EXCLUSIVE! Netflix's Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba director Jayprad Desai on casting Sunny Kaushal: 'He is an actor who hasn't been explored enough' | Not Just Bollywood

Haseen Dillruba starring Taapsee Pannu, Vikrant Massey and Harshwardhan Rane, which released in 2021 on Netflix made noise on social media for its delectably dark love story with a thrilling twist. Three years later, Rani (Taapsee) and Rishu (Vikrant) are back to take us on a twisting ride with Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba and is accompanied by Abhimanyu (Sunny Kaushal).

In an exclusive interview with Firstpost, director Jayprad Desai compared his upcoming thriller with Pulp Fiction, shared his thoughts on cinema changing and revealed the reason behind casting Sunny Kaushal.

Edited excerpts from the interview:
The story of Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba is very sharp. So, what was the thought behind making this sequel?

See, the world of Pulp Fiction is unique in itself. It is something which, which has, which is known for a few of its traits. These are high-passion stories. They rely heavily on deep human emotions. Originally, Pulp Fiction was considered, originally considered to be low art. And even the name derives from. Because they were printed on the wood pulp and that’s where they got the name from. So typically these are horror, romance, high passions stories. They are known for writing characters that are morally ambiguous. Even I call them charismatic sociopaths, which are worryingly easy to root for. But that is also their USP. So the protagonists are morally ambiguous. They are twisted. They are modelled intensely by anger. It is a world where everyone is flawed. Nobody is ideal. We identify them most of us are like that.

The Pulp Fiction throws at you people who are morally ambiguous. We have ambiguously twisted protagonists and they are modelled intensely by anger. It is a world where everybody, everyone is flawed. Nobody is exempt. And that’s why it’s appealing also because these people are a lot like us. We would want to be ideal, but we are not. So Pulp stories are able to pull punches with explorations of getting into the psyche of people which sometimes you are not comfortable with. But while exploring such stories visually into films or into other mediums, what I think one should be sensitive about is there’s a tendency of making them too flamboyant and going over the top and sometimes losing their humanity, even their innate humanity. So I think that is something that I was very sensitive about as a director because while the world is colourful and flamboyant, we should not lose the humanity, and the innocence of the characters.

Are you coming up with a third part also?

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, one wants to explore that world. Of course, it’s subject to a lot of other things. But, yeah, definitely we have. We do have something in mind to expand the world to take the story further.

What was the whole intention of getting this character Abhimanyu, played by Sunny Kaushal? Because it adds a newness to the whole movie all over again. But on choosing him, zeroing down to him, what was it that went behind? Because he’s got a very seedha (innocent) look. And that is what understanding his psyche. What was it like.

As I said, in Pulp, we have people who are twisted from the inside and that is actually what makes the world enticing the exterior doesn’t always map exactly with the interior. There are complications. There are complexities inside us. And that is what was extremely endearing about Abhimanyu. The character of Abhimanyu. Sunny, of course, I think, is an actor who hasn’t been explored enough. He’s quite new in the game. So I think this is a film that is going to discover facets about him and explore his potential as an actor. And I think he’s done quite a remarkable job at it.

You must see that the world, you always have to up the ante as you go along. And it’s also a process where you find more things about characters when you inhabit them. It’s like all of us sometimes friends for years together. But something happens in your life. A new crisis comes and it explores facets about him or her that you never knew about. So that’s what the journey of being with someone is. So I think, of course, the character of Abhimanyu is something that we have invented with this film and we want to take it further as the story goes ahead. But even in Rani and Rishu, I think we have now explored facets in them, shades in them as the story goes further because they are now they. When faced with a newer crisis, there are newer sides to your personality which emerge.

What do you have to say about cinema changing and not really being? I think OTT has played a very important role, admitted. But then, now the whole thing on cinema changing, no specific hero-heroine or even if it’s hero-heroine, it’s not that the typical star kind of it, which never existed in theatrical releases. 

I think it’s a welcome change, especially for makers, for writers and makers like us, this is. This is what we would want to have. And I think to a great extent it is our responsibility also as makers because the viewers don’t always know what they want. If you give them something in a way, you’re holding their hands and you’re taking them there. So you can’t shy away from doing new things, saying that the audience is not ready for it. That’s what I think it is you who is responsible to give them new things and take them to areas that are unexpected. Thankfully, because of OTT, people are watching content from all over the world and they are somewhere the mindset is becoming ready to explore the paradigm further. And of course, yes, it is changing and I’m glad it is. And I think now an extension of that is going to reflect on the theatrical films as well because one cannot escape it. I think that meaningful change is inevitable.

What do you have to say about how is the one character that has to be developed in the next one, the third part?

There are a couple of ideas that we have. It’s too early to talk about it, honestly, but we would like to take Abhimanyu further for sure because, unfortunately, in the first film, the guy, Neel, was killed. So there was nothing that we could do with him here. But I think the way Abhimanyu has come in and the way it ends and now that you have seen the film there is an immense possibility of exploring it further in the next. We have a few ideas. There’s also something that can be done with the right if what I mean with Dinesh Pandit. So that also can be quite enticing of course, we have a fair idea of what we want it to be, but I think it’s too early, honestly to talk about it now. I think let this. Let people. I’m looking forward to see how people react to this palette and if I can push it further.

How was working with Vikrant Massey? He’s one of the most celebrated actors of today.

Such a delight to work with. And as I keep saying, there is a silent strength to Rishu that one has to tap into. And I think because Vikrant has that silent strength to him there’s so much more that you can explore. Because Abhimanyu knew the other hand, the character that Sunny plays has grey sides. It’s anyway, a meaty role for an actor. Otherwise a conventional dark side to him.  So that gives a lot of meat for the actor, but sometimes not a lot. Think of a role like Rishu as a conventional hero, but what it really explores is his silent strength and how somebody who keeps believing in his love despite of all the challenges that are thrown at him and the silent strength that emerges out of it. I think Rishu has a lot of depth. And because Vikrant has that depth to him as an explorer, and as an actor, it was easy to fathom.

Lachmi Deb Roy is the entertainment editor of Firtspost, Network18. She reviews films and series with a gender lens. Her interviews are called 'Not Just Bollywood' because she takes huge interest in world cinema. OTT over theatrical releases is her preference unless and until its a King Khan film. She takes interest in fashion, food and art reviews too. see more