Film maker Priyadarshan He is loved for his long list of films, but is largely known for his comedy, which continues to be loved by audiences years after its release. Although, in a recent interview, Priyadarshan admitted that he now prefers to do serious films rather than comedies, despite the fact that people relate to the director only when he does comedies. The ‘Hera Pheri’ director said in an interview to Pinkvilla, “Honestly, now I like doing serious films. I don’t like doing comedies anymore; now I’m forced. I think I’ve run out of ideas. I’m done. I don’t want to repeat what I did in the past. I’m going to do one more comedy film, and I’m done,” he said.The filmmaker also reflected on the theatrical failure of two films he particularly liked, ‘Dhol’ and ‘Khatta Meetha’. While the films struggled in theatres, Priyadarshan says their popularity on streaming platforms has brought him comfort.“I loved both these films, but they weren’t working in theatres. But thanks to OTT, people are finally enjoying these films now. When I did Dhol, I really thought the film would do well. Now I’m very happy when I see people enjoying it. Virat Kohli and others say they watch Dhol to relax before their cricket matches. They also mention dialogues from the film to each other.”While Kohli has not spoken publicly about watching the film, he has worked with Priyadarshan before. The director directed an advertisement for the IPL team Royal Challengers Bangalore, starring Kohli along with Chris Gayle and Shane Watson. Impressed by Kohli’s performance in the ad, Priyadarshan suggested that the cricketer may consider acting in the future.Stating that ‘Dhol’ is one of his favourites, the director also disputed that the film was not a commercial success at the time. Speaking to Mashable India, he said that the industry often does not accept projects without leading stars during the release period.“One thing I hate about Bollywood films is that, at least at that stage, when you’re trying something without a big star, it doesn’t get the appreciation it deserves. They will have it later. That disappoints you. Dhol is a cult film now,” he said.Interestingly, ‘Malamaal Weekly’ said the opposite was the case. Despite not having a big-name cast, the film was a huge success at the box office. Priyadarshan also opened up about his tendency to work with the same actors often in his films. According to him, understanding an actor’s comic timing makes a huge difference in comedy filmmaking.He stated, “Akshay Kumar has a certain body language that I understand. The same can be said Paresh Rawal and Rajpal Yadav too. I really like the way they do it. They deliver exactly what I expect. It’s very difficult to come up with humor, especially because of the time factor. Govinda has that (time), and so does Shah Rukh Khan, to an extent. So it’s a matter of providing the conditions for implementation.”He explained that these recurring collaborations mostly happen in his comedy films because solid comic timing is rare and hard to find. The director said: “When it comes to humor, I’m very afraid that I haven’t found the actors as good as other people’s times. When I have these people, my job is very easy, because I know how they will perform.”The director praised Akshaye Khanna for his versatility, noting that he can handle both comedy and serious roles with equal ease.“He did a wonderful job in films like ‘Hulchul’ and ‘Hungama’. I think both Akshays are lucky.”
