Their ‘jasoosi’ was not a cakewalk

Dia Mirza and her fiancé Sahil are ecstatic with the response their home production, Bobby Jasoos, has received so far. “Everyone in the industry and outside have been sending us positive feedback. Their appreciation means a lot to us. We are rejoicing as finally our work is being appreciated,” says Dia, adding, “However, we are also feeling the pressure of keeping it up for our next venture. Especially as our first home project, Love Break Up Zindagi, failed miserably at the box office.”

On choosing Hyderabad:

Sahil says, “For this, all credit has to go to Dia. She belongs to Hyderabad and has lived there. She knows every nook and corner of Hyderabad. It was her decision to explore the city. Dia helped us do the recce of the locations and so we had Vidya’s house in the heart of the town, in Mughalpura.

All this made the atmosphere so very real. The audiences will love seeing the heritage buildings in the film. The absolute contribution of the city on par with the characters, dialect, etc. will connect easily with the audiences.”

Cost cutting? No way:

Asked whether shooting in Hyderabad helped to cut down on the costs, Sahil, who manages the finances, says, “In fact for shooting in Hyderabad we had to move from Mumbai. Most of our technicians and actors were from Mumbai. Also, everyone had to join a strict schedule of workshops one month before the film was launched. And, living arrangements had to be made. So there was definitely no cost cutting.”

No cakewalk:

“I have been in the filmi arena for the past 14 years, while Sahil has been here for the past 12. It hasn’t been a cakewalk for any of us. Not just in Bollywood, in every profession people find difficulties in taking their hopes to another level. All I have done over the years is worked and worked and not looked back in life. Thus the success of Bobby Jasoos is just the beginning. I have indeed been blessed to get such a nice partner who allows me to do my best to my hearts content and keep going ahead,” says Dia.

Their future plans:

“Pehele shaadi baad mein films (first marriage, films later on),” says Sahil, adding, “We are planning to get married this October. We don’t know where we will get married but it will definitely be in India. We are not planning to tie the knot anywhere abroad.”

Dia talks about their next project. “We are already halfway with a script. For us it is the point of view that matters in storytelling. If we zero in on a point of view we try to take it ahead with scripting, characters, locations etc. Yes, we are planning another spicy, romantic, thriller. I cannot confirm anything at the moment. It will be mainstream cinema, very much like what we saw in Bobby Jasoos, the father-daughter relationship. However, I can only say it could be a coming of age tale. After all, emotional tales do work well at the box office. Entertainment value needs to be added adequately.”

Their working relationship:

Dia says, “We are both very understanding. We understand the working areas of each other. Giving space to each other enabled us to add to the success of the film. I took care of the wardrobe and the accent of the characters as I am fluent with these two spheres. Sahil gave me every bit of support so that I could give my best.”

Having the debutant director Samar Shaikh, who helped carry forward the intriguing father-daughter relationship meticulously and an intelligent actor like Vidya, was the icing on the cake. I must say it was a team work as all my artistes and technicians also supported us,” he adds.