highest selling Hindi film soundtrack of the year after ‘Tere Naam’ and ‘Kal Ho Naa Ho’. Why did you decide to launch a music company?

I was left with no other choice. The industry has its own rules and measures. It’s a tightly knit world. They wanted me to comply with their unreasonable demands and I refused to do so. I decided to launch the music on my own and it turned out to be a good decision.

You have had a long-standing association with Nadeem-Shravan duo. We lost Shravan Rathod in the year 2021. ‘Ek Rishtaa: The Bond of Love’ marked your first collaboration with Nadeem-Shravan. For that film, you had met Nadeem in London and he came up with all the tunes for the film in just a couple of hours.

Nadeem, undoubtedly, is India’s largest music brand since Aashiqui(1990) which is thirty-five years ago & no other composer sold as many cassettes and CDs as he did & his songs continue to regale listeners on streaming & digital platforms. Though he has achieved a lot, I would say he deserves a lot more. His music has always been universal and has catered to everybody. He has done a fabulous job with the music of ‘Andaaz 2’.

What makes this association so special?

What is remarkable about Nadeem is that he still has the confidence which he possessed three decades ago. His penchant for coming up with soulful melodies instantly remains intact. As a filmmaker, I feel it is a privilege to work with somebody who is as talented and musical as Nadeem.

You launched your son Shiv Darshan in ‘Karle Pyaar Karle’ and directed him in ‘Ek Haseena Thi Ek Deewana Tha’. Do you plan to make a film with him in the near future?

Shiv has a lot of potential. Whenever I have a subject that suits his personality, I will discuss it with him.

What are you making next?

I focus on one film at a time. I live and breathe cinema. Until ‘Andaaz 2’ releases, I cannot think about any other film. Once the film is out, I’ll dig out another one of my stories to launch the next movie.