Sooraj Barjatya is back after a gap of seven years. After Prem Ratan Dhan Payo in 2015, he directed Uunchai starring Amitabh Bachchan, Anupam Kher, Boman Irani, Danny Denzongpa, Neena Gupta, Parineeti Chopra and Sarika. The film released in theatres yesterday and received positive reviews from critics. As Uunchai is performing well at the box office too, Sooraj, in a latest interview, opened up about his career as a filmmaker.
Talking to Humans of Bombay, Sooraj recalled, "‘Hum Aapke Hain Koun’ , ‘Hum Saath Saath Hain’, ‘Vivah’—you know what all my films have in common? Family! Because when I started out, Dad said, ‘Take inspiration from your life.’ And what I held closest was my family. Dad was a film distributor & producer; I wanted to do what he did. But I was 17 when I noticed a person ‘directing’–he knew the correct camera angle, & even what the set should look like. I was mesmerized & decided, ‘I’ll become a director, too.’"
He further added, "But Dad wasn’t sure–I was an under-confident kid. I’d sit alone in class, never partake in activities; my teachers didn’t even know my name! So Dad’s, ‘How will you manage?’ made sense. But it was the 1st time I’d felt strongly about something. My heart said, ‘Just take the plunge’ & so, instead of going to college, at 19, I began assisting Mahesh Bhatt on ‘Saransh’. I started on 1st January, 1984–that new year brought along a ‘new’ Sooraj. And right from delivering scripts to the actors to helping with the set up, I did everything!"
The filmmaker revealed the first script of Salman Khan and Bhagyashree's Maine Pyar Kiya was rejected and it took him 2 years to write the second one. "After Saransh, I worked as an assistant on other films. Working with big directors made me want to do something of my own. And so, at 21, I began writing ‘Maine Pyar Kiya.’ But let me tell you a fun fact–the 1st script got rejected & it took me 2 years to write a new one! But the journey was daunting–at Rajshri, our production house, our last few films were a flop & we were suffering financially. No actor wanted to work with us. And then 1 day, I met a young man who we’d rejected after his 1st screen test. But there was something about him. So, 5 months later, we got him on board. That man was Salman Khan. The script was ready & so was the cast, but there was no money. But we knew the film would work. So, Dad borrowed. The shoot began & we know what happened then—it became an iconic film!," he added.
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Sooraj concluded by saying, "And over the years, a lot of people have said–‘We keep going back to your movies.’ It reminds them of simpler times & that’s what I want to keep doing. In fact, my next film, Uunchai, is also a film of that kind–a film on friendship; for everyone! And I don’t want to worry about the numbers…when through my stories people experience joy & hope, woh mere liye hit hai!"
(Source: Humans Of Bombay)
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