Perturbed by the ongoing debate on freedom of expression, director Abhishek Sharma said that his next film Hume Aitraaz Hai will revolve around the subject.
Abhishek, known for his comic satires Tere Bin Laden and its spin-off Tere Bin Laden: Dead or Alive, said that the satire on the correct exercise of freedom of expression is the need of the hour.
“The film is not on intolerance. It’s on freedom of expression. People are taking about it and there is so much debate on it. So, it’s a commentary on that. It will be funny as hell,” he said.
“We are not taking any sides. The film is not a message. I wrote Tere Bin Laden in anger because I felt the bombings were wrong. From anger comes satire and from satire comes comedy,” Abhishek told PTI.
The director said that it is wrong to question the sense of freedom of expression in our country.
“India is a beautiful country. We have more freedom than any country in the world. There are only two countries, India and US, where there is real sense of freedom of expression.”
Hume Aitraaz Hai, produced by Goldie Behl and Shrishti Arya, is currently on its casting stage and shooting will begin by year end.
“There is still some time left for shooting because it’s a different kind of film. It’s tough because it might not get accepted by the audience. So, you have to maintain the shock value. It will not be a small budget film. So, probably we will begin shooting this year end,” he said.
Abhishek is yet to finalise his lead for the satire.
“I don’t write my script keeping an actor in mind. I write characters and whoever can fit into it, comes on board,” he said.
Meanwhile, the director is excited for Tere Bin Laden: Dead or Alive, which sheds light on the conspiracy theory behind the death of Osama Bin Laden.
“I don’t make films for entertainment. My films are always well-researched and intelligently written stories. The death of Osama in 2011 led me to write the spin-off of Tere Bin Laden. America had released videos of Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi but there is no such substantial proof on Osama’s death,” said the director.
Actors Manish Paul and Sikander Kher are the new additions in the film besides its previous cast Pradhuman Singh and Piyush Mishra. The film releases this on February 26.
PTI