EXCLUSIVE: Hunterrr's director Harshvardhan Kulkarni talks about the re-release plans; opens up on Akshay Kumar's EPIC reaction to the film: "He told me, 'Yaar, bahut mast picture hai'"; reveals, "The publications which THRASHED the film mentioned Hunterrr in the list of top 10 films of the year"

As Hunterrr (2015) is all set to re-release, its talented writer-director Harshvardhan Kulkarni spoke exclusively with Bollywood Hungama about the film, his memories, the writing process and a lot more.What made you and the makers re-release Hunterrr? Did the success of the re-releases of Tumbbad, Laila Majnu and Sanam Teri Kasam play a part?We have an annual get-together every year on March 20, the day Hunterrr was released. It’s a custom. We meet and we party. People make fun of me, ‘Tu saala ek hi picture banata hai aur fir tu get-together bhi karta hai. Usse achha aur film bana’! Then, I made Badhaai Do (2022) and we party during its anniversary as well; otherwise, its team members might (feel left out and accuse me of being biased).During Hunterrr’s get-together on its 9th anniversary last year, we discussed about re-releasing it. But humne mazaak mazaak mein bola. However, Ranjan Singh, who then worked in Phantom, decided to take it forward. We could have done it much earlier but we decided to do it on the 10th anniversary.Do you guys call March 20 ‘Hunterrr Divas’ while celebrating its anniversary?(Laughs) We can call it that from now on. But now, I am stressed since we’ll have to celebrate not just during Hunterrr’s anniversary but also its re-release anniversary!Why is Hunterrr re-releasing on April 4 and not March 20, the day it was released 10 years ago?When we brought Hunterrr to cinemas on March 20 in 2015, Ranjan was against it. He felt that releasing it during exam season was not a good idea. He was always in favour of bringing it in April. However, at that time, we were very desperate and wanted to bring it to cinemas as soon as possible. We shot it in 2012 and we took a while to get partners. March 20 was an open window too. But with the re-release, Ranjan was clear that we needed to come in April. Even the theatre chains preferred April 4.What do you think worked for the film?I believe it's not just the sex content or the sex comedy part. The film was subtle and had a different storytelling structure. I wrote it way back in 2004 and shot it 8 years later. Hence, I always had the feeling that it would catch on. Nothing in this film is formulaic and that helped us in getting so much love. I am amazed that people recall small nuances. Just a few days ago, somebody told me about the scene when Mandar and his friend are forced to shave their head for watching a semi-porn film. They come across a third bald guy. They assume that he also was caught by the cops; instead, he says that his grandfather passed away. That person told me that it was a killer scene. Similarly, someone picked up a shot from the airport scene as well and appreciated it. Of course, there are some people who also say that it's their life story or that ‘Main aisa banna chahta tha’!What were the reviews like?Some praised it a lot but some did not. Those were the times when we had not even heard words like ‘misogyny’ (laughs). Moreover, there was no attempt to hero-worship Mandar ever. Otherwise, I would not have shown him being slapped in the second scene. I was not celebrating him but some critics did not get it. I slipped into depression as some reviews were vicious. But by the end of 2015, the film gathered so much love that the same publications which thrashed the film while reviewing it mentioned Hunterrr in the list of top 10 films of the year! Either the film got 4 and 4.5 stars or it got 1 rating; there was no in-between!Nevertheless, people keep telling me how much they like it. I was once shooting an ad with Akshay Kumar. We were about to pack up. Some 50-60 sales team employees were also present. They came to click a picture with Akshay. Suddenly, 10-15 of them asked for a selfie with me. I was wondering, ‘Mere paas kyun aa rahe hai?’! Then they started telling me about their love for film. They showed me that their WhatsApp group is called ‘Hunterrr’! They further said that every year, they watch a film together.Did Akshay Kumar say anything about the film?He loved the film. When I met him for the ad film shoot and introduced myself, he asked me, ‘Kya kiya hai tune?’. I replied that I had directed a film. When he asked me the name of the film, I told him that it’s titled Hunterrr. He paused and looked at me. He smiled and then asked me, ‘Vasu?’! I nodded. He then said, ‘Yaar, bahut mast picture hai’! That’s how we connected. He loved me a lot.The film’s back-and-forth narrative worked big time, especially the way you went from past to present and vice versa. You just mentioned that you shot the film in 2012. The same year, Agneepath’s remake was released. I always felt that you purposely showed Agneepath’s poster at the bus stop (assuming the film was shot in 2014 when Agneepath was no longer in cinemas) so that you could draw parallels to the time in Mandar’s life when the original Agneepath had released...When I wrote the script in 2004, I remember I had mentioned Tezaab (laughs)! Then, I kept updating the film as time passed. But yes, I agree that it worked beautifully that we could show him seeing Agneepath’s poster and remembering the time when the original film had been released. During Tezaab’s reference, I drew parallel with some Anil Kapoor film which had been released in around 2004.There have been reports about Hunterrr 2 for the longest time...Mera dil khatta ho gaya tha abhi (due to box office numbers and reviews). But I am clear that it has to be better than the first part; or else, it would ruin something that we created so beautifully. There is an idea and we are all keen to do it. But I have to be most excited about it. Hunterrr was the first script I wrote. It was genuine, original and also a bit raw. It maybe gives a feeling that I was not that experienced. Yet, it adds to its beauty. I don’t want to formulize it either as Hunterrr never followed a formula. All I can say is that the concept is very, very good.Your second film, Badhaai Do (2022) is also memorable, especially the scene when Rajkummar Rao tells his family that he’s gay. Do you get special feedback for this particular scene?A lot. The last 20 minutes were a dream come true. Yeh sab naseeb se hota hai; you can’t plan it. It became a beautiful piece of work that we are all proud of. A lot of people showed the film to their parents and have come out. There were several such instances. It was a case of a bitter pill with a sugar coating. Moreover, the film ends with a lot of hope and positivity. Though not all accepted them (the gay protagonists in the film), a lot of them did. Yet, the film gave a lot of people the motivation to try it out with their parents.Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Gulshan Devaiah talks about Hunterrr’s re-release; reveals, “I had some experience of shooting erotic scenes thanks to Vivek Agnihotri’s Hate Story”; decodes Bollywood’s profit illusion: “A Rs. 70 cr film making Rs. 100 cr is NOT profitable...”

As Hunterrr (2015) is all set to re-release, its talented writer-director Harshvardhan Kulkarni spoke exclusively with Bollywood Hungama about the film, his memories, the writing process and a lot more. What made you and the makers re-release Hunterrr ? Did the success of the re-releases of Tumbbad, Laila Majnu and Sanam Teri Kasam play a part? We have an annual get-together every year on March 20, the day Hunterrr was released. It’s a custom.

We meet and we party. People make fun of me, ‘ Tu saala ek hi picture banata hai aur fir tu get-together bhi karta hai. Usse achha aur film bana’ ! Then, I made Badhaai Do (2022) and we party during its anniversary as well; otherwise, its team members might (feel left out and accuse me of being biased).

During Hunterrr ’s get-together on its 9th anniversary last year, we discussed about re-releasing it. But humne mazaak mazaak mein bola . However, Ranjan Singh, who then worked in Phantom, decided to take it forward.

We could have done it much earlier but we decided to do it on the 10th anniversary. Do you guys call March 20 ‘ Hunterrr Divas ’ while celebrating its anniversary? (Laughs) We can call it that from now on. But now, I am stressed since we’ll have to celebrate not just during Hunterrr ’s anniversary but also its re-release anniversary! Why is Hunterrr re-releasing on April 4 and not March 20, the day it was released 10 years ago? When we brought Hunterrr to cinemas on March 20 in 2015, Ranjan was against it.

He felt that releasing it during exam season was not a good idea. He was always in favour of bringing it in April. However, at that time, we were very desperate and wanted to bring it to cinemas as soon as possible.

We shot it in 2012 and we took a while to get partners. March 20 was an open window too. But with the re-release, Ranjan was clear that we needed to come in April.

Even the theatre chains preferred April 4. What do you think worked for the film? I believe it's not just the sex content or the sex comedy part. The film was subtle and had a different storytelling structure.

I wrote it way back in 2004 and shot it 8 years later. Hence, I always had the feeling that it would catch on. Nothing in this film is formulaic and that helped us in getting so much love.

I am amazed that people recall small nuances. Just a few days ago, somebody told me about the scene when Mandar and his friend are forced to shave their head for watching a semi-porn film. They come across a third bald guy.

They assume that he also was caught by the cops; instead, he says that his grandfather passed away. That person told me that it was a killer scene. Similarly, someone picked up a shot from the airport scene as well and appreciated it.

Of course, there are some people who also say that it's their life story or that ‘ Main aisa banna chahta tha’ ! What were the reviews like? Some praised it a lot but some did not. Those were the times when we had not even heard words like ‘misogyny’ (laughs). Moreover, there was no attempt to hero-worship Mandar ever.

Otherwise, I would not have shown him being slapped in the second scene. I was not celebrating him but some critics did not get it. I slipped into depression as some reviews were vicious.

But by the end of 2015, the film gathered so much love that the same publications which thrashed the film while reviewing it mentioned Hunterrr in the list of top 10 films of the year! Either the film got 4 and 4.5 stars or it got 1 rating; there was no in-between! Nevertheless, people keep telling me how much they like it. I was once shooting an ad with Akshay Kumar.

We were about to pack up. Some 50-60 sales team employees were also present. They came to click a picture with Akshay.

Suddenly, 10-15 of them asked for a selfie with me. I was wondering, ‘ Mere paas kyun aa rahe hai ?’! Then they started telling me about their love for film. They showed me that their WhatsApp group is called ‘Hunterrr’! They further said that every year, they watch a film together.

Did Akshay Kumar say anything about the film? He loved the film. When I met him for the ad film shoot and introduced myself, he asked me, ‘ Kya kiya hai tune ?’. I replied that I had directed a film.

When he asked me the name of the film, I told him that it’s titled Hunterrr . He paused and looked at me. He smiled and then asked me, ‘Vasu?’! I nodded.

He then said, ‘ Yaar , bahut mast picture hai’ ! That’s how we connected. He loved me a lot. The film’s back-and-forth narrative worked big time, especially the way you went from past to present and vice versa.

You just mentioned that you shot the film in 2012. The same year, Agneepath ’s remake was released. I always felt that you purposely showed Agneepath ’s poster at the bus stop (assuming the film was shot in 2014 when Agneepath was no longer in cinemas) so that you could draw parallels to the time in Mandar’s life when the original Agneepath had released.

.. When I wrote the script in 2004, I remember I had mentioned Tezaab (laughs)! Then, I kept updating the film as time passed.

But yes, I agree that it worked beautifully that we could show him seeing Agneepath ’s poster and remembering the time when the original film had been released. During Tezaab ’s reference, I drew parallel with some Anil Kapoor film which had been released in around 2004. There have been reports about Hunterrr 2 for the longest time.

.. Mera dil khatta ho gaya tha abhi (due to box office numbers and reviews).

But I am clear that it has to be better than the first part; or else, it would ruin something that we created so beautifully. There is an idea and we are all keen to do it. But I have to be most excited about it.

Hunterrr was the first script I wrote. It was genuine, original and also a bit raw. It maybe gives a feeling that I was not that experienced.

Yet, it adds to its beauty. I don’t want to formulize it either as Hunterrr never followed a formula. All I can say is that the concept is very, very good.

Your second film, Badhaai Do (2022) is also memorable, especially the scene when Rajkummar Rao tells his family that he’s gay. Do you get special feedback for this particular scene? A lot. The last 20 minutes were a dream come true.

Yeh sab naseeb se hota hai ; you can’t plan it. It became a beautiful piece of work that we are all proud of. A lot of people showed the film to their parents and have come out.

There were several such instances. It was a case of a bitter pill with a sugar coating. Moreover, the film ends with a lot of hope and positivity.

Though not all accepted them (the gay protagonists in the film), a lot of them did. Yet, the film gave a lot of people the motivation to try it out with their parents. Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Gulshan Devaiah talks about Hunterrr’s re-release; reveals, “I had some experience of shooting erotic scenes thanks to Vivek Agnihotri’s Hate Story”; decodes Bollywood’s profit illusion: “A Rs.

70 cr film making Rs. 100 cr is NOT profitable..

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