Pune Highway explores the many facets of friendship

Indian Express

23-05-2025

Running parallel to the story on the fragility of friendship in the suspense drama Pune Highway is the steadfast camaraderie and collaborative ties of its creators. Bugs Bhargava Krishna and Rahul daCunha — the film's co-writers and co-directors — have worked together for nearly four decades on advertisements and theatre projects. Now they have joined hands to adapt Rahul's 2004 play Pune Highway. 'It's a real test of friendship when you work together and still remain friends. We passed,' says Bhargava.
Rahul and Bhargava belong to a diminishing tribe of Mumbai-based advertising professionals who devote their evenings to making plays. While Bhargava crossed over to films — he acted in movies such as Taare Zameen Par (2007), Kaminey (2009), Delhi Belly (2011), A Suitable Boy (2020) as well as directed Barot House (2019) and Nail Polish (2021), theatre kept Rahul occupied. Bhargava, who was part of the original cast of the play Pune Highway, always believed 'there was something cinematic' in its narrative, and nudged Rahul to make the movie.
Nearly three years ago, they embarked on adapting Pune Highway into a screenplay. It follows the story of Khandu, Vishnu, Nicky, Natasha and Babu, who grew up together in Shantibhavan, a building in Mumbai. Even though an incident on the Pune highway makes Babu a paraplegic, the life of these Shantibhavan residents goes on until one day a body is fished out of a lake, away from the city. As the investigation into the case continues, the friends find themselves grappling with past secrets and new realities.
Though the play was written and directed by Rahul, the film, he says, is a product of their joint vision. 'Our main concern was how we would write for the film. What do we keep and what do we let go of? In the end, the characters gained depth and the narrative became visually exciting,' says Rahul.
In theatre, the story usually progresses sequentially. The shooting of Pune Highway, however, began with its climax. 'We had only three readings before the shoot. So, it was challenging for the actors to stay with the sequence that was being shot that particular day,' says Rahul, whose agency daCunha Communications helms the Amul Butter topical campaign.
It has been a three-year journey to the theatres. 'Once a play is ready, we open it. However, there is a whole journey after a film is ready — promotion planning, releasing its teaser, getting the trailer ready and so on. This is where our experience as ad professionals comes to the fore,' says Rahul, who has written several popular plays, including Class of '84 (2003) and Me, Kash & Cruise (2008).
This writer-director duo will soon be shifting their focus to adapting a literary work for the screen. The film will be based on the first story in Old Cypress And Other Stories (1991) by Rahul's mother Nisha daCunha. It explores the complexities of family, identity, and cultural heritage. When Bhargava read it, he was keen to develop the story, titled Old Cypress, a haunting story about finding life and confidence after love ends. 'We are excited to create a visual style that is different from Pune Highway. It is a woman-centric story that looks at what we go through in our 40s and 50s,' says Bhargava.
Rahul and Nisha had their doubts about its cinematic adaptation. Bhargava, who stuck to this idea, crafted the screenplay, with Rahul making additions to heighten the drama and conflict. 'Now I am familiar with what is required when a story transitions from stage to screen. The process of book to screen is more complex,' says Rahul.