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Abhishek Bachchan, Vicky Kaushal, and Taapsee Pannu’s 2018 romantic drama Manmarziyaan may not have done wonders at the box office, but received a positive reception from the critics and fans alike. The film’s screenwriter Kanika Dhillon has now revealed that the film was initially shot with a different cast before being reshot with these actors. In an interview with SCREEN, the writer-producer shared how actors left the film midway, which led to the project being revamped.
Also a producer now, Dhillon started her journey as a writer. During her early days after writing Manmarziyaan, she recalled that the difficulties were immeasurable. “To find a voice in the industry is the first big step that you have to take as a writer. I was working on Manmarziyaan when I wasn’t that strong. It took me 4-5 years to get the film greenlit, write it, re-write it, groom it and find people to make it. It was my biggest challenge so far,” she said.
The writer-producer revealed that she wrote the film four years before it actually got made. “Love stories can get redundant, you have to keep updating your characters. While I was waiting for someone to hear and make the story, one would keep at it and working on it. Manmarziyaan remains the most challenging film for me,” Dhillon shared.
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The challenges weren’t limited to writing the film again, it was actually when it had to be reshot. “Manmarziyaan started and it stopped in between, and then it restarted with a different set of actors. A lot of people were hesitant to play these roles because they felt uncomfortable that the audience won’t accept it.”
She continued, “It seemed very risky to them to have the husband supporting Rumi and then the boyfriend being commitment phobic, every character while I was going out to cast, I was met with certain insecurities. Eventually, these actors who played it were the best. It was more of something like destiny choosing them.”
After revisiting Manmarziyaan turbulent journey, Dhillon also spoke about the evolving dynamics of Bollywood. She noted that audiences are becoming more picky about what they want to watch in theatres, choosing content over stardom. “The industry is going through a bit of a change and recalibration. Moreover, with the advent of OTT, it has had an impact on the theatrical habits of the audience. The strong competition among films has also made people pick and choose what they want to step out for. One is trying to figure around this new system. Stories are going to be the center of this compelling universe. We will have to work harder on our stories,” she expressed.
She added, “When you get a star, it benefits you to get the initial eyeballs. Having said that, the changing nature of the industry and changing habits of the audiences, success of the film clearly rests on the content now. If they love it, they will come and watch it. The audience has made their mandate clear in the past year. This shift towards story and content is good because stories need to be the world of storytelling.”
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