‘Virat Kohli watches my flop Dhol before matches to relax’: Priyadarshan says he’s ‘finished’ with comedies, is scared to make them

The master of comedies in Indian cinema is now scared of comedies; at least that’s what he says.

When it comes to comedy films, there aren’t many who can match the brilliance and prolificacy ofPriyadarshan.

In a filmmaking career spanning four decades, he has created dozens of evergreen humorous movies, many of which carry unparalleled rewatch value.

However, Priyadarshan is now concerned that he has finally run out of novel ideas.

Nonetheless, for his fans, there’s nothing quite like a good Priyadarshan film, and the same holds true even for cricketer and former Indian team captain Virat Kohli.

“Frankly speaking, I like to make serious films now.

I don’t like making comedies anymore; I am forced to now.

I think I have run out of ideas.

I am finished.

I don’t want to repeat what I did in the past.

I will make one more comedy film, and I am done,” he shared during a recent conversation withPinkvilla.

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He also mentioned that the failures of Dhol (2007) andKhatta Meetha(2010) affected him emotionally, though he is now glad those movies have found an audience on streaming platforms.

“I loved both these films, but they didn’t work in theatres.

But thanks to OTT, people are finally enjoying these films now.

When I made Dhol, I really thought the film would do well.

Now I am very happy when I see people like Virat Kohli and others say they watch Dhol before their cricket matches to relax.

They even quote the dialogues from the movie to each other.”
Calling Dhol one of his favourite movies from his repertoire, Priyadarshan went deeper into the film’s commercial failure in another interview.

“Something I hate about Bollywood films is that, at least during that period, when you are trying something without a big star, it won’t get the appreciation it should.

It’s only later that they would.

That disappoints you.

Dhol is now a cult movie,” he toldMashable India.

He further pointed out that the only film that had an opposite result was Malamaal Weekly (2006), which worked big time despite not having any A-listers.

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During the interview, Priyadarshan also discussed why he keeps repeating his actors.

“Akshay Kumar has a certain body language that I understand.

The same can be said about Paresh Rawal and Rajpal Yadav as well.

I really like the way they perform.

They give exactly what I expect.

It’s very difficult to perform humour, mainly because of the timing factor.

Govinda has that (timing), and Shah Rukh Khan also does, to some extent.

So, it’s all about giving them situations to perform.”
Pointing out that he has frequent actor collaborators only in comedies, he noted, “When it comes to humour, I am very much afraid that I can’t find actors whose timing is as good as the others.

When I have these people, my job is very easy because I know how they will perform.” He further praised Akshaye Khanna as a “brilliant actor” who can excel in both comedic and serious roles.

“He did a fantastic job in movies like Hulchul (2004) and Hungama (2003).

I think both the Akshays bring me luck.”
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