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NEW DELHI, August 23, 2012



In times when romance is getting younger and trendier on celluloid, Bela Bhansali Sehgal is making her directorial debut with a light-hearted love story of 40-year-olds. Bela says "Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi" is a romantic comedy on the surface but it is tackling a bigger issue that afflicts our society. "We tend to believe you cannot fall in love after 40. If someone tries, the society looks at such person with question marks. The film is trying to say that one can get married after 40. You just have to keep your mind and heart open."



Bela shares that the idea for the film, written and produced by her brother Sanjay Leela Bhansali, came from home. "My mother nags Sanjay a lot about getting married. He is wedded to cinema, films are life for him. The nagging became a catalyst for him to write the story in this day and age of a so-called broadminded society, where age is reduced to just a number. Earlier after a heartbreak, people needed time to recover and by the time the pain subsided the age became a new barrier. Times have changed now. With scientific procedures like IVF easily available, having kids in the 40s is no longer an issue. But the change is not reflecting in our films, where heroes in their 40s still prefer to play college students. "



Set in the Parsi community, Bela says the idea was not just to cash in on the unique Parsi humour but also to bring in the fact that the dwindling numbers of the community bring a lot of pressure on Parsi men to get married.



An accomplished editor, this FTII graduate limited herself to Sanjay's films because of the freedom she gets with her brother. "An editor's role is crucial in giving voice to the film and perhaps that's why many editors proved to be good directors. Sanjay has a huge influence on me but I wanted to make a film when I have a voice of my own."



The choice of Boman Irani and Farah Khan looks quite imaginative but risky as well from the box office point of view. Bela says Boman was her first choice for the role of an aging lingerie salesman. "He has played a Parsi before and I know his talent but the way he has delineated Farhad's character surprised me. It is perhaps his best performance. Not only that, the way he supported Farah, who was facing the camera for the first time, was amazing."



Bela wanted a 'real' woman to play Shirin and Farah fitted the bracket. "She is not conscious of how she is looking and being a half Parsi she knows the nuances." However, she also brought some unintentional humour to the sets. "She was supposed to put on fake nails but many times she would forget, leading to jerks in the continuity. She is not used to work at night and with three kids to take care of she would fall asleep between the takes. Boman took all of it in his stride."



The frustration of Farhad



Calling it is a combination of sweet, subtle and slapstick, Boman Irani says "Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi" is much more than a usual romantic comedy. "It says there is no expiry date for falling in love but more than that it makes a point that it is never too late for anything in life. I made my debut at 44 playing 60-year-old characters and at 52 I am playing a romantic lead."



Clarifying that the film doesn't make fun of any profession, Boman, who plays a lingerie salesman in the film, says the only thing is his profession comes in the way of his getting the right kind of attention from women. "It is just one of the factors in the delay in his marriage." And it is this "frustration" which helped him in "delineating Farhad" from other Parsi characters he has played. "The sadness that grows from his frustration makes him a bit of an awkward character."



Promoting the film in the garb of characters of "Kuch Kuchh Hota Hai" and "Hum Aapke Hain Koun" gives an impression of lack of originality but Boman has his own take. "The idea is to convey the message that this romance is in league with other great cinematic love stories."
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