Yaariyan is profitable due to Housewife formula – Divya Khosla Kumar

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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USA: Oye! Times readers Get FREE $30 to spend on Amazon, Walmart… Divya Khosla Kumar is celebrating, albeit with a pinch of salt. Her debut film Yaariyan wasn't really given much of a chance by detractors to score at the box office before its release. In fact many predicted that after a 'fluke' first day, the film would crash. However, that didn't happen as the film not just ended up scoring quite well in its first week but also turned out to be the highest grosser ever for an all-newcomer cast with no starry background.

You must be feeling great to have first success of the year against your name and that too in your debut effort.
You know, I actually put the housewife formula while making Yaariyan. There was so much about managing budget and that's something that only a housewife can do. I come from a middle class family and despite riches around me; I kept the film very economical even though I had so much overseas shoot. That worked and hence the film is already profitable.

Not many gave your film any chance though.
People out there have ills in their mind. They were thinking that since T-Series is a music company, why should they get into film production and eat into their market. We are rising but some people are trying to pull us down by painting a negative picture before the audience. Obviously they failed.

Any regrets though?
Yes, the fact that audience has been appreciating the songs so much but many critics missed doing that. Then many didn't even notice how the film looked so beautiful on screen. Then my three key action/thrill sequences around bike competition, cycle run and mountain challenge was royally ignored too. Some out there complained about the college jokes but then perhaps, they have never stepped in even the schools of today's times, leave aside college. I am sure they would be shocked. Thankfully, audience noticed each and every misses that many critics out there made.

How are your actors reacting to the success though?
Obviously they are thrilled. If I speak to my actors, I see them so much inspired by me. They have seen how much I have slogged to make this film. In fact two of them didn't even know Hindi! How I taught them and brought them to this point is something that only I know. I trained Himansh for 1.5 years; he was just a boy when he started off. Even others, I trained them for more than 6 months each. Still, to make a movie in Rs. 10 crores and that too with newcomers needs to be acknowledged at least, isn't it? Every frame in the film was shot with a lot of passion and incredible amount of energy. I understood youth and brought in the right ingredients.

A lot of credit also goes to some good marketing and promotion, isn't it?
All these factors worked but when it comes to audience, they want to enjoy the film when they step into the auditorium. After a good opening day, a film can sustain only if it is liked. That's because when audience steps out, it doesn't think that movie ki promotion kaisi thi. They tell their friends to watch it only if somewhere the film has touched them. This was the reason why the collections were so consistent right throughout.

What are you planning now?
Though my well wishers tell me that I should stick to youth themes, I think I should drift from this comfort zone. I should plan to scale another mountain. I would now be making an out and out love story next. See, as Bhushan's wife I could have sat at home and still be a celebrity in the social circuit. It wasn't as if I wasn't getting photographed enough. Still, I went ahead and made the movie. I am a woman of ambition and want to carve my own niche. So now I will make a movie that will touch people's hearts and make them emotional. I will show everyone that Yaariyan was not a fluke.

Would you be repeating the Yaariyan lead pair of Himansh and Rakul?
I don't know for now. If according to my story they suit the bill for an honest portrayal, I will take them. Else I could work with established actors or pull in newcomers again.

Article written by staff at Bollywood Hungama. Read more