As Laila Majnu tastes success with re-release, Avinash on how honest stories resonate with audiences and applying the lesson in future projects
Avinash Tiwary
Your debut film hitting the marquee is a once-in-a-lifetime event. Or twice, if you’re Avinash Tiwary. The actor is experiencing the rare phenomenon with Laila Majnu’s re-release. “Sajid Ali [director] mentioned that the last time he went to a theatre, there were only seven people watching Laila Majnu. Today, there are housefull boards running across theatres,” he grins.
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The love story, also starring Triptii Dimri, had tanked on its release in 2018. In contrast, as the audience’s love has brought the film back to the screen today, Tiwary feels vindicated. “The film is available on OTT and YouTube. I have been told people don’t go to cinemas today, and then to see people flocking to theatres [for Laila Majnu] is magical. This has happened due to public demand. People called for it, and when the opportunity came, went all out to show their love.” The re-release’s collection has surpassed that of its original release within four days. This also underlines the actor’s belief that art should be made for longevity. “We’ll hopefully inspire people to look at art for longevity, and not as a trade market. Today, we try to lure and manipulate audiences, but if we value their love, we should be honest with them.”
With the same intent, he is gearing up for two releases in the coming months—Boman Irani’s directorial debut, The Mehta Boys, and Sikandar Ka Muqaddar, which reunites him with Neeraj Pandey after Khakee: The Bihar Chapter (2022). “The Mehta Boys is written by Alexander Dinelaris Jr, who was one of the four people who won the Oscar for Best Screenplay for Birdman [2014]. It’s a father-son story. It’s set to première at a big film festival soon. Sikandar Ka Muqaddar is a heist thriller. Neeraj Pandey has been a showrunner before, but this is the first time he is directing an OTT film.”
The actor is also listening to the audience’s demand that he feature in another love story. He says, “I’d love to do romantic movies. But I would want them to have something special; I want to avoid template romantic films.”
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