Badhaai Ho director Amit Ravindernath: Ayushmann Khurrana is an intelligent actor with a knack for good scripts

He continued, “I always wanted to make a comedy film. However, the thought was to make a film based on situational comedy. You must have got an idea with the trailer. We have not written a single dialogue in an effort to make the audience laugh. They will crack up because the situations will be such. The film has a message also but it is not preachy. Adding to that, I do not think there is a problem if parents are in love with each other. My parents were very much in love. Every night after dinner, they would go on a walk, holding each other’s hands. They were known as lovebirds. So, these are the glimpses you will see in the story too.”

Moving on, when we asked Amit Ravindernath Sharma how he finalised the cast of the film, he had an interesting story to tell.

The director said Ayushmann Khurrana was his first choice for the film. “The task was to search for the characters after the script was written. I wanted to make a family that looked similar to each other. Neena and Ayushmann look like a mother-son duo on the screen. Similarly, Gajraj (Rao) and his on-screen son look very similar too. Ayushmann was the first choice for the script. The moment I narrated the story, he was convinced to be a part of it. He has a knack of picking up good scripts. He has this magnetic effect that this kind of scripts goes to him because he is an intelligent actor. He knows the kind of scripts that would work for a feature film. He never looks for what his character is about. He sees the entire picture.”

Badhaai Ho director feels Ayushmann Khurrana is one intelligent actor. (Photo credit: APH Images)

Amit also revealed that it was Tabu who suggested Neena Gupta’s name for the film.

He said, “Earlier, Neena’s role was supposed to go to Tabu. She questioned me if I thought she fits the bill. She said I need someone like Neena Gupta. Soon, we made some changes in the script. We had not seen Neena on the screen for quite a while. Interestingly, while we were thinking about her, I happened to watch a short film called Khujli and that was the moment when I thought to myself – Maa milgayi. When I told Ayushmann that we have finalised Neena Gupta, his first reaction was – ‘Isn’t she too hot to be a mother on-screen? How will I get mummy feels from her?’”

Badhaai Ho director Amit Ravindernath Sharma with Ayushmann Khurrana, Neena Gupta and Gajraj Rao. (Photo credit: APH Images)

Another revelation was the fact that Gajraj was suggested by Ayushmann who had worked with the actor for a web-series. “It was Ayushmann who suggested Gajraj’s name for the role of Nakul’s father. I have known Gajraj for years but that name did not strike me somehow. When the film was offered, in modesty, Gajraj said this role is very big and it should go to a big actor. However, I told him that there is nothing called big or small actors. So, I made him sit and go through the script,” the director said.

Neena Gupta plays an important role in the film. (Photo credit: APH Images)

At last, he said the reason to choose Sanya Malhotra for the film was to build a connect between the millennials and the film. “Sanya made an impact with her short role in Dangal. She is the only character in the film who has modern thoughts, who thinks there is no problem if parents have sex. I wanted her character to be relatable for today’s generation. Even she was very excited to be a part of the film,” Amit Ravindernath Sharma concluded.