'Ishq Vishk Rebound' maker Ramesh Taurani: Hrithik or Rajesh never asked me to consider Pashmina

Rajesh Roshan and Hrithik Roshan

Ishq Vishk (2003) gave us not only a fun college rom-com, but also a star in Shahid Kapoor. Almost 21 years on, its reboot Ishq Vishk Rebound is gearing up for release. For producer Ramesh Taurani, the Nipun Dharmadhikari-directed college caper is a means to bring romance back on the big screen. "Action, drama and [films on] the army have taken over. A young love story with good music has gone missing," he says. Two decades is a long time between an original and its reboot. What took him so long to create the second instalment? "It's a ground rule at my studio - no reboots until the script convinces everyone. This film looks at this generation's challenges in romance, the fragility of love, quick break-ups, and their behavioural patterns in the time of social media."

(From inset) Shahid Kapoor debuted with Ishq Vishk in 2003; Pashmina Roshan and Rohit Saraf in the reboot

Young love isn't the only constant in Ishq Vishk Rebound. Like with the original, Taurani hopes to make stars out of leads Rohit Saraf, Pashmina Roshan, Jibraan Khan and Naila Grrewal. "We wanted newcomers. Rohit Saraf has tasted fame, but this will launch him as a mainstream hero. We had five rounds of auditions and chose them. Pashmina was one of the 15 girls we shortlisted, we had no idea who she was. When we started doing her contracts, we found out she is a Roshan. I had worked extensively with her father Rajesh Roshan, but he never called, asking me to consider her. Neither did Hrithik [Roshan, Pashmina's cousin], who has a rapport with me. Merit matters more than anything in this industry, whether you're an outsider or a nepo kid. If you see from the '80s to now, there are some actors who haven't [succeeded] despite their lineage. With the original Ishq Vishk, we launched Shahid, Amrita Rao and Shenaz [Treasury]. Shahid is a superstar today! Shenaz was also flooded with offers after the film. We are keen to do more movies with these kids too."

Ramesh Taurani

The producer's team is currently working on a sequel to Bobby Deol and Preity Zinta's Soldier (1998). "We're trying to lock its script. Writing is a key element of our movie-making style. I've never gone to an actor without a script. Never have I gone to an actor with a DVD, suggesting a rip-off job."