Q.What is new about Fukrey this time?
Pulkit Samrat: The characters are the same of course. The story has gone ahead from where we left the last time. Last time we played a lottery with Bholi (played by Richa Chadha) but this time we are playing it with the entire city. The entire city is going bonkers around us. There is a tiger, a snake and much more wildness in the film.
Varun Sharma: As Choocha, the character (in the prequel) had a god gift where he used to have these crazy dreams, now he sees future. In a life of fukra, nothing can be easy so things get entangled, Bholi is back with a lot of vengeance and a lot of fukrapanti is going to happen.
Q. Coming back as a gang after almost four years, how is it? What is the feeling like?
Manjot Singh: It is a great feeling that we all are again back together. As Pulkit said, the characters are same, there is more fun; the mess we create is even bigger this time. I am sure people are going to love this film and they are going to enjoy a lot. I think people would enjoy laughing and this is needed in present time where people are mostly under too much pressure of work and life all the time.
Q. What was it like to recreate the iconic character of Bholi Punjaban?
Richa Chadha: Fukrey was my third film and we were all very naïve, we didn’t know what to expect when the film releases. I think this is an iconic character because it is written like such. There have not been many vamps… This (Bholi Punjaban) is a proper vamp who just enjoys torturing people. She is very quirky and interesting, it’s purely the writing that makes her as such; like her henchman wear shirts with her (image) on it. This is all our director’s imagination; this was a really interesting character to play.
Q. As a producer who backed the prequel, did you imagine then that you will be going this big the sequel?
Ritesh Sidhwani: The movie was sort of an underdog film when it came out. Like most of the films, we didn’t think of making a sequel. As it’s a story about two boys going to college and their quirkiness; it was a simple film. The beauty of the project was that the audience related to it. In this sequel, complete justice is done to the previous film as the world is the same, the characters are still innocent people who have tried to reach out to some luxurious lifestyle. They have been earning a lot as they were playing lottery while Bholi was away, so what is going to happen when she is back. Now, the movie starts one year later. So, in its true sense, it is a sequel but we have kept the world intact and innocent as before.
“As Choocha, the character (in the prequel) had a god gift where he used to have these crazy dreams, now he sees future. In a life of fukra, nothing can be easy so things get entangled, Bholi is back with a lot of vengeance and a lot of fukrapanti is going to happen.”
Q. Richa, it was a rumour that you almost didn’t do the film, what was the fuss all about?
Richa Chadha: Actually, a person came to me and told me that I should not do the film, as there was nothing much for me to do. And I was coming from a very insecure place where I had played Nawaz’s mother. I was told there were only a couple of scenes for me in the film. So, all the credit goes to the casting director who clarified the whole thing and asked me to at least read the script. Therefore, it worked out and now it is one of my favourite characters.
Q. Was the film a turning point in your career, Pulkit and Manjot?
Pulkit Samrat: I cannot say it as a turning point but definitely as a starting point. It was a starting point for all of us. It was the second film for me. That’s one of the big reasons that it is such a special film to us and we all just enjoy being on set.
Manjot Singh: Luckily, I got the film Oye Lucky Lucky Oye, as I am not from a film background. I did many films before Fukrey, but my role was was just for 10-15 minutes. And my mom used to ask me that when will I be one of the main characters in the film. Finally, Fukrey happened and I got the chance to be a part of it throughout. So, I told my mom that I will be on posters and that was a big thing for me. This is why this film is special to me.
Q. What was the inspiration behind playing Choocha in the film?
Varun Sharma: Choocha and Fukrey will always be the two things that are closest to me. It was my debut film and to be introduced as an excellent entertainer, I was in awe. So, there was a lot of preparation that went into Choocha. To prepare myself for the character, I used to stand outside schools and colleges and observe kids about how they talk, what they do, their slang and their everyday routine language. So, that helped me out and we had a wonderful director. Also, there is a very thin line between going overboard and underplaying the character when you are filming for the same role for the second time. So, to keep that thought process in mind and start out fresh was a bigger task for me in task for me in Fukrey Returns.