Meet the quirky director of Fanney Khan

Film Director, Atul Manjrekar

An interview by Abigail Mathias 

He was one of the silliest guys in college. Walked around with a red bandana singing Kishore Kumar songs. At least that’s how I remember my friend, Atul Manjrekar.

Cut to 20 years later. And now Atul is the director of a major Bollywood film, a musical drama, called Fanney Khan. The film stars leading actors Anil Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Rajkumar Rao. Thankfully Atul is still the pun cracker I remember, except he is clearly in another league.

Atul’s first feature film will release in a few days and I can’t help but beam with pride. The film has already crossed many millions in trailer views on YouTube. Fanney Khan is played by the ever-youthful Anil Kapoor, who’s struggling to fulfill the dreams of his daughter, Lata who wishes to be a singer. The film releases in India on August 3.

It’s taken me three days to get 10 minutes to talk to the busy director. “Aren’t you excited that your first big film is releasing soon?” I ask, when we finally connect. He gushes, “Well the whole excitement hasn’t come through yet. I’m still busy editing the final parts of the film.”

Fanney Khan is based on the Belgian film, ‘Everybody’s Famous’ made in 2009 by Dominique Deruddere. Director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra who has directed films such as Rang De Basanti and Bhaag Milka Bhaag, bought the rights to the film. Atul has been collaborating and working with the award-winning senior director for over 20 years. “One day, Rakeysh Mehra asked if I would be interested in making this film. I was a little nervous at the start.” Atul had only worked on advertising films till now. He is the director of Anonymous Films Private Limited. 

“It’s pointless to make a film just for the heck of it so I first watched the original film. I believe the story is very universal and that’s the reason I took it up.”

“We decided that we should make our own film, keeping the soul of the original intact. Actually, it was all in Mehra Sir and his wife’s hands. They are the ones who provided this opportunity.”

Fanney Khan releases on 3rd August across cinemas in India. 

My mind flips back to college days over two decades ago. Watching the latest films at Bombay’s Metro, Sterling and Liberty cinemas, wondering if some shots could have been directed differently. Back then I too was studying film and we would discuss and dissect films over chai till the wee hours of the morning.  

When it comes to casting, every director has a wish-list. “When you are writing, you subconsciously keep one person in mind. If you get that same character to play the part, its brilliant. The role of Prashant was written keeping legendary actor Anil Kapoor in mind.” The script is written by Hussain Dalal.

“This is a small film,” insists the first-time director. “It looks big now. We didn’t have a lot of money when we began. As one of the producers, Anil Kapoor became a big support system for the film.” The other producer, Bhushan Kumar has also supported the film tremendously.

  

“Aishwarya Rai Bachchan also believed in the character,” says Atul. We joke about how he’s on a first name basis with all the former Miss World. “When I first narrated the story, I was very nervous about her accepting the part. As we discussed the script, she loved it. I wanted to highlight the whole-body shaming aspect and she really liked that. She saw an opportunity to speak about it through the film,” he says. 

Atul’s wife, Smitha Baliga is the co-producer of the film. We laugh that this film is like a home production. “I’ve been extremely lucky. Everything has worked out. From the actors to the technicians, to costume stylists – the entire team has been amazing.”
Besides the director, another actress will be making a debut in the film. 20-year-old Pihu Sand is playing one of the lead roles along with actress Divya Dutta.

There are six main characters who make up the ensemble. “Actor Rajkumar Rao was always my first choice. When we were planning to schedule the film, he was busy. We looked for other actors. Fortunately, as time went on, we said let’s check with him and he said he was free,” explains Atul. Finally, the film’s dream team came together.

As with most Hindi films, music plays a pivotal role. “Amit Trivedi worked on the sound while Irshad Kamil worked on the lyrics which took nearly a year. It was important to make it blend with the film.” There was one song which had to stand out. “We wanted a song that would be a top-10 hit. Something that will work in clubs. Our production company, T-Series got this song made with another artist. Each of the six songs form a vital part of the narrative,” explains the director. 

I ask what he hopes people will get from the film? “Umm, I think the film will help children understand their parents better. There is a lot of conflict in every parent-child relationship. I’ve tried to understand my own parents better. Most often one carries a grudge with one parent. Though they want the best for you. I hope people get that. There are other layers about auditioning for shows and things like that which we have highlighted.” 

Atul tells me that the Belgian director is expected to attend the premiere. There is so much expectation and excitement as we countdown to the film’s release.
‘I’m so happy for you Atul,’ I can’t help but blurt out. “Yes, I am so happy for me, too,” he laughs in an all too familiar way.
‘Pagal,’ is what I end our call with. Despite the years it is good to know that some things are constant.