Goofy Jasoos

 

 

 

IF HINDI cinema's fictional spies from Pathaan, Ek Tha Tiger and Dhurandhar come together for a serious family dinner, Happy Patel would be that idiot who says and does stupid things, saysVir Das about his titular character in Happy Patel: Khatarnak Jasoos. Das, one of the m o s t prominent s t a n d - u p comedians in India and an occasional movie and series star, is playing a spy that is unlike the ones audiences are used to watching on Indian screens as his character is anything but ' k h a t a r n a k ' (dangerous).

 

"Ever y joint family dinner needs one idiot at the table, and I'm happy to be the idiot at the table. So, I want you to imagine maybe Tiger, Pathaan, Kabir (War) and Ranveer Singh from Dhurandhar and Alia Bhatt from (Alpha) are having a wonderful serious dinner and for some reason they invite this idiot to the table, who says stupid things and who doesn't have a clue about anything, and that's who Happy Patel is," Das told PTI in an interview. The 46-year-old has co-written the film with Amogh Ranadive and co-directed it with Kavi Shastri. Produced by Aamir Khan Productions, the film released in theatres on Friday.

 

Physical comedy is not new for Das as he has done hit comedies like Delhi Belly and Go Goa Gone, but with his first movie as a director, he said he feels like a newcomer. "The big difference with Delhi Belly and Go Goa Gone is that the characters were quite smart and edgy because culture at the time was quite soft. Cinema was Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Parineeta and Guzaarish. It was very cultured and subtle. So, when we came in with edgy expletives, we were different for that reason. "Today, we live in the world of Paatal Lok and Mirzapur. The culture is already quite hard and edgy. So, it's a lot more goofy, absurd and ridiculous, which for me is a new zone as an actor to be in. Happy Patel has zero nuance.

 

He's not a bright guy at all," he said. Asked about the theatrical prospects of the movie, which is releasing at a time when only big-budget spectacles like Dhurandhar are working at the box office, Das said his is a small "underdog" film with big dreams. "I'm no one to lay any claims to film industry knowledge. This film was shot in 31 days... We really are a small size film. I think we have probably the catering budget of Border 2, if you think about it. I like to think of us as an underdog who takes big swings. That's how I perceive this movie." Das said while stand-up comedy can be an isolating art form, he learned to rely on others while making the movie and it turned out to be a great experience.

 

"I got to collaborate with Aamir Khan and there isn't a better producer in the industry than him, especially for a concept like ours because it's such a mad film. We have technicians that, quite frankly, we didn't deserve... So to get to collaborate with people and really trust them to make your mad little idea better, that's really been the joy of this." The comedian said he wanted Aamir to play a cameo in the movie but took time to mention it to the producer-actor. "I told him that when I close my eyes, I see you playing this character. I think he's got quite a role in this movie. And he sets this whole movie up.

 

When you start a movie, you want to start strong. You want to set your tone very fast and get the audience captive immediately. And I don't think there's anything better than Aamir Khan on screen to do that. When he comes on screen, time stands still a little bit." Similarly, Aamir's nephew Imran Khan, who makes a comeback to movies after a decade with Happy Patel, wanted to play a fun role in the film. "I think he did it out of, he says FOMO (fear of missing out).

 

Buzz was good in the Aamir Khan production's office. He knows Mithila (Palkar) and Mona (Singh), and a lot of the technicians. He knows Aamir sir, of course. And then I got an text from him and he said, 'if we're going to do this, we have to do something special and not waste this opportunity'. We went back and said, 'What has Imran Khan not done before?... We just gave him something flamboyant and very silly." Are there more movies on the card for Das? "If the audience goes and watches this, then there will definitely be more," he said.