Achyuth Kumar, Yogi and Diganth in ‘Bachelor Party’
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Abhijit Mahesh was one of the writers of the Rakshit Shetty-starrer Kirik Party (2014), one of the biggest blockbusters of Kannada cinema. The college comedy, with an irresistible soundtrack from Ajaneesh Loknath, continues to be liked by youngsters for its clean humour. Seven years later, the team promises the same with Bachelor Party, set to hit the screens on January 26.
Produced by Rakshit’s Paramvah Studios, Bachelor Party stars Diganth, Yogi, Achyuth Kumar, and Siri Ravikumar. For Abhijit, the film is a step forward in his journey as he debuts as a director. “We brought the reference of Kirik Party in our first promotional video to grab eyeballs,” says Abhijit. “However, the flavour of comedy in Bachelor Party is similar to what you witnessed in Kirik Party. The film has natural conversations. You will see two friends pulling each other’s leg at every given chance,” he says.
Diganth plays Santhosh, a meek, middle-aged man wanting to escape his domineering wife. He attends a bachelor party, where he meets his school friend (essayed by Yogi) and teacher (Achyuth). The trio embarks on an adventurous journey. Shot mainly in Bangkok, the film is sure to enthrall the fans with “clean and situational comedy,” says Abhijit, who reveals that he always wanted to do a buddy comedy.
Director Abhijit Mahesh (right) with Diganth.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
“Even before I joined Rakshit’s team, I had a story in mind and registered the title Bachelor Party in 2012. Ten years later, when Rakshit asked me to do a film, I went for the same title because it rings a bell. Of course, the script has evolved and suits the commercial demands of a mainstream film. “That doesn’t mean I have compromised on creativity. Bachelor Party is a complete entertainer,” he asserts.
Abhijit, who has also written blockbusters such as Rishab Shetty’s Sarkari Hiriya Prathamika Shaale and Rakshit’s ambitious fantasy adventure Avane Srimannarayana, admits that direction is a different ball game. “A writer’s job doesn’t end with writing the dialogues for a film. He also has to develop characters and form the entire screenplay. I always thought my role as a director ends with the execution of my ideas, but I was wrong. The man-management turned out to be my biggest challenge,” he explains.
Abhijit grew up around “funny people”. “My father, cousins, and friends have a great sense of humour; my idea of comedy is putting weird characters in weird situations.” He picks Deepavali, the Vishnuvardhan film directed by Dinesh Baboo, as one of his all-time favourite comedy films.
“The film had clean and consistent humour. I am trying hard to find the film online. Apart from that, I love Kamal Haasan and Ramesh Aravind’s Rama Shama Bhama, and I am a big fan of the Kamal-Crazy Mohan combination. Chachi 420 (Avvai Shanmugi in Tamil) is a film I can watch any number of times,” he offers.
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Going by the promotional videos, people have compared Bachelor Party with Hollywood’s blockbuster comedy film Hangover (2009); the Todd Phillips film also had three friends travelling to Las Vegas for a bachelor party. “People have always been judgemental. Earlier, they couldn’t express it anywhere, but now they have social media to make comments. I can’t stop that. I can’t spend my energy proving them wrong. I want to concentrate on providing value for money for those who come to watch my film,” he signs off.
