Raaj Shaandilyaa Spills the Beans: This is Why Bollywood Has Stopped Making Comedy Films!

In a candid conversation with Bollywood Hungama, Raaj Shaandilyaa talked about his new film, Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video, starring Rajkummar Rao and Triptii Dimri, and the current state of comedy in Bollywood. Shaandilyaa is one of the few filmmakers who are keeping the comedy genre alive and making mass-appealing funny films.

The trailer of Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video was released on September 12 and has been well-received due to its subject and hilarious one-liners. Shaandilyaa shared that his earlier films, Dream Girl (2019) and Dream Girl 2 (2023), were also comic capers but had a message in the end. He believes that Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video will be no exception.

When asked about his approach to balancing comedy and serious messages, Shaandilyaa said, "Agar main 2 1⁄2 ghante ki film mein 3 minute ke liye koi baat bata du, toh kahan se preachy ho gaya? Things get preachy when you don’t make the audience laugh and then try to force a message down their throats. My idea is that I’ll bring the house down with humour. And when the audience is tired of laughing, I’ll raise a point."

Shaandilyaa also addressed concerns that the trailer has shown a lot but assured that there will be a lot that hasn’t come out. He shared that there are twists and turns and thrills in the film, making it different from Dream Girl. The story revolves around a couple from a small town whose first night after marriage gets stolen, and the video gets viral.

Rajkummar Rao and Triptii Dimri are having a great run in their careers, which might benefit the film. Shaandilyaa said, "I always want actors who suit their respective characters. This is how I signed Ayushmann for Dream Girl as well. And yes, we’ll get an advantage due to their past releases. But apart from Vicky and Vidya, there are other characters as well. Yeh film unki bhi utni hi hai."

Mallika Sherawat was also brought on board for the film, and Shaandilyaa shared that he had written the character keeping her in mind. He said, "I felt she had a great comic timing. We had cast Vijay Raaz aur inki takkar ka koi chahiye tha (opposite him). I kept her in mind while writing the character."

Shaandilyaa expressed his concern about the lack of comedy films in Bollywood, saying, "Anees Bazmee and David Dhawan are still making comedy films. Amar Kaushik of Stree is also there. Other than these three, I don’t think anyone else is making comedy films. Out of 400-500 Hindi films in a year, only 5 are comedy films. Usmein se sirf 3 films mein hasee aati hai."

He believes that making a comedy film is tough and requires hard work. Shaandilyaa also stated that many filmmakers are remaking international films instead of creating original content. He said, "Isme mehnat lagti hai aur mehnat koi karna nahin chahta. Instead, our filmmakers pick up remake rights of international films. Aur fir woh hit films ko bhi flop kar dete hai!"

Shaandilyaa also shared his thoughts on Stree 2, saying it was a fun film but with a weak story. He felt that the film was paisa vasool, which is what the audience wants.

The film Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video might follow in the footsteps of Dream Girl and Dream Girl 2, crossing the Rs. 100 crore mark. Shaandilyaa said, "(Smiles) No. I believe that if people like the film, then automatically it’ll get numbers. I don’t want that the film is not liked and yet it’s doing numbers. Of course, I want my film to collect Rs. 100 crores; in fact, it should do Rs. 200 crores or even Rs. 500 crores. However, I’ll never make a film for box office collections. My only aim is that log haste hua bahar aaye theatre se."

The film will clash with Alia Bhatt’s Jigra, but Shaandilyaa doesn’t think it will be a problem. He said, "That’s an emotional film while ours is a comedy. I want both films to work. Both films have a different set of audiences."

Shaandilyaa also revealed that there might be a crossover between two of his upcoming films, but it won’t be between Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video and Dream Girl. He said, "Not at all. There’s no crossover. But one of my upcoming films will have a crossover angle. Two characters from two films will merge. I promise you that it’ll be big!"