Whoever thought only men become producers was highly mistaken. Preity Zinta, Juhi Chawla, Diya Mirza have defied the norm by dabbling with production. Now, Preeti Jhangiani, known for her films like ‘Mohabattein’, ‘Sukh’, ‘Wah! Tera Kya Kehna’, ‘Awara Paagal Deewana’ joins them with her film ‘Sahi Dhande Galat Bande’ releasing on August 19. Sandeep Hattangadi spoke to the debutant producer about her new role.
What made you become a producer?
Actually it was my husband who had the script of ‘Sahi Dhande Galat Bande’ and being a trained actor and director from a US film school, he had the inclination to direct after acting in successful films like ‘Monsoon Wedding’ and ‘Khosla Ka Ghosla’. I too liked the script and backed my hubby to fund the film.
You have an all new male cast except Parvin or veterans like Neena Kulkarni, Sharat Saxena, Yashpal Sharma, etc.
Yes. I could have cast any big star or leading lady, but the script required new talent and a small big film is a viable venture after the success of films like ‘Phas Gaya Re Obama’, ‘Udaan’, ‘Dev D’, etc.
Whom are you introducing in the film?
I have some actors from theatre and the commercial world like Ashish Nayyar, Kuldeep Ruhil, Vansh Bhardwaj, Udit Khurana. There are also seniors like Anupam Kher, Kiran Juneja Sippy and Tina Desae etc.
What is the genre of the film?
It’s a dark satirical comedy about life in the northern hinterlands of U.P. and Bihar where crime and mafia goons rule the roost. ‘Sahi Dhandhe Galat Bande’ is the story of a gang comprised of four friends – Rajbir (Parvin Dabas), Sexy (Vansh Bharadwaj), Ambani (Ashish Nayyar) and Doctor (Kuldip Ruhil) who are given a job which will give them enough money to make their dreams come true, but to achieve the same, they will have to go against their conscience and the village, to which they belong. Goading them on to make this job successful is their boss, Fauji (Sharat Saxena), who stands to gain the most from the job’s success and realize his dreams of becoming a politician.
Why are you not starring in the film?
I would have loved to (laughs) but unfortunately I couldn’t play any character in the film but if Parvin insists, I might make a fleeting appearance in the film for good luck (laughs).
How has the journey been so far?
I was lucky to be noticed in the ad world and I started with commercials, followed by music videos which clicked, then I landed Yash Ji’s ‘Mohabbatein’, afterwards I did a slew of films. Some were successful and then I got married to Parvin, toured the world, experienced new things and now my passion is making niche films.
And, the lady producer brigade continues to grow. All the best, Producer Preeti!