New Delhi: Vir Das wants audiences to imagine his upcoming film Happy Patel: Khatarnaak Jasoos as a family dinner table. Kabir, Pathaan, Tiger, and Ranveer from Durandhar are all seated together, and with them is Happy Patel, completely out of place yet very much part of the chaos.
“Every joint family has an idiot, I am happy to be that. I am their stupid cousin,” Das told ThePrint.
In Happy Patel: Khatarnaak Jasoos, his directorial debut, Das plays the titular role of an aspiring British spy sent to India on a confidential assignment. Backed by Aamir Khan Productions, he has co-written the film with Amogh Ranadive and co-directed it with Kavi Shastri. The film is set to release in theatres on January 16.
Das, who is an International Emmy-winning comic, had the idea of an absurd spy comedy at the back of his mind for 10 years. But it wasn’t the right time back then.
“I always wanted to make an Indian Johnny English. Happy Patel is like Johnny English meets Tees Maar Khan,” he said. The Johnny English series is a British action comedy film franchise starring Rowan Atkinson.
Das pointed out that ten years ago, the spy genre had not yet taken hold in mainstream Hindi cinema.
“So, we had War, Pathaan, Tiger, and now Durandhar. It just felt like the time was right. So I called up Aamir (Khan) two years ago saying, ‘Hey, I have an absurd idea and you might be into it’,” he said.
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A rigorous process
Das describes Khan as a “lighthouse of conviction.” He said the script went through a rigorous yet “wonderful” process, including six rounds of re-writes, mock shoots, and multiple test screenings.
“Aamir puts you through six kinds of re-writes where you focus on story and character. He makes you do a test shoot. So, he gives you money to go out and do 20 minutes of shooting, 5-6 scenes basically. Because he wants to see if you can direct,” Das revealed.
The comedian said that he would have not had it any other way. He wanted someone who has years and years of experience. And, early on in the project, Khan had already given Das a tip.
“Very initially, he told me, ‘It’s going to take a while. It will be a long process, but don’t lose patience. It will only benefit your film,’ and it did,” Das added.
The rigorous preparation did not end with the mock shoot. After the second cut, Happy Patel had nearly 30 test screenings on Khan’s instructions. These screenings, as Das put it, “weren’t with people who were going to tweet about the movie, but with those who gave honest feedback.”
That feedback was taken seriously.
“Based on the reactions, some tweaks were made. The film was slightly tightened up,” he added.
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Bag full of surprises
One exciting moment in the film’s trailer was the appearance of Imraan Khan. For years, fans have floated social media petitions for his comeback to films. In Happy Patel, Das made that happen.
A few days ago, he also shared screenshots on Instagram showing that Imraan had reached out to him, asking for a role in his directorial debut.
Das said that incorporating Imraan’s character into the story was an enjoyable process and that he wanted the reveal to come as a pleasant surprise for the audience
“We just asked ourselves what Imraan has not done yet. He has done romance. He has done comedy. So we weaved him into the story as someone who does flamboyant action,” he said.
This approach of casting familiar actors in never-seen-before avatars wasn’t restricted to Imraan Khan. Das said he also did so with the film’s female leads, Mona Singh and Mithila Palkar.
“I am happy to cast them all over again, completely. I have seen Mona play a mother, never a murderer. I have seen Mithila play something very sweet, not a badass,” he added.
(Edited by Asavari Singh)