“Comedy is the most difficult genre of filmmaking” – Mudassar Aziz

Sometime in 2006, I stumbled upon the cassette of a film at a family friend’s house. I had seen some snippets of a few songs from that film on television but had not had the chance to listen to the album in its entirety. As I played the cassette on a tape recorder, I heard some words which left me amused. “Tera nishaan har shay mein mila hai, har pal tera zamzam se dhula hai, zaahirin fazale rabbi, tu rehmat hai zindagi…”, these were lines from ‘Rabbi’, a song from the album of ‘Zindaggi Rocks’, a film which featured Sushmita Sen as a young mother who also happens to be a pop star. These words had emerged out of the mind of Mudassar Aziz, who apart from writing the songs of the film, had also written its screenplay and dialogues.

Today, Mudassar is known as the director of successful films like ‘Happy Bhag Jayegi’, ‘Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi’ and ‘Pati Patni Aur Woh’. ‘Khel Khel Mein’, his recent release, had a tepid start at the box-office but received glowing reviews from the critics. The positive word of mouth has ensured a stable run for the film at the box-office. Though not a commercial success, one believes this well-written and dexterously directed film will continue to find its audience with time.

When you speak to Mudassar, two things become apparent. One, he loves cinema. Two, he has an excellent command over languages like Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi. The latter, of course, has been established by the dialogues and songs he has written in the past. You also get the idea that the man is full of warmth, empathy and a sense of kindness which is rare today.

In this interview, Mudassar talks about his journey in cinema, struggles as a filmmaker, love for poetry, learnings from Sudhir Mishra and Mahesh Bhatt, directing Shah Rukh Khan, collaborating with Akshay Kumar, Kartik Aaryan’s comic timing, empowering new filmmakers, upcoming films and more.

When a child in is in school, they imagine themselves becoming an engineer or doctor in the future. Somebody might want to pursue a career in finance or academics. You, however, wanted to become Sanjay Lal Sharma.

Yes, that’s right (laughs)! When you are young, you come across something that leaves a deep imprint on your mind. I was 12 or 13 years of age when I watched ‘Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar’ (1992). I came out of the theatre. I realized something had changed within me. At that moment, I felt I wanted to become Sanjay Lal Sharma, which was the name of Aamir Khan’s character in the film. Maybe, I have always been Sanjay Lal Sharma. I often thought I was misunderstood. Sometimes, you believe you are talented and the world doesn’t understand you. Maybe, I was going through a similar phase of being a little delusional (laughs).

Sometime in 2008 or 2009, Sushmita Sen had given an interview while shooting for ‘Dulha Mil Gaya’. While describing you, she told the interviewer that you are a huge film buff and a reservoir of knowledge on Hindi cinema. Your father was against the idea of you watching films. How did you develop such a strong interest in cinema?

My father was a disciplinarian. He had a powerful personality. He was a very loving but stern father. When I got attracted to films at the age of 11 or 12, there was no internet. Whenever I would go to a theatre to watch a film, I would read the inlay card thoroughly. There would be stills of the films on the cards. I would look forward to watching those scenes in the film. The credit block would have the names of the DOPs, who were referred to as cinematographers then. As a child, I did not know what these terms meant but was extremely fascinated by them. I don’t know why but I would memorize those credits. Slowly, my shauq (hobby) turned into my passion. I felt the urge to know everything about Hindi cinema.

Your journey as a lyricist started with ‘Dillagi Mein Jo Beet Jaaye’ (‘Aashiq Banaya Aapne’). Later, you wrote the songs for ‘Zindaggi Rocks’. Some of the films directed by you, like ‘happy Bhag Jayegi’ and ‘Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi’, feature songs written by you. You have also penned songs for films produced and written by you. When one listens to the songs written by you, one gets to know that you have a very strong command over languages like ‘Dulha Mil Gaya’, ‘Happy Bhag Jayegi’ and ‘Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi’. How did you develop such strong language proficiency?

My parents had studied in Urdu medium. They were originally from Aurangabad. In the year 1975, they moved to Mumbai. My father, who was a doctor, thought he had better career prospects in Mumbai. His goal was to build a secure future for his family. He faced a lot of difficulties while pursuing a career in medicine as he was an Urdu medium student. After finishing school and college, he had to learn English. When he came to Mumbai, he was particular about his children studying in English medium schools. When I was a child, Inquilab used to be the leading Urdu newspaper. I used to read it every day. My father would be highly amused to see that and after a point, he started hiding it. He wanted me to read English literature and feared that if I don’t learn the language properly, I would end up going through the kind of difficulties he did.

I read a lot of poets. Apart from Ghalib, Majaaz and Zauk, I also read contemporary poets like Bashir Badr, Rahat Indori and Kaifi Azmi. I also read a lot of Hindi poets. I started reading their work from a very young age. I would read everything I could lay my hands on. I was an avid reader. Because of this, my diction is clear. Apart from Hindi and Urdu, I have a good command on Marathi and Punjabi as well. I remember telling this to Javed (Akhtar) saab jokingly, “kam umri mein shayari padhna khaasa barbaad kar deti hai aadmi ko” (laughs). If you start reading poetry at a young age, you start facing some existential questions pretty early.

You have used Punjabi in some of the songs you wrote for ‘Dulha Mil Gaya’, ‘Happy Bhag Jayegi’ and ‘Happy Phir Bhag Jayegi’.

It is often believed that Gurmukhi is the script used for Punjabi language. A large chunk of Punjabi is written in Urdu. I don’t read or write Gurmukhi but I do read and write Punjabi in the Urdu script. I had read the works of many Punjabi writers like Shiv Kumar Batalvi, Amrita Singh and Gurbaksh Singh in Urdu.

As a child, did you have easy access to books on poetry?

I would mostly buy second-hand books from different shops in town. I made good use of the money I would receive during Diwali and Eid. In the ‘90s, areas like Crawford Market would have many stores selling second-hand books.

You studied construction engineering at the M.H. Saboo Siddik College of Engineering. Did you take up a job after completing your engineering course?

No, I did not even think about taking up a job. I wanted to make films ever since I was 12 years old. Everything else was an opposition for me. After getting the passing certificate, I didn’t look back. I showed the certificate to my father and told him that I fulfilled his wish and now, I need to work towards fulfilling mine.  

You bought a prepaid card and started messaging people working in the film industry at that point. Did you get their contact numbers from the film directory?

I got some numbers from the film directory. I knew some assistants of Shiamak Davar and Farah Khan. They helped me with a few numbers. I did not have a relative or any such connection in the industry. Sanjay Gadhvi ji was one of the first people who replied to my messages.

Your journey in films started with being an assistant to Sudhir Mishra on ‘Chameli’ (2003). He hired you on a remuneration of Rs. 4,000 per month. What is that one important lesson you learnt from him that has stayed with you?

I became Sudhir bhai’s assistant or apprentice to learn the craft of making films. I was not writing actively in films at that time. The first human being who told me that I am a writer was Sudhir bhai. When he said this to me, I told him that I don’t know much about the craft of writing scripts. I didn’t know the format of a screenplay and the kind of software one used. Sudhir bhai said, “sab bakwaas hai, kaagaz uthaao aur likho”. He made me realize that I am a writer. Sudhir Mishra and Mahesh Bhatt have the two gurus in my life. I learnt how to write from Sudhir bhai. From Bhatt saab, I learnt how to sell it. Sudhir bhai and Bhatt saab had many similarities. They offer a democratic and liberal space to people working with them. They don’t believe in conforming. They liberated their thinking at a very young age. Jab soch aazaad ho jaati hai, writing mein colour aa jaata hai. A writer cannot be judgemental. If he is judgemental, he cannot do justice to any kind of work.   

But a writer should have an opinion?

Yes, they should have an opinion but should not be judgemental. Barsaaton ke mausam mein unns ka jaag jaana bada aasaan hota hai. This is an opinion. Unns garmi mein mahsoos hi nahin ki jaa sakti. This is a judgement.

Did you assist Sudhir Mishra only on ‘Chameli’?

Sudhir bhai had a working culture. If you are working in his office, you have to assist him on everything he is working on or thinking about at that point. Today, things are very different. An assistant director works with a director only on a specific project. One fine day, he could tell you, “I have a date with my girlfriend, can I leave a little early?”. If a director has made you an assistant, you should be ideally working with them on every project they are working on. While some film could be on the floors, another project could be in the development phase. You have to be available for them all the time. That is the best way to learn.

I was fortunate to have joined Sudhir bhai at a time when ‘Hazaaron Khwahishein Aisi’ (2005) was being edited and ‘Chameli’ was being shot. ‘Tera Kya Hoga Johnny’ (unreleased) was being planned around that time. Ruchi Narain, who had assisted him, was working on her debut feature film ‘Kal: Yesterday and Tomorrow’ (2005). I was assisting on these four films at different levels.

How was it working with Mahesh Bhatt?

By the time, I started working with Bhatt saab, he had stopped working as a director. He was mentoring young filmmakers and writing scripts for them. Only two people were a part of Bhatt saab’s writing team them, Shagufta Rafique and myself. I assisted him on the scripts of ‘Kalyug’ (2005), ‘Showbiz’ (2007) and ‘Woh Lamhe’ (2006). I also wrote a song for ‘Showbiz’, ‘Mere Falak Ka Tu Hi Sitaara’.

While assisting Mahesh Bhatt, you met Aditya Datt. You wrote the script of his debut film ‘Aashiq Banaya Aapne’. There is an interesting story behind how that film came into being. Aditya met a producer who had extra reels with him. He told Aditya that if he can make a film in these many reels, he will produce it.

When you have your back pushed against the wall and nothing to lose, you do not fear anything. I was in that phase of my life where I had a lot of courage within me. Success makes you feel a little scared. You are made to feel that you need to maintain that status quo. Then, there are installments to be paid (laughs). When there is no success, there is only conviction. I had no sense of fear or insecurity then.

I remember the name of the producer was Balabhai Patel. Aditya made the film efficiently with the resources he had at his disposal. The biggest reason behind the film getting made was Emraan Hashmi. He was a true friend. Aditya was his friend and he had promised him that whenever he gets the opportunity to make a film, he will be a part of it.

You also wrote Aditya’s second film ‘Dil Diya Hai’ (2006). The same year, another film written by you, ‘Zindaggi Rocks’, released. ‘Dulha Mil Gaya’, your first film as a director, went on the floors in early 2007. After facing a lot of delays and other setbacks, the film finally released in January 2010. The film was co-produced by Viveck. Was it easy to find somebody believing in your vision?

I met Sushmita for the first time on the sets of ‘Zindaggi Rocks’. The world knows that she is an extremely graceful person. She had really liked the dialogues and songs I had written for the film. Going by the kind of Urdu that was there in the songs and dialogues, she felt they must have been written by an older man. When she finally met me, she was surprised to see that I was a 26-27 year old man. When we met for the first time, she was very generous and appreciated the work I had done on the film as a writer and lyricist.

I was 13 or 14 years old when Sushmita became Miss Universe. I was a fan of her even before I got the opportunity to work with her. There was a lot of appreciation, adulation and admiration from my end. Her personality inspired me to write a story. ‘Dulha Mil Gaya’ was also partly inspired from a novel called ‘A Desire From The Heart’ authored by Barbara Cartland. Sushmita exhibited the personality of somebody who was completely unapologetically glamorous as a woman. I asked her if I write something based on her, will she do it. I was very innocent. She looked at me and said, “if you write, why will I not do it?”. Once the script was ready, I started meeting producers and started narrating the script to them.  

The film went through severe delays and faced several obstacles. What was your biggest takeaway from it?

I learnt an important lesson. Kisi cheez ka tay nahin hota uska anjaam tak pahunchana. There is a wonderful she’r written by Bashir Badr saab, “koi haath bhi naa milaayega jo gale lagoge yun tapaak se, yeh naye mijaaz ka shehar hai, zara faasle se milaa karo”. It is very important to be counted among the successful. Whether it is right or wrong, this is how things work. You learn how to balance all the good news with the bad news of your life. My first film was a big teacher for me.

Shah Rukh Khan had a 45-50 minute role in the film which was credited as a special appearance.

I am going to share something which will take you by surprise. I got just 6 days to shoot with him. All the 45-50 minutes of footage was shot in 6 days. I managed to shoot what I wrote. I have some wonderful memories of working with Khan saab. He is an extremely large-hearted person. The world knows him as an incredible personality and I feel fortunate to have seen and worked with him so closely. No matter who you are, he will meet you with a lot of warmth. I was a first-time director. He was extremely encouraging during the shoot.

Would you want to make a film with him playing the lead?

Who wouldn’t want to? (laughs) Every filmmaker in India dreams of working with Khan saab. I had the good fortune of directing him in my first film. I hope to work with him again and again. Not because he is a big star but because he is an incredible actor. All of us grow up admiring some people’s work. He has been one of those individuals who I grew up admiring.

After ‘Dulha Mil Gaya’ failed to make a mark at the box-office, you had to struggle for 5 years before ‘Happy Bhag Jayegi’ happened. Why did you not try to get some work as a writer or lyricist during this period?

I tried but nothing worked out. The primary reason behind that was I was not successful. The film industry values success more than talent. My first film had not done well. When an individual leaves behind everything and wants to get into a particular profession, he wants to do a certain kind of work. This is a very unpredictable industry. It became difficult to get the kind of work I wanted to do. If I had taken up the kind of work I was getting, it would have hampered my career further. I faced a lot of personal, professional, and financial difficulties during this period.

You had narrated the script of ‘Happy Bhag Jayegi’ to several producers before you met Aanand L Rai. When you met him to narrate the script of the film, you had Rs. 1,300 in your bank account. The day you narrated the script to him and he gave it a go-ahead, he gave you a cheque of Rs. 5 lac which solved a lot of the financial issues you were going through at that time.

I fondly refer to him as Rai saab. He is like an elder brother to me. No matter how big or important I become in life, if he calls me and asks me to do something, I will not think twice and be at his doorstep. He believed in me when nobody else was willing to put their faith in me. It was the first film produced by his company Color Yellow Productions which was not directed by him. Believing in somebody when their chips are down is a huge thing and that’s what Rai saab did back then.

‘Happy Bhag Jayegi’ was Diana Penty’s second film after ‘Cocktail’ which had released four years prior to that. Abhay Deol had not done a film in two years. You had not made a film in 6 years. What was that feeling like when the film was declared a bonafide commercial hit?

It was a beautiful feeling. Sometimes, people in the industry get entangled in numbers. The joy does not come from numbers but from the fact that a certain number of people bought tickets, watched the film and liked it. This is what you dream of. You feel you are getting closer to people’s heart.

‘Pati Patni Aur Woh’ was a remake of the 1978 film of the same name. ‘Khel Khel Mein’ is an official adaptation of ‘Perfect Strangers’ (2016), an Italian film. Do you fear getting stereotyped as a director who is good at making comedies or remakes?

No, I never felt that and I will tell you the reason behind that. Except for the title, ‘Pati Patni Aur Woh’ had no similarity with the original film. ‘Khel Khel Mein’, too, is very different from ‘Perfect Strangers’. Comedy is the most difficult genre of filmmaking. If people think I am good at comedy, it is a big compliment for me. I do not feel slotted as a filmmaker. I have several love stories and action films within me. Those films will be made someday. Doing comedy, however, is second nature to me.

You have said in an interview that Kartik Aaryan, whom you directed in ‘Pati Patni Aur Woh’, has the best comic timing among all the actors of his generation.

I said it as a cinema-going audience and not as a director. Commercial comedy is a very slippery slope to walk on. You have to justify the dialogue, script and situation. At the same time, you have to ensure that you are not hamming. Mehmood, Kishore Kumar and Sanjeev Kumar were some of the actors who managed to strike that balance well. As main leads, not many have handled comedy that well. Govinda was a revelation. Commercial comedy is very scary. Kartik has excelled multiple times in this space with films like ‘Luka Chuppi’, ‘Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety’ and ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2’. He has toed that line correctly.

When one looks at your filmography, one realizes that you lean towards stories that revolve around women. The characters played by Sushmita Sen and Ishita Sharma in ‘Dulha Mil Gaya’ were very strong. ‘Happy Bhag Jayegi’ and ‘Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi’ were films that revolved around female protagonists. Even some of the films you wrote and/or produced, like ‘Jia Aur Jia’ (2017) and ‘Double XL’ (2022), touched upon issues faced by women.  

You are right. And, I see such stories from a commercial lens. The difficulties faced by women have often been depicted in a serious manner. I am not saying that’s not the right way to portray it. However, we can see such stories from a commercial lens as well. ‘Happy Bhag Jayegi’ and ‘Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi’ are outright commercial films but both of them have women in the lead. ‘Double XL’ was about body shaming. I felt it was an important story that needed to be told.  

Do you want to take up more work as a lyricist?

I am a very private person. I guess it reflects in my writing as well. In today’s times, there is little appreciation for lyric writing in the industry. It’s not that I can’t write what people expect but I don’t want to write that. In ‘Double XL’, when a man confesses his feelings to a woman with body image issues, he says, “tumse mila doon tumko main agar ijaazat ho”. I lean towards poetry. Whenever there is a requirement for poetry, I will do it. If a filmmaker or music director asks me to write a song where I can bring some depth, I will be happy to write it. I am not aspiring to be a popular lyricist. In most of the songs written by me, including ‘Aashiq Tera’ (‘Happy Bhag Jayegi’), there is poetry.

‘Khel Khel Mein’ has completed more than a month in the theatres. The film got good reviews and the fact that it has sustained in the theatres for so many days serves as a testimony to the fact that it has seen some appreciation coming its way. Do you feel disappointment by the fact that it has not done as well as you might have expected it to?

Disappointment is a big word. I am a little surprised actually. Over the last few weeks, my understanding of the cinema-goers of today has evolved greatly. It is important that apart from making a good film, the film should become an event. ‘Khel Khel Mein’ will continue to receive love with time. The love the film has received is genuine and not manufactured. The love will not come because of marketing or PR. We have to work towards creating event films for the cinemas. This is the need of the hour. The audience has explained this to us.

Your next film is ‘Mere Husband Ki Biwi’ which features Arjun Kapoor, Rakul Preet and Bhumi Pednekar in the lead roles. When is it releasing?

The film should be out by the end of January 2025. It has shaped up very well and I am eagerly looking forward to see how the audience reacts to it.

Given the fact that you are a poet and have a deep understanding of human emotions, one feels you would make compelling love stories. Based on your inclinations, one would expect you to make romantic musicals.

I would love to make a musical. Right now, my focus is on ‘Pati Patni Aur Woh 2’. After I am done with it, I will take some time off to make a film in that space.

A few years back, one came across reports suggesting that you were making a film on motherhood. What is the status of that film?

We are working on that script. Commercial actresses feel a little reserved about playing a mother on-screen. Hope I can find somebody soon who would believe in the story as much as I believe in it. Once things are finalized, a formal announcement will come through.

You have a production house called Madland Pictures. You co-produced ‘Double XL’ which was directed by Satramm Ramani. Do you want to empower emerging filmmakers as a producer?

Yes, that is one of the biggest objectives behind me turning a producer. The door of my office is open to everybody. Most people meet me without any appointment. I have gone through a lot of hardships as a filmmaker. I know what a filmmaker goes through when he is starting out. If I can’t support a filmmaker today, it will be unfair. Years ago, Rai saab helped me. Because of him, I was able to establish myself as a filmmaker. The faith and kindness he showed in me should be passed on. My intention behind becoming a producer was to help new filmmakers tell their stories. Satramm had made just one film (‘Helmet’, 2021) before ‘Double XL’. We are working with several filmmakers at the moment. Many of them are debutantes. Some have made one or two films in the past.