Faruk Kabir: Vidyut Jammwal is among the few good actors who know the meaning of friendship

Vidyut Jammwal and Faruk Kabir

Director Faruk Kabir of the Vidyut Jammwal starrer 'Khuda Haafiz' caught up for a conversation with mid-day.com. 'Khuda Haafiz' had released two years ago followed by it's sequel this year.

What was the idea behind Khuda Haafiz chapter one?
It was based of a true life story about a couple, a husband who travels to foreign shores to find his missing wife, a place where he does not understand the language, knows no one there, and barely has any money. I like to find the love in the story and this was a story I saw as a true life love story.

What do you as a filmmaker feel about addressing topics relevant to the current social climate?
Adoption, mental health, counselling, rape, apathy of the system, these are things I'm aware of as a citizen. Rape has always deeply bothered me. How in a country like ours, where so much respect, prayer and worship is done for Ma Durga, Laxmi and Saraswati, where we our probably the only amazing country In the world that celebrates the bond of a brother n sister so lovingly with Raksha Bandhan, where Ma ke paero mein jannat hoti hai, why are there so many rapes That still take place? That's when I started researching, it was shocking, what fathers, mothers and brothers of rape victims went through too, that's why I wanted To address this with the father and daughter bond especially in the film.

Chapter one came out on OTT and the sequel in the theatres...
When Khuda Haafiz one came on OTT, initially we did not know how to receive this news; what we made for theatres was coming direct to digital, but then
Vidyut Jammwal and I spoke and thought we would make no less an effort in making the film no matter what platform, digital or theatre. The same is true
of KH 2 Agni Pariksha, we just went ahead and gave it our all, having faith in hard work done enthusiastically.

What kind of rapport do Vidyut and you share?
Things that happen on their own accord, without forcing them, those are the best of things in life, Our friendship is such! There is a cliche in the industry that actors are nobody friends, that's not true, Vidyut is among those few good ones, who knows the meaning of being friends, and he has always made the effort in our friendship to express his love for me by doing things that. I love him dearly.

With the ending of chapter 2 fans are expecting chapter 3 are there any plans in the making?
No, I've moved on to a totally different content space with the next one.

Are there any projects you are currently working on? We hear that you are collaborating with Suriya on the next one...
There are two scripts on the table. The film with Suriya is written by me, In Tamil its being directed by another director, the Hindi version of the Surya film is being directed by me with a hindi film actor.

What do you have to say about the current scenario of films at the box office?
They say it takes twenty one days to change a human habit, we have watched content in the lockdown for almost 2 yrs on OTT, again this habit will change and audiences will be back to the theatres like before. Now though, what has changed is to be seen. A correction in fees structures, innovative marketing and not working on old templates and the budget of the film too being a winner is equally important for box office success.

Also Read: Whacky Wednesday: Vidyut Jammwal meditates in the Himalayan range; buries himself in snow