'In Love, There Should Be No Ego'

'We rarely see films that comment on a failed man-woman relationship.'

Bhumi Pednekar tries comedy in her new film, Mere Husband Ki Biwi, and she admits it's a tough job.

"Comedy," Bhumi tells Subhash K Jha, "is the toughest form of art."

Mere Husband Ki Biwi looks like a laugh riot. Did you have fun shooting it?

Comedy is something I enjoy thoroughly.

I've done quite a few, maybe the tone of Mere Husband Ki Biwi is a little different.

This is more social comedy with a slice-of-life feel to it.

I have not done a comedy where I get the punchlines or where I do physical comedy. So it was very refreshing.

I feel that women usually don't get an opportunity to do that.

You have worked with Mudassar Aziz before. Has he evolved as a director?

Everything I did was directed by my able director Mudassar Aziz because he has a very good hold on comedy, and he understands comic timing.

An actor like me loves to improvise but there were many times where he told me to hold back because a comedy of this tone does not have the space to do that, especially where dialogues are concerned. They are written in a certain meter, and they need to be delivered in a certain meter because of the punchlines.

What do you find tougher to do: Serious films like Bhakshak or lighthearted films like Mere Husband Ki Biwi?

I feel comedy is the toughest form of art.

A lot of comedy is dependent on the people you share the frame with because if they don't have an impact of the line that you've delivered or if their reaction isn't funny, the audience will not find it funny.

Comedy is very tough.

There's a saying that comedy is serious business, and I completely resonate with it.

It's one of the most intelligent and toughest forms of writing.

So I've truly had a lot of fun doing it.

But where my films like Bhakshak or any of film that was more dramatic is concerned, I'm somebody who's extremely empathetic and who seeks stories that can bring about change.

Bhakshak, for me, is something, even though those characters are so away from me. A lot of hard work goes into becoming those characters but there's a lot of hard work in performing comedy too.

I've been very fortunate to get a second chance to work with Mudassar. I really hope that my journey with him continues into more projects where he can discover a newer facet of me.

I trust him blindly as a director. He's evolved so much as a filmmaker.

For me, Khel Khel Mein was one of his best films.

The best part about Mudassar is that he has a lot of sensitivity and reads women in a beautiful way. It's so refreshing to see a filmmaker that does not leave his ideology even in a commercial potboiler.

I think his flair for writing, his love for cinema only keeps getting deeper with every film that he makes.

He's a purist. He is in the business of making movies because he deeply loves cinema.

What according to you is the USP of Mere Husband Ki Biwi?

The USP of this comedy is that even though it is a story of two women and a man stuck between them, there's nothing adulterous in the film.

I am playing Arjun's (Kapoor) ex-wife.

We've been separated and there must have been a reason for it.

Nobody goes through a divorce happily and finally Ankur (Arjun's character) is ready to move on in life.

He's found the love of his life but his ex comes back and she has lost her memory.

This situation creates a lot of comedy and because Ankur Khanna is such a green flag, he still wants to extend his support to his past relationship because she is going through a tough time. That creates a lot of confusion and a comedy of errors. So you see these two strong women do all the comedy and it's so refreshing.

Our families get involved and there's a lot of khichdi.

And you know what?

Yes?

With all the laugh out loud moments, there is a phenomenal cast supporting these moments: Tiku Talsaniaji, Shakti Kapoorji, Mukesh Rishiji, Anita Raj ma'am, Dino Morea, Aditya Seal and Harsh Gujral, who's a phenomenal comedian and one of the biggest assets that the film could have had.

At the core of this film, there is a beautiful comedy and a beautiful human drama as well.

We rarely see films that comment on a failed man-woman relationship.

Also, the film gets you to reflect on the many times relationships end, and it's just not a husband-wife, girlfriend-boyfriend or two lovers. It can also be about a brother and a sister or two friends.

That's because in purity and in love, there should be no ego. There should be self-respect but no ego and the film makes a beautiful comment on that.

Your film comes on the heels of the big success, Chhaava?

I want to congratulate the team of Chhaava.

I am a very big Vicky Kaushal fan and am so happy for him because we started our careers around the same time.

My Dum Laga Ke Haisha and his Masaan came around the same time.

I've had an opportunity to do a film with him and feel he's one of the finest actors in our country.

To see the kind of success that Chhaava has got makes me very happy because before anything, I'm a lover of cinema.

Our films need to do well.

Our films need to be celebrated and when a celebration like this happens, the audience is in a mood to go to cinemas.