INTERVIEW : "I am Nervous As Well As Confident About Jugjugg Jeeyo That We Have Made A Film" - Raj Mehta

Director Raj Mehta hit it right with his debut film, Good Newwz (2019). The goof-up comedy went on to do business of around 200 crore nett, making it a successful debut for the film maker. He is now ready with his next family comedy, Jugjugg Jeeyo, starring Varun Dhawan, Kiara Advani, Anil Kapoor, Neetu Kapoor, Maniesh Paul and Prajakta Koli, releasing on 24th June 2022.

Jugjugg Jeeyo is Raj's first release since Pandemic. So, does that make him nervous? Director Raj Mehta answers, "If I say I am not scared, then it will be a lie. Yes, there is a little bit of fear, but there is also a belief that we have made a good film. I am confident as well as nervous. My job is to make a good film and I am happy that my responsibility is done because my producer, Karan Johar, has liked the film."Sharing his excitement about the box office numbers, he said, "Box office numbers do matter and I'll be happy if they come in big numbers, but as a filmmaker, I'll be more happy if people like the film, but again, the box office has to come too."

There is a big debate on nepotism in Bollywood, and Dharma Productions' names always flash on the list. Speaking about his personal experience, Raj shared, "Honestly, I feel a little furious about these nepotism debates. I have been working with Dharma for a few years, and there is Shashank Khaitan, who brought me into Dharma. So, I never witnessed any such thing (nepotism) in my career. I don't think I can go to any other production house and work there as my personal experience has been really good with Dharma. I hope whatever films I make in my career will be with Dharma only."Good Newwz had two lead pairs, and Jugjugg Jeeyo also has two leading pairs in the film. That's not it, but even Raj's next flick, Selfiee, has got two lead pairs of actors. Is this intentional in today's era when multi-starrers are not being made in big numbers? Raj Mehta has his own views as he explains, "Yes, I think, the one-liner story of your film has to be strong. Good Newwz and now Jugjugg Jeeyo and even Selfiee's case, I got lucky that the same thing happened. I don't think about the characters or multi starrers at first, they pop up later once the script is locked. The beginning is that one-liner, that idea, and that's the most difficult thing, I suppose."