Director Aditya Dhar takes a look back at Uri, which starred Vicky Kaushal, Yami Gautam, Paresh Rawal, Kirti Kulhari, Rajit Kapur, Mohit Raina, Akashdeep Arora, and Manasi Parekh.
Says director Aditya Dhar, “All the memories of shooting Uri is still fresh in my mind, it was one of the most difficult, yet the most rewarding experiences of my life. It almost feels like God was holding our hands to make URI happen. The love and respect we got and still getting for the film feels absolutely incredible. All my thanks, love and respect to the Indian Army, our audiences and my entire team.”
Uri, which released in 2019 was made at a cost of Rs 25 crores. It collected over 250 crores at the boxoffice. Aditya remembers working under extremely tight budgetary circumstances in Uri “That was good. Because it kept us constantly on our toes, forever anxious. I think anxiety is a big impetus to productivity and creativity.I fear unlimited budgets would make me lazy as a filmmaker.I’d rather work within controlled budgets.My aim as a filmmaker is to make a film look large, far more spectacular than the budget would suggest. I’d like to spend 30 crores. But it should look like a 150-crore film.”
There was some talk of Aditya Dhar and his producers registering and copyrighting the catchphrase ‘How High Is The Josh’ Uri. But Aditya completely shoots down any such proprietorial moves. “That phrase which caught on in such a big way didn’t belong to me. It is used quite extensively in the army to motivate the soldiers. I only plucked it out of its habitat and replanted it in a space where it was accessible to civilians.I’m glad everyone from the Prime Minister to gym instructors began using it to motivate an improvement in the country’s performance. Josh toh sab ko anee chahiye.”
