What146;s so funny?

The promos of Welcome to Sajjanpur promise yet another rom-com set in rural India. What arouses ones interest, laced with disbelief, is the name at the end8212;Shyam Benegal.

Thirty years later, Shyam Benegal returns to comedy with Welcome to Sajjanpur

The promos of Welcome to Sajjanpur promise yet another rom-com set in rural India. What arouses ones interest, laced with disbelief, is the name at the end8212;Shyam Benegal. A pioneer of New Cinema, the filmmaker was never famous for his comic timing. Charandas Chor 1975 and Mandi 1983 were replete with funny moments, but an out-and-out comedy hadn8217;t come out of his stable till date.

Reinventing the self for Benegal is as frequent as taking up a new film. This is true of him if you consider his newest film. 8220;With every film, I have tried to reinvent myself. Otherwise, one becomes a creature of habit,8221; he says. Though comedies have proven to be money-spinners of late, the director with an intellectual tag feels that dabbling in comedy is more of a coincidence than a design in his case.

8220;There is humour in my films. But I don8217;t have an answer to why I took a long time to do a comedy. I took up subjects that interested me at those moments,8221; Benegal says. The desire to make his audience happy too prodded him to direct Welcome. 8220;Comedies can evoke a chuckle, laughter, riotous laughter and even hysterical guffaw. I just want my audience to return home happy,8221; he says.

The script of Welcome to Sajjanpur was with Benegal for three years. But the camera started rolling only after UTV backed the project. 8220;Making a comedy is not easy even at best of times. It demands certain sensitivity. Actors need to approach it with wit. The director plays along with the camera,8221; says the 73-year-old. With actors Shreyas Talpade and Amrita Rao, Benegal says he is very happy with the cast.

Managing a perfect cast has been one of Benegal8217;s strengths ever since he debuted with Ankur in 1974. In later years, he worked extensively with stalwarts like Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil. 8220;It is not easy to get the casting right, always. It happened accidentally in my films,8221; he says. But then, Indian has several good actors. 8220;The problem arises when one wants work with stars.8221;

Benegal is very happy over the opportunities the present milieu offers to make films. 8220;It8217;s a great time for filmmakers and it8217;s even better for young directors,8221; says the maker of Manthan, elaborating on how the multiplexes have changes the movie-going experience. 8220;India is a young country. It8217;s the youth who would make a difference even in the film business,8221; says Benegal.

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Wooing the youth could be the motive behind planning yet another comedy when the popular verdict on Welcome to Sajjanpur is still unknown. Benegal8217;s reply sounds familiar: 8220;My next film too is going to be a comedy. It8217;s a subject that appealed to us. We are working on the script and the film will be on the floors by the end of this year.8221;