'It
Was
Irrfan
Khan
And
Dulquer
Salmaan
Who
Chose
Us'
Q.
Road
trips
and
dead
bodies
sound
a
very
unlikely
combination.
So,
how
did
the
idea
for
Karwaan
germinate?
A.
The
story
idea
belongs
to
Bejoy
Nambiar.
I
was
acting
in
one
of
his
films
called
David
and
Adhir
Bhatt
who
has
written
the
screenplay
for
this
film
with
me
was
also
in
the
film.
Bejoy
suggested
this
idea
to
us
about
this
situation
where
somebody
got
the
wrong
body
and
finds
out
that
he
has
to
travel
a
certain
distance
to
get
the
right
body
back.
It's
a
very
bizarre
but
funny
idea
which
appealed
to
both
of
us.
So,
we
wanted
to
flesh
it
out.
So,
the
idea
for
Karwaan
actually
came
from
Bejoy.
Q.
How
did
you
manage
to
pull
off
this
casting
coup
of
three
extremely
talents
actors-
Irrfan
Khan,
Dulquer
Salmaan
and
Mithila
Palkar?
A.
To
be
honest,
we
are
quite
lucky
to
get
Irrfan
Khan
and
Dulquer
Salmaan.
It
was
they
who
chose
us.
When
we
had
first
written
the
script,
we
never
thought
that
we
would
get
somebody
of
that
stature.
Eventually
when
Priti
Gupta
and
Ronnie
Screwvala
worked
together
and
decided
to
make
this
film,
the
suggestion
came
that
we
should
approach
Irrfan
and
it's
the
kind
of
film
which
he
might
like.
We
went
and
narrated
him
the
script
when
he
was
shooting
for
Hindi
Medium
in
Delhi.
He
liked
the
script
and
immediately
agreed
to
be
a
part
of
the
film.
Similarly,
Dulquer's
name
was
suggested
by
my
associate
producer.
She
thought
he
would
make
an
interesting
casting.
I
had
seen
some
of
his
work
and
knew
that
he
had
a
wide
range.
We
met
him
and
it
was
a
lovely
meeting.
He
got
the
script
and
then
took
a
week
to
respond
as
a
'yes'.
Mithila
Palkar
went
through
an
audition
process.
I
had
known
her
before
but
she
went
through
two
months
of
auditions.
We
are
fortunate
that
three
people
with
such
different
background
and
audience
came
into
the
film.
Q.
You
mentioned
earlier
that
Karwaan
is
a
road
trip
with
a
twist
and
some
black
humour.
The
genre
of
black
comedy
is
rarely
being
explored
in
Bollywood
though
things
are
slowly
changing.
What's
your
take
on
it?
A.
I
think,
things
are
changing.
Even
Irrfan's
previous
film
Blackmail
was
a
black
comedy.
There
are
some
actors
who
relate
to
that
genre
better
or
are
willingly
to
take
those
kind
of
risks.
I
think
dark
humour
has
existed
for
a
very
long
time
maybe
not
across
a
full
film.
Like
say
for
example,
Sriram
Raghavan's
work
has
a
lot
of
dark
humour.
I
think
people
are
slowly
accepting
this
genre.
Perhaps,
Karwaan
is
not
as
dark
as
a
black
comedy
as
some
of
the
others.
It's
a
light,
fun
film.
To
be
honest,
now
with
all
the
platforms
available,
even
things
like
this
which
weren't
done
earlier,
a
lot
more
people
will
now
start
taking
risks.
'Dulquer
Salmaan
Seems
To
Have
Got
A
Lot
Of
Female
Attention'
Q.
Last
time
when
we
met
for
Hijack
and
briefly
spoke
about
Karwaan,
you
told
us
that
Bollywood
doesn't
have
an
opinion
about
Dulquer
Salmaan
yet
and
are
aware
of
him
as
a
Malayalam
star.
Do
you
think
that's
an
advantage
for
you
as
a
filmmaker?
A.
It's
becoming
quite
clear
now
after
the
trailer
that
there's
a
lot
of
curiosity
about
him.
People
are
aware
that
he
is
an
established
actor
in
another
industry.
So,
there's
some
sort
of
credibility.
He's
not
just
ranked
newcomer.
People
are
really
curious
to
know
about
him.
He
seems
to
have
got
a
lot
of
female
attention.
They
think
of
him
as
cute.
Also,
it's
evident
from
the
trailer
that
he's
a
good
performer.
So,
he's
a
perfect
combination
of
credibility
and
curiosity.
'The
Fact
That
Dulquer
Chose
To
Do
A
Film
Like
Karwaan
Was
A
Very
Refreshing
Approach'
Q.
There
will
be
a
lot
of
people
out
there
who
would
be
watching
Dulquer
for
the
first
time
on
screen.
Did
that
bring
in
a
certain
amount
of
pressure
on
you
as
to
how
you
would
present
him
on
screen?
A.
Not
on
me.
It
may
be
on
him.
I
don't
know.
Maybe,
that's
something
what
he
thinks
about.
For
me,
he
agreed
to
do
the
part
of
the
protagonist
and
it's
important
to
present
him
in
the
most
true
way
to
the
film.
That's
the
only
justice
that
I
can
do
to
him.
I
think
the
fact
that
he
chose
to
do
a
film
like
this
was
a
very
refreshing
approach
and
I
have
been
honest
to
the
script
that
he
liked.
I
don't
think
there
was
a
pressure
while
making
the
film.
Now,
we
just
hope
that
people
like
him.
'It
Feels
Like
A
Great
Achievement
To
Have
Someone
Like
Irrfan
Khan
In
Your
Film'
Q.
You
are
also
working
with
Irrfan
Khan
for
the
first
time.
How
has
that
experience
been
for
you?
A.
It
was
a
privilege
to
work
with
him.
Not
many
people
get
the
chance
to
work
with
an
actor
like
him
so
early
in
their
career.
Initially,
I
was
a
little
intimated
but,
then
I
found
out
that
he's
very
accessible,
easy
to
work
with
person.
He
was
very
open
to
suggestions.
It
was
a
comfortable
working
relationship
that
we
had.
It
feels
like
a
great
achievement
to
have
someone
like
him
in
your
film.
'Irrfan
Doesn't
Have
Any
Baggage
About
Being
In
Character'
Q.
During
the
entire
shooting
process
with
him,
did
you
discover
any
aspect
about
him
as
an
actor
which
took
you
by
surprise?
A.
I
always
knew
that
he
was
a
serious
and
committed
actor
who
did
his
homework
beforehand.
What
really
took
me
by
surprise
was
that
unlike
a
lot
of
people
who
get
into
there
character
and
stay
in
it,
Irrfan
on
the
other
hand
was
a
very
normal
person
who
would
be
chatting
about
films
and
politics
when
he
wasn't
shooting.
But
the
moment
you
said
'Action',
he
would
just
become
another
person.
He
would
just
switch
on
and
off,
which
I
think
is
his
greatest
talent.
He
doesn't
have
any
baggage
about
being
in
character.
Q.
Your
last
film
Hijack
failed
to
do
well
at
the
box
office
inspite
of
its
quirky
content.
How
did
you
take
that
failure?
A.
I
still
maintain
that
Hijack
is
a
very
enjoyable
film.
I
feel
that
because
its
release
got
delayed,
it
didn't
get
showcased
in
the
best
manner
possible.
There
are
some
people
who
loved
it
and
then
there
were
some
who
didn't
connect
with
it.
I
wish
more
people
had
seen
it.
I
still
believe
that
when
it
comes
online
on
any
kind
of
platform,
it
will
find
its
audience.
I
take
this
as
a
learning
experience.
Of
course,
I
was
disappointed
and
was
wishing
that
more
people
had
seen
it.
'It's
Unfortunate
That
Box
Office
Numbers
Have
Become
A
Measure
Of
Success'
Q.
Finally,
how
much
does
box
office
numbers
matter
to
you
at
this
point?
A.
We
cannot
hide
from
the
fact
that
box
office
numbers
matter.
It's
unfortunate
that
they
have
become
a
measure
of
success.
Eventually,
it's
all
about
economics.
I
don't
pretend
to
understand
the
business
very
well.
For
me,
it's
important
to
make
the
best
possible
film
we
can.
Of
course,
box
office
numbers
are
important,
but
it's
not
something
which
plays
on
my
mind
all
the
time.
I
don't
know
how
these
things
function.
I
don't
understand
the
number
game
much.
So,
fingers
crossed.