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Filmmaker Mohit Suri, who recently bounced back after a string of flops with Saiyaara, his biggest hit, said that he was prepping the third instalment of Aashiqui and was dropped from it partially because of his poor strike rate at the time. He said that he holds no ill will against anybody, including his own family, and that he was mostly disappointed in himself for letting the naysayers get to him. Saiyaara has grossed more than Rs 500 crore worldwide, and has reestablished Mohit, who got his start at uncle Mahesh Bhatt’s Vishesh Films.
In an interview with Shubhankar Mishra on YouTube, Mohit said that he was writing Aashiqui 3 with the intention to direct it, but the studio didn’t want to wait for him to fine tune the script. They decided to go in another direction, and brought Anurag Basu on board. Mohit said that their decision could have been motivated by his lack of success at the time; he had directed films such as Malang and Ek Villain Returns. He said that during that time, he was simply crumbling under pressure and listening to the advice of others. “Never listen to anybody when you’re low, because they’ll push you further down,” he said.
He continued, “When you’ve been working for 20 years, and your film flops, the fear is that the best is behind you. And, in all honesty, people had already started saying that.” Asked about Aashiqui 3, Mohit said, “They decided to make the film without me, it’s true. It’s not only because (Ek Villain 2 flopped) but because they didn’t want to wait for me. But, 100% (people judge you on the basis of hits and flops). And this was my own family that were the ones not willing to wait. And I don’t blame them, because it’s a business. But, more than anything else, I wasn’t trying to prove them wrong, I was trying to prove myself wrong.”
Mohit said that he found himself ticking the boxes with Ek Villain 2, such as making a sequel, remixing songs, casting two male and two female stars. But it blew up in his face. “In that greed to reach that box office success, and to hit that Rs 16 crore opening that Ek Villain had given me, I wanted to feel that high again. I was playing it safe, and making the film for the wrong reasons.”
Mohit said that after Saiyaara’s success, he doesn’t feel bad about losing out on Aashiqui 3 or Awarapan 2. “How can I make Aashiqui without Aditya and Shraddha? And remember, the film opened at Rs 3 crore, which wasn’t a huge number. But it became a cult film over time. Now, people want to use that brand name and make another film. But it’s more of a project now than a film, and I don’t know if I fit into this,” he said. He confirmed that he was writing the third Aashiqui film, but that the producers didn’t want to wait for him. “They were in a rush, but I said that I wouldn’t announce the film before I’ve written the script. They said they would move on to another director, I said it’s fine. So they moved on to Anurag, who I really look up to.”
Mohit said that he isn’t sure if they’re still going with the Aashiqui title. Anurag Basu is directing a romantic drama with Kartik Aaryan and Sreeleela. The movie hasn’t been given a title yet. He was asked about the film being compared to Saiyaara, and he told Mid-day, “Mohit and I are very close. I’m happy for his film’s success. The only similarity in our films is that the male lead is a rockstar, and the story is about his journey. We are not rewriting or re-shooting. I knew beforehand that the girl had Alzheimer’s disease in Saiyaara. So, why would I write the same [plot point] in mine?” There have been several reports suggesting that the success of Saiyaara has rocked the industry, with more established stars wondering how newcomers could deliver such a massive hit.
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