Starring Ayushmann Khurrana, the Mudassar Aziz directed Pati Patni Aur Woh Do, is comedy taken back to the classic but at the same time taken up to the modern funny level. Also featuring Sara Ali Khan, Wamiqa Gabbi, and Rakul Preet Singh, the film, set for a May 15th release, is a full-blown rollercoaster of misunderstandings, misfortunes, and laugh-out-loud moments. From hilarious wildlife encounters and emotional drama to complete comic confusion, the movie is packed with humour, heart, and nonstop madness. In this special Q&A, Ayushmann Khurrana delves into the making of Pati Patni Aur Woh Do.
But first, let’s set the scene…
At the centre of it all is Ayushmann Khurrana as Prajapati Pandey, a simple forest officer whose life spirals hilariously out of control when one good deed lands him in the middle of complete chaos. What begins as Prajapati trying to help out a female friend soon snowballs into a web of lies, suspicion, accidental run-ins, and impossible situations, leaving him stuck between not one, not two, but three women. Adding to the madness, the film also features an ensemble cast like Vijay Raaz, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Ayesha Raza, Durgesh Kumar, and many more.
Check out what the actor had to say about playing the straight-man in a world full of comedic madness around him, how the past golden age of comedy films helped shape his performance, plus his insight into working with the great Mudassar Aziz to make a film that he knows will make audiences literally laugh out loud.
Talking about first hearing the script, Ayushmann Khurrana revealed, “The screenplay is extremely entertaining. When I first heard the narration with my team, my manager was in splits. Mudassar is a remarkable storyteller who has picked a legacy subject and ensured the script honours the legacy of classic situational comedies while remaining fresh for today’s audience. It gives people a chance to revisit that golden era of comedy. You will laugh out loud. It’s about how the chaos unfolds as multiple women enter Prajapati’s life while he remains utterly convinced he has everything under control. I’m certain that when Pati Patni Aur Woh Do hits theatres, audiences will love it as much as we did during that first narration.”
So, what was the most fun about playing his character, Prajapati Pandey? “At his core, Prajapati is a deeply honest man; his intentions are clean, and his moral compass is intact, but his unshakeable self-belief walks him straight into one catastrophic situation after another. That gap between how capable he thinks he is and how spectacularly things unravel is where the laughter lives. You’re not laughing at a bad man; you’re laughing at a very good man who is hopelessly, hilariously out of his depth and refuses to admit it until the chaos is complete.”
Ayushmann said that he used the actors of old in classic comedy films as inspiration for this comedy of errors full of madness, “For me, the reference points were always the greats: Sanjeev Kumar and the worlds of Padosan, Chupke Chupke, Angoor, and Gol Maal. Humour from that era emerged from misunderstandings, timing and character dynamics. It was never about the “joke”; it was always about the situation and the person reacting to it. Mudassar Aziz has written a comedy of errors in the most classical sense: every misunderstanding compounds the last, and every solution creates three new problems. My job was to stay completely sincere inside that spiral. Prajapati is not a man trying to be funny. He’s a man trying very hard to stay in control and failing spectacularly. The moment I understood that, the performance found its own rhythm.”
Saying this is a completely new avatar for him, he explained, “My character in Pati Patni Aur Woh Do comes from a completely different world. His backstory, the way he reacts to situations, and the chaos he navigates are all unique to him. That’s why I don’t really see a comparison with my previous comedy outing. Bala was about a man embracing self-acceptance while dealing with premature balding, whereas Dream Girl 2 followed an impersonator trying to fix his financial struggles.”
During the shoot, the cast relied on each other, especially the director, to guide them through the madness while keeping it on the edge. “Shooting in Prayagraj was a lot of fun; the city is almost a character itself. There’s a very specific dialect to this world, and I kept going back to it. Mudassar for guidance, he’s exceptional with language in this genre. While there was room for improvisation and he was always open to. suggestions, we mostly stuck to the screenplay. It was so well-written that it made our jobs seamless. My three leading ladies and I built a real bond on set, and we all wanted to push every scene as far as it could go.”
Adding praise for his co-stars in the film, “Rakul, Sara, and Wamiqa are all exceptional actors who bring distinct energies that reflect beautifully in their characters. Prajapati responds to each of them differently and it always feels organic rather than forced. I’ve always enjoyed the element of surprise a co-actor brings, that unscripted moment where they do something unexpected and you instinctively respond. We bonded over food, workouts, and long drives to the location. That warmth translates directly onto the screen. A happy set makes a happy film.”
Khurrana also praised director Mudassar Aziz, “Working with Mudassar was a genuinely rewarding experience. His approach to comedy is something you have to witness firsthand. He has narrated most of his scripts to me. What stood out was his availability; whenever a scene needed an extra comic edge, he had an instinct for exactly what would work. I also appreciated that it was a two-way street. He would suggest how to land a scene but remain completely open to what I brought to the table. That kind of creative ease only comes from someone who has truly mastered the genre.”
So, if he had to describe Pati Patni Aur Woh Do in three words, what would he say? “Chaos. Conscience. Comedy.”
Pati Patni Aur Woh Do brings the laughs on 15th May.
