As we speak with Mudassar Aziz, director of the upcoming comedy entertainer Pati Patni Aur Woh Do, the one thing that stands out is the filmmaker’s earnest dedication and respect for his core audience, something he believes must be strongly catered to again. The filmmaker began his career as a writer in 2006, with films like Zindaggi Rocks (2006) and Dil Diya Hai (2006), around a time when mainstream hindi cinema was becoming more urbane and focused on the multiplex audience. Reflecting on the shift, Mudassar says, “I am too small to comment on whether it was a detrimental step for the industry. But yes, we need to work hard on our own stories to win back the hearts of our audiences. There must be love and respect towards our language, our tradition, our culture, which our family members would find enjoyable. We need to return to that, and connect with people who were crazy about Hindi cinema. This is what I try to do when I sit down to write now.”
Pati Patni Aur Woh Do, starring Ayushmann Khurrana, Sara Ali Khan, Wamiqa Gabbi and Rakul Preet Singh and set for a May 15 release, feels like a sincere throwback to the 90s comedies that once ruled the roost. However, it also belongs to a genre which, amidst a drastic resurgence of action spectacles and event films, has suffered the most in recent times. Mudassar, however, remains optimistic about his film and about finding an audience that is still hungry for it. He adds, “This is a phase. It happens that action films run for a couple of years, then love stories etc. But every genre is important for the theater-going audience and should be protected on the big screen. Yes, the number of comedies has reduced, and it is necessary for comedy stars to come forward and make more of these films.”
