In the upcoming film, Pati Patni Aur Woh Do, comedy is the central focus, and the stars are eager for the audience to join in the laughs. The Mudassar Aziz-directed movie, starring Ayushmann Khurrana, Sara Ali Khan, Wamiqa Gabbi, and Rakul Preet Singh, is set for a May 15th release.
Ayushmann Khurrana stars 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.
Sara Ali Khan, in this special Q&A, gives insight into why she chose this film as her first out-and-out comedy, what it was like to work with the cast, and why she thinks audiences are going to really enjoy Pati Patni Aur Woh Do.
So what excited the actress the most about joining Pati Patni Aur Woh Do? “I think I’ve been dying to do comedy for a long time. I think it’s the need of the hour. And I just wanted to be part of a film that can make people laugh, a film you can watch with your whole family across all ages, and a film that’s got an exciting role. And I feel that I can bring something new to the table with this film. And all of that happened with Pati Patni Aur Woh Do.”
Describing her character’s journey in the film, she revealed, ”I think, you know, when you watch the film, you’ll see that my character has one clear objective throughout the entire film. What’s interesting is the length that she’ll go to achieve that objective and the comedy that unfolds because of her commitment to her objective. So actually, you know, it’s quite situational because I’m in a situation where I need help, but because of that, I land up putting everybody else in quite a lot of confusion, chaos and jeopardy and that’s where the comedy lies.”
Finding the sass of the character, even in the film’s situations, was something she related to. “I think the similarity that both me and Chanchal have is that there is a certain level of sass or self respect. But even when we’re asking for help, it doesn’t come from a groveling state; we don’t lose our agency even if we’re pushed against the wall. And I think that that strength of character is something that I think me and Chanchal have in common. Of course, her situation, the predicament, the length that she’ll go to achieve what she wants, all of that is not really relatable to me.” Adding, “I think if viewers find that, despite being in a comic genre, there is still a realness and there is still a real character that one is portraying who has real feelings and real objectives, I think that would be a feat for me as an actor.”
Talking about working with the ensemble cast on the Pati Patni Aur Woh Do set, Sara Ali Khan was all praise, “It was amazing. Honestly, I think each character was so different. There was never any scope of stepping on each other’s feet. And I think when you’re working with characters and actors who are senior, whether it’s Vijay Raaz or Ayesha Raza, whether it’s Tigmanshu sir, there’s just so much to learn. It’s just amazing to just be on those sets.”
Was there a particular scene or moment in the film that challenged her as an actor? “Honestly, I think some of the most challenging moments were in the climax, because it’s very VFX-heavy. There’s a lot of imagination involved with animals, insects, and elements that aren’t actually there on set. Personally, I don’t find acting opposite co-stars as difficult as reacting to something like a stuffed toy and treating it as a real animal. That can definitely be tricky. So I think those were the moments that challenged all of us the most.”
The film tells the story of many different types of relationships, she says, “There are many relationships shown in this film. There’s an estranged bua that’s not in touch with her niece. There is a married couple. There’s a college friendship. There’s acquaintanceship, like a camaraderie because they’re colleagues. There’s female friendships. There’s maternal, paternal relationships. There’s the police, there’s politics, there’s the media. I mean, there’s every kind of relationship you can think of. So, yes, I think audiences will connect with at least, like, three of these relationships.”
“The film is larger than life,” she says. Adding, “The film’s tone is very, very high comedy. And I think that it’s just an unapologetic, unabashed, just a humorous ride. And in the middle of all of that, there are very, very real stakes that each and every character has. So it’s situational comedy, but in a world and a zone that I’ve never delved into before, so I’m very, very excited for it.”
