Today's Edition
Kuumar Shyam (DUBAI)
It has been 10 years when a relatively unknown cast landed in Dubai to promote their film “Fukrey” (a Hindi slang word for lazy idlers). The comedy film went on to become a raging hit, and one sequel later, the lead actors are back to promote Fukrey 3.
Unlike the most famous dialogue in the film, delivered with a spin-off accent as “Deja Chu” by Varun Sharma, there is no feeling of deja vu on the cast’s return to the UAE on the eve of the film’s release, as they happily spoke to Aletihad. Sharma joined co-actors Pankaj Tripathi, Richa Chadha, Pulkit Samrat, and Manjot Singh on Saturday a few hours later while the rest of the cast held a press conference.
On Sunday, the cast promised our readers that Fukrey 3 will “be the best one so far.” According to Sharma, it is “three times the fun, three times the laughter. The soul and the heart is in the right place, but there are new situations, so it is three times the madness.”
Since the release of Fukrey, the career paths of Tripathi and Chadha have seen a meteoric rise. The actress, beyond her profession, got married to co-star Ali Fazil, who incidentally could not be part of the third installment of the series because of scheduling clashes with Hollywood production Kandahar.
“It is work as usual, but this film gave me my husband,” Chadha said. She also revealed that though Ali was missing in action, he has been clued in on the film’s promotional activities over the phone.
Others like Tripathi and Manjot Singh delivered honest answers with trademark comic punches when asked if the actors needed any convincing to agree to the threequel.
Tripathi in particular has been part of many productions with sequels, including the Gangs of Wasseypur, Sacred Games, and OMG2, among others. “If the story has the right elements and if the money is good, they don’t matter,” Tripathi quipped. Manjot said he remembers the days around the shooting of Fukrey. “I told my Mom, ‘now your son’s face will be on a movie poster and everyone will see me.’ So who can say now, or who reads the script. I just said yes [to Fukrey 3].”
Incidentally, Sharma took his mother on a trip to Dubai in 2017, a year in which his films Fukrey Returns — the film’s second part — and Dilwale released.
However, the film holds a special meaning for Samrat, whose career did not take off as much as he would have liked to.
Samrat got the biggest motivation he could need when superstar Salman Khan, who is usually a reserved in his public comments, addressed Samrat specifically and wished him the best on social media.
“As I replied to him, it means the world to me, and it is like a Tiger’s roar for me and my work. It feels so great to know that all your hard work is not going unnoticed.
“Every time I get back to Fukrey, I get back to my roots and get a lot of energy from the experience. Now I’m probably recharged for the next 10 years.”
While the hopes of Samrat, and Sharma to an extent, are pinned on Fukrey 3 for another turbo boost to their career, the plot is vital for the evolution of every franchise. Even the actors suggested that this may not be the end of the popular series, which began with a seemingly plausible idea of Samrat and Sharma as overgrown adults languishing in school.
The second film, Fukrey Returns, saw the pair return with their antics, now in a college atmosphere, while the trailer for the third film features a scene of them at a school reunion while planning for an election against Chadha as the protagonist.
Her character as Bholi Punjaban, or Sharma as Chu Cha, have become part of film folklore to an extent. Sharma’s Instagram handle is also @fukravarun.
Speaking on behalf of Sharma and Samrat, Chadha said: “My role does not have such complications, but it is challenging for them to look the age, even as overgrown adults. But credit to them to have maintained their looks. Hopefully it remains manageable by the time the fourth one comes out.”
For now, Fukrey 3 is the film everyone is pinning their hopes and energy on at a time when Gadar 2 and Jawan have rekindled Bollywood box office numbers for this year at a time when hits had dried up.
The film releases on September 28 across theatres in the UAE.
