Comedies are 3-star films: ‘Happy Ending’ director Raj Nidimoru

At its core, however, Happy Ending is a romantic comedy that makes fun of its own genre. The directors say it wasn’t easy because romcoms come with certain expectations and the end is pre-decided. Their attempt, thus, was to embrace this and play within the set boundaries using satire. So Khan as Yudi, the author, finds himself facing a writer’s block while scripting the film. While seeking inspiration in his current girlfriend, also an author, played by Ileana D’Cruz, he realises his own life has started to appear like a romcom. And then there’s the added baggage of his cumulative love lives from the past, which brings in appearances by Kalki Koechlin, Preity Zinta and Kareena Kapoor.

Part of the buzz around the film is due to Govinda’s presence, whom the duo was sure they wanted in this role. “He has great comic timing. We got him to underplay his lines, which was new for him, but he quite enjoyed it,” says DK.

The directors are merely three feature films old but have managed to create a dedicated fan base. Through common threads that run through their filmography the duo — IT professionals who gave up Silicon Valley careers to make films in India — constantly experiments with genres. If Shor was an ensemble, Go Goa Gone was a zombie comedy. Also, their films have managed to capture the lives of the Indian youth. This is visible in nuances, such as the printed bedsheet that lay atop a sofa in the bachelor pad rented out by the lead characters of Go Goa Gone, or the fact that the seller of pirated books in their debut film Shor reads The Alchemist to improve his English.

This youth connect shines through in the music of their films too. They use whacky phrases in their lyrics such as “karma is a bitch”, “babaji ki booti” and “khooni Monday”. These, say the directors, are the result of extensive brainstorming with their team — composers Sachin-Jigar and lyricist Amitabh Bhattacharya. “We throw random phrases at each other and at times one of them hits the nail on the head,” says DK.

This youth connect shines through in the music of their films too. They use whacky phrases in their lyrics such as “karma is a bitch”, “babaji ki booti” and “khooni Monday”. These, say the directors are the result of extensive brainstorming with their team — composers Sachin-Jigar and lyricist Amitabh Bhattacharya. “We throw random phrases at each other and at times one of them hits the nail on the head,” says DK.

These bits, coupled with a knack for witty lines, lend their films a unique humour. “Dialogues are an integral part of our writing process.

We pen the dialogues as they would take place in a flow of conversation. While we are fleshing out a script, most of this is retained,” explains Nidimoru.

While they realise that they’ve created a space for themselves in the industry, they also believe that the inherent humour in their works — their very strength — deters awards functions and critics from taking their work seriously. “Comedy is always a three-star film. No one realises it is tough to execute. So, if Kunal Khemu did a brilliant act in Go Goa Gone, he will be nominated for Best Comic Role award but never for Best Actor,” says Nidimoru.

But this doesn’t bother the duo who find their satisfaction in being able to make the films that they want to. “It’s not about the money; we quit our jobs to make films,” says DK, “A good feedback, a fair review is our award.