With a multistar cast comprising Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Diljit Dosanjh and Kiara Advani, and a box office number that has crossed Rs 100 crore and counting, debutant director Raj Mehta of "Good Newwz" says he has got everything that he wished for.
"It is a dream that I am living. My first film crossed Rs 100 crore and I have got everything that I wanted. The cast, the production - everything was so on point for a debutant like me, and on top of it there is the people's live. It is a lighthearted film and people are enjoying it. For me, that is the success," Mehta told IANS.
The film released on December 27 and the story of the film revolves around two couples very different socio-cultural backgrounds, who meet at an in-vitro fertilisation clinic and how a comedy of errors follows.
The film is produced by Karan Johar and, asked about what is the best advice he has got from K.Jo, Mehta shared: "We had a session before my first day of shooting. More than any technical advice he spoke to me me about people management. I will keep it in mind for the rest of my career. This was my debut film and I was handling successful actors like Akshay sir, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Diljit Dosanjh and Kiara Advani. He said that as a director, make sure to extract the best performance out of them but treat them with respect so that they all feel comfortable and wish to work with you again. It is the experience that counts."
After finishing film study in New York and before writing his debut film, Mehta has worked in Johar's Dharma Productions as an assistant in several projects including "Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania", "Badrinath Ki Dulhania" and "Kapoor & Sons" to learn his job and get practical experience.
So, is he planning to utilise the success of his debut film to take more risk in future?
"I think, now after the success of my debut film, the responsibility has increased and I have to match up the standard that I set. Before this film, no one knew me so people had no expectation from me. Now, people know the kind of film I can make.
"However, I am not letting success go to my head. In a few days, I will take a vacation of 10 days so that I can get out of this whole excitement of success, parties, and everything, and then start writing my next film on a clean slate," he said.
On his next, Raj said: "I have shared my story idea with Karan (Johar) and it seems he liked it. I have to develop an idea and write the story now. The quest is not to get so overwhelmed by the success and remain focussed on the storytelling."
The director also said that he wishes to work with Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan, among others, in the future.
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