Raj Mehta may have won hearts with his directorial debut Good Newwz, but he credits his mother and her blessings for his success.
Pointing to his middle finger, which has on it a ring that his mother gave him, Raj says, “My mother told me to wear a ring. She had discussed with her guruji before giving it to me. She must have asked her guruji about my film Good Newwz, as this is my debut film as director. Hopefully, the film does well.”
The director adds that while his mother is religious, he doesn’t exactly have the same beliefs. He does believe in numerology, which is why the title of the film has an extra ‘W’ in it. “I had consulted a lawyer friend who calculates through numerology. This lawyer friend specialises in civil matters in Mumbai. Some of the advice he gave us worked, which is why I trusted his advice to keep the name change. I agreed because I trust him,” he reveals.
While Raj has only now made his directorial debut, he has been in the film industry for a long time. He started his journey as an assistant director to Prakash Jha on Aarakshan. “Thereafter I was doing a film with Yash Raj Films (YRF). Director Shashank Khetan, who was doing Shuddh Desi Romance, asked me if I wanted to work as an associate with him while he was shooting for Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhaniya. This is where my journey started with Dharma Productions. And now I am here as a director for Dharma with Good Newwz,” he adds.
The director could not be happier for his association with Karan Johar and his empire. “I am fortunate to be launched in Dharma Productions. Karan and Akshay (Kumar) sir did not behave like producers, and so the film is made according to my vision,” he says.
However, much unlike other Dharma recruits, Raj has not signed a three-film deal. He would like to stay in the Dharma family and even has two stories that he is excited about. “Genuinely speaking, I would like to work with Karan Johar again. I would not like working outside Dharma. Whether I will be doing another film with Dharma will totally depend on the success of Good Newwz,” he muses “I have discussed the feedback of the two stories, but I have not locked it yet. Those scripts are in the family drama-comedy space. I enjoy this genre more,” he concludes.
