Comedy special: Ashwni Dhir laughs his way to the bank

Ashwni Dhir was the brain behind the popular TV series Office Office that won several awards and was even turned into a film Chala Mussaddi Office Office. He’s also scritped and written the dialogue for several films before turning director with One Two Three. The film was a flop but his next outing with Ajay Devgn Athithi Tum Kab Jaoge turned out to be an average grosser. With his latest film, Son of Sardaar, making it to the Rs100-crore club, Ashwni has come a long way. Here, he talks about his journey from TV to films...

With Son of Sardaar, you have joined the Rs100-crore club...
Yes, it’s an awesome feeling. Rs100 crore has become the barometer though I don’t know whether it’s right or wrong (laughs). Now, I can happily say ‘cheese’. But the ‘cheese’ brings along with it the pressure to maintain it.

You have been scripting and producing TV shows for long. How has the shift from TV to films been?
It’s like swimming from a small pool into a big sea. There is a huge difference in the response on TV and films. In fact, there is no comparison. But when it comes to creativity, both are the same. A few things that you can do on TV, you can’t do in films and vice versa. For example, the show Lapatagunj that I am producing on TV is based on Sharad Joshi’s short stories. They are very good satires and have worked well on the small screen. But that can’t be made into a film. Similarly, when you want to do things on a large scale, cinema provides you the platform.

Writing wise, which medium do you prefer?
It varies from film to film. On TV, there are some restrictions. However, as far as I am concerned, from Office Office to Lapatagunj, I wrote whatever I felt was good. In films, when you write a film with a big star there are some limitations. You have to write according to the image of the star, there has to be some justification to the star. Audiences want to see the star in certain kind of film. But in a film like Vicky Donor or Kahaani, where the content is bigger than the star there is a lot of scope for the writer.

For instance, there was a scene in Vicky Donor —  I love that scene — when Ayushmann (Vicky) goes to donate the sperm for the first time. You need that kind of charm, rawness and freshness which you can’t get from a big star. On the other hand, in Son of Sardaar, where the hero comes across as larger than life, you need that kind of personality.

Yes, there can be a 3 Idiots, which gives scope to the writer as well as the star but such a film comes rarely.

Off the films that you have written for so far, which has been the most satisfying?
It has to be U Me Aur Hum, a film based on romance and a husband-wife relationship for which I wrote the dialogue. It was an experimental film and Ajay’s debut as a director. It gave scope as a writer to me and performance to actors. Another film I enjoyed scripting was Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge.  It got a lot of positive feedback from everyone. Critics wrote that it reminded them of a Hrishida film.

What’s next?
I will be directing another film for Ajay Devgn. We are in the process of finalising things.