I like chasing a bigger idea: Badhaai Ho director Amit Sharma

The unprecedented success of ‘Badhaai Ho’ -- a Bollywood potboiler with a difference -- has set new precedents. Director Amit Sharma, now ready to help a film about football coach Syed Abdul Rahim, says his edge as a filmmaker lies in the fact that he likes chasing big ideas. It is something he did with the theme of ‘Badhaai Ho’, about a 50-plus mother of two who has to face brickbats within and outside home due to an accidental pregnancy.

A subject hardly explored on the Indian screen, the movie has been embraced by the audience owing to its breezy, light-hearted and entertaining treatment, enhanced further by superlative performances by a cast including Ayushmann Khurrana, Neena Gupta, Gajraj Rao, Surekha Sikri and Sanya Malhotra.
"I believe the audience has always been sensible with their approach in cinema; their views keep shifting from time to time. You see the wave of Indian cinema changing every couple of years. "The concentration on the genre of films that are made keeps shifting. And when it's an overload for the audience, it shifts again. Anything that is fresh is always welcomed," Sharma told IANS via an email interview.

As someone who has worked extensively in the ad film world, Sharma, who made his feature film debut with the 2015 movie ‘Tevar’, has a knack for bringing something new to the table. Commenting on that, the Chrome Pictures co-founder said: "Anybody working on ads is prone to concentrating on the little details. The repeatability of an ad film is much more than a feature. I guess that's why ad film makers approach a feature differently, and that is reflected in the films they choose.

"I like chasing a bigger idea, and I think that has given me the edge as a filmmaker. 'Badhaai Ho' is an idea driven film and my future scripts too will be strong on that front." Sharma's next is on the golden years of Indian football between 1951 and 1962. The film, starring Ajay Devgn, will focus on the life on football player and coach Syed Abdul Rahim.