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A Writer Farhad Samji on bringing the actors together.
Sanjay Dutt’s next, Prassthanam, produced by wife Maanayata, also featuring Jackie Shroff and Manisha Koirala, is the official remake of a 2010 Telugu movie by the same name. Farhad Samji who has written the Hindi version, says that the challenge was to give the story a fresh spin. “The original is a cult film, but it released nine years ago. Everything upgrades with time, so it was essential for us to make it palatable for today’s audience. However, the basic premise and characters have remained the same,” informs Farhad, who has co-written the Simmba, Singhamand Golmaal franchise with brother Sajid.

Farhad, who is now directing and writing independently, believes that it’s an ace for a scriptwriter to have talented and experienced actors on board. “I’ve been with Baba (Sanjay Dutt) since the MunnaBhai days, and after 19 years, life has come a full circle,” he smiles.

Prod him on what it was like to get Sanjay and Manisha back together a decade after Mehbooba, and he quips, “I have grown up watching these two brilliant actors, but in this film, you will see them as characters and not actors. There is turbulence in their relationship and the story revolves around how they overcome it. We usually categorise characters as the hero, heroine, villain and comedian, but in Prassthanam, everyone is related to each other in certain ways. It’s the complexity of relationships which keeps us glued. As compared to Singham and Simmba, which given the genre, were the epitome of ‘commercial’ writing, Prassthanam falls in a more real space and has plenty of drama to spice up the proceedings,” he explains.

The film, directed by Deva Katta, tells the story of Baldev Pratap Singh, played by Sanjay, a successful politician, and his two sons, Ayush and Vivaan (Ali Fazal and Satyajeet Dubey). Both the boys are diametrically opposite personalities with one being cucumber cool and the other, always fiery. Manisha plays Saroj, Sanjay’s better half.

Farhad has not only penned the screenplay and dialogue, but also written the title song. “The lyrics capture the mood and tone of the film,” is all he is willing to say. But before he signs off, he adds that another USP of the film is Jackie Shroff who plays Badshah. “He emotes with his eyes, I promise you, and he has not played a role like this before. He is a loyal guard and you’ll feel for him,” Farhad signs off.