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Farhad Samji Exclusive Interview on Welcome To The Jungle: “Mai 80 filmein likh chuka hun, 35 se zyada hits kyu hai mere career mein kyunki…”
In an exclusive interview with Pinkvilla, Farhad Samji shared what keeps driving him in the film industry and how his characters stand out even in ensembles.
Welcome To The Jungle is performing well at the box office and is slowly heading towards a Clean Hit verdict. What made the film a full package of entertainment was its dialogues, treatment, performances, and unique character traits. Farhad Samji, who served as the dialogue writer on the film, exclusively spoke to Pinkvilla and shared his process of writing and designing characters. He also revealed whether there are any plans for Welcome 4 or not.
(Excerpts from the interview)
Q. With Welcome To The Jungle emerging as a success, have the discussions already started on Welcome 4?
Farhad Samji: Abhi toh Welcome To The Jungle just lagi hai, aur hum log abhi just enjoying that moment. Haalanki, discussions toh jab bhi aap sequels banate ho, aap ideas toh throw karte hi ho. Whether it's Housefull, Golmaal, ya Welcome, jitni bhi franchises hain jinke liye maine likha hai aur kaam kiya hai, toh ek tareeke se discussion hota hi hai ki next mein hum aisa kar lete hain. Toh kuch-kuch ideas toh pehle se hi hain, even for Welcome 4.
So let the learning process sink in ki isme kya achha hai, kya better ho sakta tha, and accordingly baithe hain hum agle project ke liye. Toh discussions toh hote rehte hain ki yeh genre try karte hain, but eventually, everything will materialize once we get the correct pitch to bat upon.
(Welcome To The Jungle has just started playing in cinemas. And we are enjoying that moment. Whenever you make a sequel, you always throw ideas, whether it's Housefull, Golmaal, or Welcome. All the franchises I have worked in. So, there is a kind of discussion. That we will do this next. So, we already have some ideas even for Welcome 4. Let the learning process sink in. What could have been better? And accordingly, we sit for the next franchise. So, discussions keep happening. That we can make it on this. We can try this genre in comedy. We can do that. But, eventually, everything will materialise when we get the correct pitch to bat upon.)
Q. The film has already crossed impressive opening weekend numbers. In a market where comedy has become a difficult genre to crack theatrically, what do you think clicked with audiences?
Farhad Samji: Audience kabhi bhi decide nahi karti ki yeh thriller hai mai nahi jaaunga, yeh horror hai main nahi jaaunga yaa comedy hai mai jaaunga. Film achchi hogi toh sab aayenge. Regarding Welcome To The Jungle, I can say ki iske pehle bharpur lotne potne wali comedy aayi hi nahi thi. But yes, Welcome To The Jungle aayi aur target bull's eye lag gaya. Har punch land hua, har situation public ne samjha aur uss par hasi aur isiliye iss film ko itna pyaar mil raha hai.
Mai 80 filmein likh chuka hun, 35 se zyada hits kyu hai mere career mein kyunki at least itni toh samajh mere mein aa gayi hai ki as a writer ki humesha jo confusion hai, comedy of errors woh alag alag tareeke mein pesh karo na audience ko woh maza aata hai. Right from comedy of errors ki jitne bhi filmein hain, double role wali film hogayi, isne usko yeh samjha, isne usko woh samjha, yeh type ki comedy jo hoti hain na jo situation par baith jaati hai. Toh Welcome mein bhi wahi situation baith gaya.
(The audience never decides that this is a thriller, I’m not going to watch it, this is a horror film, I won’t watch it, or this is a comedy, so I’ll go watch it. If a film is good, everyone will come to watch it.
Regarding Welcome To The Jungle, I can say that before it, there hadn’t really been a full-on, rolling-on-the-floor kind of comedy. But yes, Welcome came along and hit the bull’s-eye. Every punch landed, the audience understood every situation and laughed at it, and that’s why this film has received so much love. I’ve written 80 films, and more than 35 of them have been hits. Why? Because at least I’ve gained enough understanding as a writer that the key is to present the same confusion, the comedy of errors, in different ways to the audience. That’s what they enjoy. Right from all the comedy-of-errors films, whether it’s a double-role film or situations where one person mistakes someone for someone else and vice versa. This type of comedy works when it is rooted in the situation. So in Welcome To The Jungle too, the situation clicked.)
Q. How difficult was it to write the dialogues of Welcome 3, as most of the humour is a result of the dialogues? And how involved is Akshay Kumar in the process of writing the comic dialogues?
Farhad Samji: Obviously, it was difficult to write. Welcome To The Jungle is an ensemble cast with many actors. And the effort was that all the characters should be defined as much as possible in the film. So, writing-wise, it was just that we could justify every character. Whoever has a role, he/she can stand out.
For example, if you see Jacqueline, she comes across as a dumb girl. So, she has 4-5 places, but when she speaks, her character stands out. You must have seen that Daler Paaji's work is also very little in the film. But today, in the trailer and memes, his dialogues are going viral. So, that was a task that I think we have succeeded in justifying the characters.
Akshay Kumar sir's support was also there in the writing. For example, Farida ji's crying scene, where she cries and talks, was Akshay sir's idea. We sat together in the writing and told Farida ji too.
Q. If you had to define the “Farhad Samji formula” for a box office-winning comedy today, what would it be?
Farhad Samji: Formula jaisa kuch nahi hai. Writers hai lage rehte hain, apne apne daayre mein koshish karte hain. lekin haa, if you really want to ask me ki meri strengths kya hai writing mein toh mai characterization pr bahut mehnat karta hu and that works.
Aapne agar Golmaal dekhi hogi, previous Golmaal toh Tusshar, Shreyas, Ajay and Kareena ungli todna, toh woh jo characterization hota hai; Housefull ka Aakhiri Pasta; yeh sab characters yaad rehte hain. Kyunki unko define bahut kiya jaata hai.
And in the same way, joining dots, Welcome mein maza yeh aata hai ki Akshay ka trait hi hai ki woh paison ke liye kaam karna chahta hai. Apna Johny bhai mute ho jaate hain, Fareeda Jalal kuch bhi bolti hain, Kiran Kumar bhaari urdu bolte hain, jo dusra baap nikalta hai woh totla hai and usmein kya kya humor aata hai. So, I work on characterization and traits jo enhance kar deta hai screenplay ko aur story ko. So, that is what I think ki meri mehnat hoti hai, intention hote hai.
(There is no such thing as a ‘Farhad Samji formula’. Writers simply keep at it, striving within their own spheres. But yes, if you were to ask about my strengths in writing, I would say I put a lot of effort into characterization, and that approach works. I dedicate a significant amount of time to developing specific character traits. If you look at the Golmaal films, take the finger-breaking gag involving Tusshar, Shreyas, Ajay, and Kareena, or characters like 'Aakhri Pasta' in Housefull, these are characters that stay with the audience. They are memorable because they are so well-defined. Similarly, in Welcome, for instance, the fun lies in Akshay’s defining trait, his drive to work for money. Then you have Johnny Bhai, who goes mute, Farida Jalal, who says random things, Kiran Kumar, who speaks in heavy Urdu, and the 'other father' figure, who has a speech impediment, all of which generate humor. So, I focus on character traits that enhance the screenplay and the story. That is where I put in the work and the intent, and more often than not, it pays off.)
Q. Would you like to bring Uday and Majnu back for Welcome 4 along with Akshay Kumar?
Farhad Samji: Anyone would want that, any day, any time. We miss them so much in Welcome To The Jungle as well. So, it would be amazing if Uday and Majnu also appear in Welcome 4, though as I said it’s too early to talk about that right now. I’d say to both of them: "You are Welcome.”
Q. Is there any update on Hera Pheri 3? What are the other projects you are working on at the moment?
Farhad Samji: Regarding Hera Pheri's update, Firoz Nadiadwala sir will tell you. Coming to my other projects, sab kuch bahut zoro-shoro se chal raha hai lekin obviously official announcement hoga tab I'll share with you. God has been kind that he has kept me busy and aap logon ka pyaar Welcome mein dekh ke aur bhi lag raha hai ki I'll be busy and it's a pleasant burden. Bas yahin laga hu main ki achcha kaam karte raho.
Maine gaana diya tha Munna Bhai film mein, 'Lage Raho Munna Bhai'. Tab Raju Hirani ji aur meri ek baat huyi thi ki yeh film line mein ek hi cheez karna zaruri hai- Lage Raho. Aur wahi saalon se mai bhi laga hi hua hun, ki apne kaam mein izzat mile.
(As for updates on Hera Pheri, Feroz Sir will let you know. Regarding my other projects, including my directorial ventures, everything is moving along in full swing. I will share the details once the official announcements are made. God has been kind enough to keep me busy, and seeing the love you all showed for Welcome makes me feel I'll continue to be busy; it's a pleasant burden to bear. My sole focus is simply to keep doing good work. I contributed a song to the Munna Bhai film, ‘Lage Raho Munna Bhai’. I remember a conversation I had with Raju Hirani ji back then: the one essential thing in this industry is to just keep at it, to "keep going" (lage raho). And for years, that is exactly what I have been doing, striving to earn respect in my craft and giving it my absolute best.)
Stay tuned to Pinkvilla for more updates.
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