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Indian Express

Aditya Chopra never stepped on the sets of Badmaash Company, said ‘Isko kaha se likhne ka shaukh chadh gaya': Parmeet Sethi

Actor Parmeet Sethi was at the peak of his career when he decided to step away from the spotlight and pursue screenwriting. He penned a love story titled The Prince of Lahore set against the backdrop of India-Pakistan relations and the first person who came to mind was his Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge director Aditya Chopra. However, Aditya was not very keen to meet Parmeet, thinking 'Isko kaha se writing ka shaukh aagaya.' In an exclusive conversation with SCREEN, Parmeet recalled how he approached Aditya with the script for The Prince of Lahore, which eventually led to the making of Badmaash Company, starring Shahid Kapoor and Anushka Sharma in the lead roles. Parmeet recalled meeting Aditya after writing his first script, The Prince of Lahore. He said, 'Adi and I didn't meet a lot after DDLJ, but we had developed a bond. And after all those years when I approached him with a script, he was all like, 'Arey yaar, Parmeet ko likhne ka shaukh kaha se aagaya, ab isse bhi milna padega. (When did Parmeet start writing, now will have to meet him.)' He met me only to not come out as a badtameez. But when he finally met me and heard the storyline of my first film, he suddenly showed interest in my film. Creatively, we were both on the same page.' Unfortunately, Prince of Lahore couldn't see the light of day due to the 26/11 attacks, which made it impossible for an Indian crew to travel to Lahore for the shoot. Parmeet Sethi then wrote another script in just six days, Badmaash Company, which Aditya Chopra loved and and immediately gave Parmeet the green light, insisting that he direct the film himself. Watch full interview here: 'I told Adtiya that I have never assisted anybody. He told me, 'Mujhe maloom hai tu karlega (I know you can do it).'' Parmeet began the shoot of the film with Shahid Kapoor, Anushka Sharma and Vir Das. While they shot for quite some time and even faced difficulties due to constant rain, Aditya never cared to visit them on set. ALSO READ | Diljit Dosanjh beats Zendaya, Rihanna to secure the top spot in Best Dressed poll at Met Gala; Shah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra fail to make it Parmeet Sethi said, 'Aditya Chopra never visited my set. On the first day of shoot, Yash Chopra had come to my set for muhurat rituals. Post that none of them cared to be on my set. Aditya never even interfered in the editing room. He blindly trusted me and apparently, it was the first time when Aditya didn't bother to be part of any film's editing. This sort of worried me. I went to Adi and said, 'Adi yaar, kam se kam dekh toh le mai kya shoot kar raha hu (Adi, at least look at what I have shot).' And he would say, 'Don't worry, I know you are doing a good job.' He said, 'I did ask the editor about your shoots and he called it kadak. I didn't bother to interfere post that.'' He added, 'Aditya was completely behind the scenes. However, he gave me everything I ever wanted to shoot the film. He passed the budget, gave me an open offer to shoot wherever I wanted, New York, Bangkok. I haven't ever seen a producer like him. He only had an involvement in the music as I had no experience.' Badmaash Company went on to become one of the most successful films of 2010. Jyothi Jha works as a Copy Editor at the Indian Express. She brings in more than 5 years of experience where she has covered Entertainment majorly for TV9, NDTV and Republic Media. Apart from Entertainment, she has been an anchor, copy editor and managed production team under the Politics and Daily News segment. She's passionate about Journalism and it has always been her first choice, she believes in what George Orwell had once said, " Journalism is printing what someone else does not want you to do, rest everything is public relations". ... Read More