Raaj Shaandilyaa says his directorial debut "Dream Girl" is a sweet simple comedy that features Ayushmann Khurrana as a man who dresses up as female characters like Sita, Draupadi and Radha. The film, produced by Ekta Kapoor, is slated to be released in September. "I can't reveal much about the film but the title fairly reveals the story. What I can tell you is that Ayushmann becomes Sita from Ramayana, Draupadi from Mahabharata and Radha from Krishna Leela. Now why he becomes them and how, that's what the story is about," Shaandilya told PTI.
The director said the film is set in Mathura and Ayushmann will be heard speaking Haryanvi and Hindi languages in the local accent. Shaandilya praised the "Andhadhun" star for his hard work and dedication. "Ayushmann is a very simple, sincere actor. There's no ego or attitude in him. He works like it's his first film. When an actor is so flexible and giving, it immensely helps the film. Working with him is like making one of the most wonderful films of your life," he said.
The director said the inception of "Dream Girl" can be traced back to 2013, when his co-writer Nirman approached him with the concept. "I was busy with 'Welcome Back' and 'Comedy Circus' (show) and so we could never really sit down and discuss the script. In 2015, we revisited the concept. "I felt it was difficult to make it at that point as the story was quite raw. Then we went to Igatpuri (in Maharashtra), where I gave myself a day to work on the story. We completed half of the screenplay within a day," he added.
Starting his career in 2006, Shaandilya has written around 600 scripts for comics Kapil Sharma, Krushna Abhishek and Sudesh Lehri combined as the lead writer and content director for "Comedy Circus". Writing for comedy shows came in handy for "Dream Girl", the director said. "Writing dialogues was the main work that we did on those shows. As I used to churn out four-five scripts for TV quickly, it helped me a lot with this film," he added.
"Dream Girl" also stars Nushrat Bharucha and Manjot Singh.
(With PTI Inputs)
