Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3 – Reloaded with a Bolder Concept

The third part of the popular sex comedy franchise, Kyaa Kool Hain Hum, will soon be out on the big screen. In a candid chat, here’s what the director Umesh Ghadge and actors Tusshar Kapoor and Aftab Shivdasani have to say about Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3, which kicks off a season of adult comedies.

Director Umesh Ghade (Centre) with Tusshar Kapoor and Aftab Shivdasani

How different is Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3 from the previous parts?

Umesh Ghadge (UG): Except Tusshar Kapoor, everything is newly packaged in Kyaa Kool… 3. It is completely bold and has in – your – face humour. But it has the same theme and that’s why we are calling it a porn com. People have a lot of expectations.

It is a dichotomy because as a society we are very conservative but such sex comedies rake in a lot of moolah. Why do you think is it so?

UG: We are hypocrites. The last film in this genre (Grand Masti) made 100 crores at the box-office, which means that people went to watch it. Every person has a different choice and should be allowed to have it. There is a certain part of the audience that wants to watch such films and those who don’t want to watch, end up making the most noise, which helps our film.

Aftab Shivdasani (AS): Before Grand Masti I thought that sex comedy is a taboo subject, but the moment it touched 100 crores at the box-office I was surprised. Clearly it means that there is a market and desire to watch such films. And that gives us the confidence to do a film like this. Having said that, there have been adult comedies in the recent past that haven’t done well at the box-office, but it again depends on the film. Kya Kool… and Masti franchises have worked for reasons beyond you and me. We live in a country which has over a billion people, so we can’t decide what they are thinking. But the fact remains that there are people who want to watch it.

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Given the Censor diktat, as a filmmaker do you have any mental boundaries when working on a film like Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3?

UG: I think as a creative person having boundaries isn’t the right way to go about it. So, if you have a scene, then you should decide how to conceive it. That’s how I went about with Kyaa Kool… 3. I went to the maximum level to bring in the fun because it is a comedy. At the end of the day I want to make people laugh and entertain them with every scene. So I didn’t have any boundaries or concerns in my mind.

One hears that the Censor board asked for a startling number of cuts?

UG: You have censorship in every country and one has to follow a certain guideline. So you make a film and have to get a censor certificate. They had certain objections on certain scenes and the way they was shot. So we removed some of it but also explained that certain things could not be removed because of its context to the scene. One can’t release an unfinished and jerky film, right? So, it took us some time to get through the censorship. And we asked for an ‘A’ certificate because we knew we are making a film for the adult audience. It would’ve been a big trouble if we wanted ‘U’ certificate.

AS: The film is duly censored and the version that people will see is something we are duly happy with. We have made whatever alterations were required. There have been minor cuts, the intent is to create humor and not create controversy.

(L-R) Tusshar Kapoor, Mandana Karimi and Aftab Shivdasani promoting the film

Umesh, what made you cast Tusshar Kapoor and Aftab for the film? Interestingly, both of them have regularly starred in adult comedies.

UG: I think doing comedy is the toughest. An actor like Govinda ruled for 15-20 years because no one could match-up to his comic timing. For comedy, it is very important to have actors with great comic timing. You can’t teach it to someone who hasn’t done comedy or doesn’t have an inherent comic timing. Tusshar and Aftab have done different kinds of comedy. Tusshar has done Golmaal and KKHH; Aftab has also done Hungama as well as Grand Masti. So, I was aware of what they would bring to the film.

Tusshar was always part of the franchise. When we were thinking of the other role, Ekta and I wanted Aftab from day one. We needed a third actor to compliment these actors, so we got Krishna Abhishek. You will see how much he has contributed to the script. Even the supporting cast like Shakti Kapoor, Darshan Jariwala, Sushmita Mukherji, have done fabulous jobs. We also had a bunch of new actors with whom we did several workshops to get comfortable with the established actors.

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Tusshar and Aftab, you’ll have acted in adult comedies earlier. As a performer how do you try to better your work?

Tusshar Kapoor (TK): I put in the same hard work in every film. See, my character is similar to the earlier character – he is still this not – so – innocent simpleton looking for true love. In Kya Kool…3 also I am looking for a soulmate and land up in the porn industry. The character is the same but goes through crazy situations. The film has reloaded itself, and is a bolder concept, so that gives a lot of opportunity to do crazy stuff.

AS: I do as much as I can within the parameters of the script because I have to follow the pattern and graph. If the director and script permits then I could do things differently. The script of Kya Kool 3 is something radically different. You will know what I mean when you see the trailer. So I followed the script that was bold enough and didn’t do anything more than required.

What was the biggest challenge about making this film?

UG: The biggest challenge with Kya Kool Hain Hum 3 was to make this film bigger, racier and naughtier than the previous parts because I am a new director. Had I directed a few films earlier than it would not be so tough! KKHH 3 is my first solo film in Hindi and I have to carry forward a franchise by a leading production house. So that was challenging. And we shall know the result on January 22nd.

Is it a challenge to keep a serious face when every line is funny?

TK: Comedy is serious business. When you come on the set you don’t react like an audience because you have read and re-read the script, the jokes and know the situations. You try to get it as an actor, internalize it and keep the energy levels high. One is thinking about getting the perfect ‘sur’ for each scene.

Tusshar and Aftab, both of you have adult comedies releasing back-to-back. Is it co-incidental?

TK: Both (Kya Kool… 3 and Mastizaade) were supposed to release last year, and Mastizaade was supposed to release first. It could be possible that both the films piggy back on each other and this can become the season of adult comedies. However I am not comfortable with close releases. You chose from what you are offered and I had said yes to both films in 2014.

AS: I didn’t plan to do these back to back (Kya Kool…3 and Great Grand Masti). Filmmaking and the release is not an individual’s decision, a massive group of people come together to decide the release. So I do my bit and leave. I shot Great Grand Masti and Kya Kool…3 simultaneously. Both are releasing just eight weeks apart. But I am not afraid of getting typecast. I think perception is a Friday based thing. If I do a thriller or an action film that works at the box-office then I will be remembered for that.

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