Milap Zaveri: Sunny Leone’s Bubble Will Not Burst

Debutant director Milap Zaveri is overwhelmed by the response the trailer of Mastizaade -- his labour of lust, love and everything in between -- has garnered. In an exclusive chat with Spotboye, he takes us through his journey. Read on…

Mastizaade teaser is a huge hit...

People have gone berserk; it was trending on Twitter the day we launched it. That’s a big achievement for a 30-second clip. Everyone from the industry came out to support it.

Why did you and Rangita (Nandy, producer) cast Sunny Leone?

It was Rangita’s instinctive decision. And when we took it to Sunny, she loved it. She knew what we were making and as an actress, she had no inhibitions. In fact, it was she who suggested using the ‘sikka uchaal’ part in the teaser.

Are Bollywood filmmakers out to make Sunny the next Mallika Sherawat?

See Mastizaade, and you will realise how good an actor Sunny is. In my film, she plays twins Lily Lele and Laila Lele. Lily is what Sunny is in real life -- nervous, goofy, nerdy and clumsy. Laila is her facade we go bonkers over -- unapologetically sexy. Her bubble won’t burst like Mallika’s!

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How can you be so sure?

Whatever Sunny does, she will remain sexy because that’s an inherent aspect of her personality. What needs to change is the approach of our filmmakers. We have to look beyond her looks and cast her in performance-oriented roles. She is open to good and meaningful cinema, she’s here to stay!

Did you choose an adult comedy for its commercial viability?

Everyone wants a hit. As a writer, I have belted out films like Shootout At Wadala, Ek Villain, Heyy Baby and Masti, which belonged to different genres. However, my biggest successes have been comedies. So, when I decided to take up direction, I was clear that Mushtaq Sheikh (co-screenplay writer) and I have to come up with the baap of Masti in terms of the raunchiness.

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Your film faced many obstacles from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC)...

The Censor Board has acknowledged that Mastizaade is an adult entertainer and the masala, naughtiness and comic portions have more or less been retained.

Apparently, the committee suggested 20-25 cuts, which forced Rangita and you to approach a higher bench each time...

We didn’t want to lose the humour in the film and so, we pursued it as far as we could. The committee that finally passed the film had more women members than men; so rest assured it has nothing that can offend women.

But weren’t you asked to cut out a lot of portions?

Changes suggested by the board were funny. There was a dialogue, “Woh bra kis kaam ki jo pra ki jaan na bacha sake”. Now, the Censor Board had a problem with the word ‘bra’ and I changed it to ‘blouse’. The new dialogue is, “Woh blouse hi kya jo spouse ki jaan na bacha sake”. My humour is intact, but the words have changed a bit, which is fine.

You left Great Grand Masti half-way...

I wrote its first half with Mushtaq and then got caught up with Mastizaade’s Censor Board journey. So, Indra Kumar (director) and I amicably decided that I should focus on Mastizaade.

How did Riteish Deshmukh change his mind on acting in sex comedies?

He can barely say ‘No’ to friends!

Kyaa Super Kool Hain Hum 3 and Mastizaade will hit the theatres within a few days of each other. Chances are most people will mix up the two….

It’s okay, one has been written and directed by me, and the other has dialogues by Mushtaq and me. Balaji Films and Ekta Kapoor are family. And there’s no competition with family.

As a director, were you ever embarrassed explaining lines or scenes to your actors?

I have written it with confidence, so I was not at all embarrassed.

While writing, how do you differentiate between naughty and vulgar?

In my family, there are many women, including my mother, wife, sister and sisters-in-law. So, whenever in doubt about what I have written, I show it to one of them. If they don’t find it offensive, I go ahead. If they do, I change it. My family is my benchmark.

Do you fear that when your son grows up, he might be embarrassed about his father having written adult comedies?

My son Mehan is not even a year old. A sex comedy like Mastizaade is for those above 18. So, till he turns 18, he won’t be able to see it. Later, if he doesn’t like a sex comedy I’ve written, I’ll be okay with it. And if he likes it, I’ll be over the moon.

Thumbnail Image Source: facebook/sunnyleone and indicine