Faraaz director Hansal Mehta: ‘Every film cannot be a blockbuster on Friday and Saturday’

”The box office has become the yardstick for a film’s success or quality, something that has upset filmmakers like me… There has to be an organic growth of a film. Every film has an audience and you have to allow it to breathe.

”Every film cannot be a blockbuster on Friday and Saturday,” Mehta told reporters here at the press conference of his upcoming film Faraaz.

The action thriller film is based on the 2016 terrorist attack in a cafe in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is set to release in theatres on February 3.

The 54-year-old director revealed Faraaz will be released across 100 screens in 15 locations.

Both big budget spectacles and small budget films are made with an intention to provide a different cinematic experience to audiences, said Mehta.

”We want the audience to slowly discover the film, like go to the theatres and have conversations. Faraaz could have been a film that would have directly gone to OTT but I believe that like there is a spectacle film RRR, Pathaan, there is also Faraaz that should be enjoyed on the big screen.

”The potential, the immersive nature of the film, the sound, it is a different spectacle. It is meant for the big screen. I want the audience to not only enjoy but also get immersed,” he added.

The film marks the debut of legendary actor Shashi Kapoor’s grandson Zahan Kapoor and the newcomer said he is thrilled about this opportunity to play the title role.

Zahan said he wants to be associated with good stories. ”My grandfather did commercial cinema, international cinema and he produced films. It is not one versus the other, it is about participating in good stories. The idea is to learn from his teachings, carry them forward and hopefully participate with my best effort and intention,” he said.

Hansal Mehta lauded Zahan Kapoor for choosing to be the ”unlikely hero” onscreen in his first film. “He does not have a heroic entry, he is being launched as a boy who discovers his courage through the ordeal of one night, he discovers the strength of humanity within him. What is commendable is that Zahan chose to do this as his first film. It is a tough choice to make,” the director said.

Paresh Rawal’s son Aditya plays the antagonist in Faraaz and he said he was prepared to put in all the hard work required for his role. ”I am grateful to Hansal sir for giving me this opportunity. I understood the responsibility the moment I read the story. We all have put in a lot of hard work, we did readings together,” Aditya said.

Faraaz also features Juhi Babbar, Aamir Ali and Pallak Lalwani, among others. It is produced by Bhushan Kumar’s T-Series and filmmaker Anubhav Sinha’s Benaras Media Works.