I try to make sure there is some novelty in my films: Manish Saini

Almost two years after he directed Shubh Yatra, National Award-winning filmmaker Manish Saini is ready with his next film titled Jai Mata Ji-Let’s Rock, which will hit the screens later this year. Talking about the film, which stars Mallhar, Tiku Talsania, Vandana Pathak, Neela Mulherkar, Shekhar Shukla, Aaryan Prajapati and Vyoma Nandi, among others, Manish says, “It’s a social satire and an out-and-out comedy. The story revolves around the life of an 80-year-old woman, whose life takes a turn due to a government scheme. This is my most finished product till now and I have used the learnings from all my previous movies. I hope the audiences like it. After Dhh and Gandhi & Co, there were people who would ask me, “Aap bachchon ki films banate ho?” Shubh Yatra was very different from those two films. I love experimenting with every film.”

While his film Dhh (2017) had won the National Award (Best Gujarati Film), Gandhi & Co. (2022)won him his second National Award (for Best Children’s Film). Does he feel the pressure of expectations? Manish says, “Jab aap kuch alag karne ki koshish karte ho, toh uskapressure rehta hai thoda. Whether a film will work at the box office or not isn’t really in my hands. But I always try to make sure that there is some novelty in my films. I want my stories to be authentic.”
Asked about the challenges of handling comedy as a genre, he adds, “I don’t believe in slapstick comedy, which is completely dependent on the actors. While writing a film, I try to incorporate funny situations. For instance, Hemin Trivedi managed to make the audience laugh in Shubh Yatra.”