Bollywood director had to study criminal minds

New Delhi, Oct 31 (IANS) Ad filmmaker-cum-director Dibakar Banerjee hit the jackpot with his directorial debut "Khosla Ka Ghosla", a dark comedy centred on the real estate mafia. Now he is ready with his second film "Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!" and says he had to study criminals' minds to make the comedy.

Banerjee, who has an eye for detail, said: "My new film required me to know the psyche of criminals since 'Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye' is about a thief in Delhi who wants to be famous. He (the thief) wants to live a luxurious life and at the same time yearns to become the talk of the town."

While "Khosla Ka Ghosla" starred talented actors like Anupam Kher, Boman Irani, Ranveer Shorey and Vinay Pathak, "Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye" has Abhay Deol as the protagonist along with Neetu Chandra and Paresh Rawal. The film is scheduled for a November release.

"We decided upon Abhay because we wanted someone to take on the role of a charismatic North Indian thief, convincingly. Abhay had the guts to take risks and do the kind of films that he liked. He has so far stayed away from formula and has a niche audience. That's what I really like in him," Banerjee told IANS.

"Apart from that, Abhay is a fantastic actor," he added.

The audience will see Paresh in a triple role in the film.

"Two of his characters are named Brijkishore Handa and Googie Arror. I can't tell you the name of the third character because it will give away the story completely. Paresh is a brilliant actor; there are no two ways about that. Plus he is always on the lookout for interesting subjects," Banerjee said.

He also revealed that Paresh wanted to be a part of his first film, "Khosla Ka Ghosla".

"But that time nothing materialised, so we kept in touch and finally decided to work together in this film. It is a challenging role and that's what encouraged Paresh the most," averred Banerjee.

Banerjee undertook a meticulous research and consulted various TV clippings, news reports, magazine articles and other written material for his new film to make it realistic.

Commenting upon why he chose comedy for both his films, Banerjee said: "I don't think 'Khosla Ka Ghosla' should be typecast as a comedy film. It did have a humorous streak but the issue in the film was very serious. Similarly, 'Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye' too has a comic approach but it deals with a grave issue. It will compel people to think."

The director has yet again chosen Delhi as the backdrop for his film, just like in his debut movie.

"Since I grew up in Delhi, I definitely give preference to Delhi-based stories. I know the city and the culture. Plus, Delhi seemed suitable city for both my movies."

While he always wanted to make films, Banerjee admits advertising helped him in "honing his skills as a director" as it provided a training ground for him. Hence, he has no plans of discontinuing making ad films.

Banerjee considers directors like Shyam Benegal, Ketan Mehta, Vishal Bharadwaj, Ram Gopal Varma, David Dhawan and Anurag Kashyap as his favourites "for their gutsy and intense approach to films" and would love to work with actors like Naseeruddin Shah, Mohan Lal, Madhuri Dixit and even Konkana Sen-Sharma.

Banerjee is also interested in making a period drama but is currently focusing on a political thriller, which is expected to release next year.

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Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!