Mumbai, Rajkummar Rao and Patralekhaa, who have backed the new Netflix comedy “Toaster”, say producing a movie is no picnic as it involves a lot of decision-making and trying to figure out the best for the project.
The movie, where Rao also acts alongside Sanya Malhotra, revolves around a miser who wants to get back the toaster he gifted at a wedding when the ceremony is called off, leading to a series of bizarre incidents.
Directed by Vivek Das Chaudhary and produced by Patralekhaa, the film also features Archana Puran Singh, Abhishek Banerjee, Farah Khan, Upendra Limaye, Vinod Rawat, Jitendra Joshi and Seema Pahwa. It started streaming from Wednesday.
“You’ll have to keep making decisions and you’re always trying to figure is this the best thing for the film,” Patralekhaa told PTI.
Rao said he was often called a “producer’s actor” but realised how much of a tightrope walk it is while working on “Toaster”.
“Sometimes you can go on set and demand that ‘I want this, I want that’. I have never done that because I understand that somebody’s hard earned money is in the film.
“But now, of course, being on this side, I realised how tough it is to be a producer. You can have an army of people if you reach a certain point but till then it’s you, your hard work and vision. I have a lot of respect to all my producer friends out there…It’s lot of hard work and lot of thankless nights,” he said.
Known for his roles in films such as “Stree”, “Shahid”, “Bareilly Ki Barfi”, “Trapped” and “Badhaai Do”, Rao said the story came to them as a one-pager and Parveez Shaikh developed it and they decided to back it through their banner Kampa Film.
Chaudhary, who has directed many ad films, said he boarded the story as it felt relatable a common man’s life spiralling out because of a toaster.
Director Farah Khan is a good friend of the couple and here she turns into a character. Rao said she she is naturally funny and should do more acting.
Rao has featured in some of the most successful comedies in recent times be it “Stree” and its sequel, “Bareilly Ki Barfi”, “Made in China” or “Hum Do Humare Do” and it is a genre he enjoys watching as an audience as well.
“I think comedy is a tough business. It is not easy. But when it lands. It really lands well. I think people really enjoy and love watching comedies because everybody loves to laugh. Everybody loves to get entertained. I am blessed that God has given me that ability that I can make people laugh through my work.”
What’s next for the couple as producers?
“We do not have so many scripts. We have one script that’s been made. The film’s called ‘Raftaar’ and it’s going to release in July,” Patralekhaa said.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.