Aamir greenlit 'Happy Patel' after seeing 5 scenes from film
What's the story
Vir Das, the International Emmy-winning comedian and actor, made his directorial debut with Happy Patel: Khatarnak Jasoos. The idea for this spy comedy had been brewing in his mind for nearly 15 years! It was only after he found the right producer, Aamir Khan, that he could finally bring it to life. Das revealed Khan's rigorous production process.
Production details
Khan's process involved multiple narrations and mock shoots
Das revealed that after writing the script for Happy Patel, he approached Khan with it. "There are five-six narrations with Aamir sir, during which he asks questions like 'What is the story? What are the characters? What do they want?'" After these discussions, Khan gave Das and co-director Kavi Shastri some money to shoot five scenes from the movie. "When we showed those scenes - graded, colour corrected, edited - to him, he greenlit the film," Das added, per Mid-Day.
Screening process
Khan held 30 test screenings for 'Happy Patel'
Khan's involvement as a producer didn't stop at approving the script and mock shoots. He also organized around 30 test screenings of Happy Patel for people from different age groups and demographics after the second cut. "He told them, 'Tell us what's wrong with the movie. No praise allowed.' [Based on that], we did our third and fourth cut," Das shared. Despite the extensive process, Das found it rewarding to learn filmmaking from Khan.
Film inspiration
Das's inspiration for 'Happy Patel' and Khan's cameo
Das, who loves spy comedies like Johnny English, got the idea for Happy Patel in 2009. However, he had to wait until Indian audiences were "ready" for spy films. "Culture has to be mainstream for comedy to counter it. So, I had to wait for Tiger, Pathaan, and Dhurandhar to happen." The film also stars Mithila Palkar and Mona Singh and will see Khan in a cameo role. It was released on Friday.
Actor's comeback
Imran Khan's return to films with 'Happy Patel'
After a decade-long hiatus, Imran Khan is making his return to the big screen with Happy Patel: Khatarnak Jasoos. He revealed that his cameo in the film was driven by FOMO (fear of missing out). "My part is a cameo that came from a place of FOMO. True story: Vir was developing the project, and as he was moving through the stages of development, various friends of mine were getting attached," he told NDTV.