‘Tadap is like Tara Sutaria’s debut as well,’ says Milan Luthria

The director of Ahan Shettyrsquos debut opposite Tara Sutaria opens up about how he prepared the young actor for comparisons with dad Suniel Shetty the differences between his film and RX 100 why he waited for a theatrical release and moreWhat are the reactions you have been receiving for the Tadap trailerItrsquos not easy for a new actor to get this kind of response in a three minute showcase We were nervous and cut several trailers to figure out how to present the characters best We are happy with the response and therersquos acceptance which is the first step in any actorrsquos career or any filmrsquos journeyHow did you decide to pair Ahan and Tara opposite each otherThe first surprise was when Sajid Nadiadwala called me and asked lsquoWould you like to direct this boyrsquo It was unexpected I said I will but I said I would like to meet test him and see how much weight he can carry I wasnrsquot interested in doing a college romance or just a boy meets girl story I met him and found him to be quite intense different from just a youngster wanting to make a mark Hersquos focused and told me lsquoSir I want to work with you because I like the blend that your movies have of entertainment and aestheticsrsquo I thought thatrsquos great at least we were speaking the same language I also tested Ahan and Tara together to see their chemistry thats not something you can force or fabricate I made them perform a scene from The Dirty Picture that Emraan Hashmi and Vidya Balan had originally performed They were both so good that I was super charged and we could tell they would be perfect I feel Tara has not got her due shersquos far more talented than the work she has done Itrsquos almost like Tararsquos debut as well the film gives her a lot of scope to perform Shersquos pretty talented experienced and comes across nice in the movieConsidering the original RX100 was a big hit how different is your versionTherersquos a basic approach in the film which we kept in mind because the basic pillars of the film shouldnrsquotchange thatrsquos the reason why we bought the film We gave a lot of respect to that fact We wanted a pan India appeal rather than an adult appeal We worked towards that and moulded the romance differently Pritam music director came into our life and brought about a huge change because the film started shaping up as a musical We looked for locations that would be rugged as well as romantic and we found them around Mussoorie and Landour So the changes happened organically without fiddling with the story and characters Our run time is shorter they were at 2 hours 4 minutes we are at 2 hoursWhen a star kid is launched the perception is usually its because of the family he belongs to how did you prepare Ahan to deal with thatThe only thing I told Ahan is to be himself There is only one Ahan Shetty in the world and you donrsquot have to be your fatherrsquos son leave all the baggage behind I showed him a few tricks of the trade and how to be his best He is a talented actor that makes a lot difference Otherwise you are trying to pad up around someone who isnrsquot ready for his job He is a disciplined actor with no quirks or tantrums He knew what he had to do and asked clear questions about what he didnrsquot understand No phone calls partying tantrums nothing A directorrsquos job is tough and if you get up thinking every morning hersquos the son of XYZ itrsquos not going to help you The audience is not impressed with lineage they want to see a good actor in a good product The litmus test is the audience not perceptionsYoursquoll waited for theatres for open rather than release the film on OTThellipIt was not easy to take that decision More than me because I felt it would be unfair for me to push my producers to wait because only they know the pressure they go through Sajid and the team at Fox were supportive They said the film has been designed for the big screen though it was difficult to hold on they wanted it to be a big screen experience Irsquom still working on the film because we couldnrsquot get into post production studios during the pandemic The most difficult wait would have been for Ahan itrsquos his first film one can imagine what could go through his mind Hersquos shown remarkable character and we are glad we waitedAlso Read Ahan Shetty and Tara Sutaria busy promoting their film Tadap