The writer of the popular tele-serial Office Office, Ashwani Dhir, has made his directorial debut with One Two Three...

Sameera, Esha and Tanishaa in One Two Three

This is an eventful period for you. Two films that you have written — Krazzy 4, U Me Aur Hum — are releasing on the same day. And they come three weeks after your directorial debut, One Two Three...

I am naturally very excited. What is most satisfying is that they are all very different from each other. One Two Three is a mad, but not a slapstick, comedy. Krazzy 4 on the other hand is a satirical comedy. U Me Aur Hum is a very emotional and romantic film in which we have portrayed some things in a light-hearted manner.

Why did you choose to make your debut with One Two Three?

I feel that light-hearted, feel-good films have always worked. Plus, I have a background of writing comedies and I wanted to cash in on that. I liked the story of One Two Three a lot because confusion was at its very core. I believed in the script and I knew that I could enhance it with my inputs as a director.

Was it easy to make the transition from being a TV writer to a film director?

I have always been involved with direction; I became a writer by chance. When I first came to Mumbai, I worked as an assistant director with Anil Sharma and a few other directors. But it was very difficult to survive on what I earned. So, I shifted to directing TV shows. But I realised that a director did not have much of a role to play on TV because the small screen is primarily a writer’s medium. So, I started to write shows for TV.

I really did not have to struggle or go around knocking on producers’ doors with my script to move into direction. It just happened. Director Raj Kumar Santoshi asked me to write Halla Bol. I met Ajay Devgan on the sets of Halla Bol. He was planning U Me Aur Hum and he asked me to write it. That’s how I met Kumarji (Mangat). When I told him I had a script that I wanted to direct, he immediately offered to produce it. That’s how One Two Three happened.

How did you sign on so many stars?

The star cast fell into place entirely because of my producer, Kumar Mangat. He is one of the most optimistic people I have seen in my life. You ask him anything and he will say ‘Ho jaayega, Sir, problem hi nahin hai’. I am happy that I got all the stars — in fact, everyone — I wanted for the film.

Was there some trouble among the heroines...

Amongst women, there is always some sort of competition! It’s good for me that the four girls in my film were competitive. If Sameera (Reddy) felt that ‘Esha (Deol) ki sari meri sari se safed kaise’, toh next time she will wear a better sari! So, that attitude was good for me and my film. If one actress feels that another actress’s dialogue delivery was better than hers, then she was bound to try and improve her own. So, I didn’t mind if they had healthy or even cut-throat competition amongst each other! Without competition, you can’t survive.

As a first-time director, did you find it difficult to handle the huge cast?

The stars used to handle me, not vice versa! They would feel bad for me as I had to take care of 14 people on the sets. Pareshji (Rawal) used to tell me, ‘Why are you doing all this? You go and take some rest’. My actors just placed themselves in my hands but since they had expressed utmost faith in me, I was scared. I was afraid that I would not be able to live up to their expectations.

Are you happy with how the film has finally shaped up?

I believe that I will not lose face; meri naak nahin kategi. Nobody will say, ‘Kya bakwaas film banayi hai’. People will come out smiling at least, if not laughing.

As far as comedies are concerned, who are your favourite directors?

Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Basu Chatterjee. I believe in their kind of simplicity. Of course, one has to change according to the times. Yet, One Two Three is a very simple film. The characters are very simple, like the ones you find around you every day.

You have signed two more films — Kumar Mangat’s next and Suniel Shetty’s next. Which one will you be working on first?

I have not yet decided which one I am starting first. I think both will start around the same time.