Sandeep Baswana, who is known for acting in shows like Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Kasautii Zindagii Kay and Udaan, is making his directorial debut with Haryana. He has also written the film, which stars Yash Tonk as the protagonist. It will release on August 5. The Free Press Journal caught up with the debutant director for an exclusive chat.
Opening up about himself and the film, he shares, “I am the writer, director and producer of Haryana. I became a creative producer, and we have our financial partner too. My partner doesn’t know much about production in films. However, we had a great team in place, and thus, we could complete our shooting with ease. We also got good support from Haryana.”
Sandeep has lived in Mumbai for almost two decades and doesn’t shy away from the fact that directing TV shows is very different from directing films. “I have been in Mumbai for more than 20 years. I have acted in serials. Directing TV serials is very different in comparison to films. A movie is a director’s medium, while TV is a writer’s medium. I, as a writer, wanted to direct my own story,” he avers. When asked why he chose to name the film Haryana, he explains, “It is a film that represents Haryana in the purest way. It talks about love. The way they laugh. They are known for sharing and also known for their romance. It is the story of the Haryanvi people and the land of Haryana. They are very clear-hearted people.”
A character in the film falls in love with Alia Bhatt. The director reveals, “It’s a part of the story. In such places, if you hail from a very rich family, the children fall for heroines. This is one such story where the younger son falls for Alia after watching her films and wants his family to approach her and get him married to her.”
One wonders if he will use Alia’s photographs in the posters. “No, unka promotions mein koi zikar nahin hai. We are not promoting our film by keeping her on any posters. We have shown in the trailer that this boy has fallen for the actress. You will see in the film how we have presented our story about this boy falling for the actress,” he says.
He did make sure that he took Alia’s permission before including this part in his film. “Yes, we have taken permission from her. She didn’t take very long to give us permission. We went through somebody. We approached her manager and unhone humara sab kuch dekha and then decided yes, it’s a cute film. I have not met her personally,” he states.
When quizzed how he finds the task of direction, he says, “I found direction to be a difficult task. It is a 24 hour job. But at the end of the day, it’s a very satisfying one.”
On a parting note, he talks about which genres he will attempt to make in the future. “There are two more films that I have written which are very different from this one. One film is a courtroom drama, and the other one is more about the spiritual side of a depressed guy,” he concludes.
