Click it and Unblock the Notifications
Aanand L Rai On 10 Years Of Tanu Weds Manu: This Film Gave Me My Identity In Bollywood
Aanand L Rai became a household name with his 2011 romantic comedy Tanu Weds Manu which starred Kangana Ranaut and R Madhavan in lead roles. The film revolved around Madhavan's character Manu who lands up in India to find a bride for himself and falls for Tanu (Kangana Ranaut) at first sight, but Tanu, a free spirited girl has no plans of marrying him.
Tanu Weds Manu was a commercial success at the box office, and catapulted Kangana Ranaut's rise to stardom. As this Kangana-Madhavan starrer completes a decade tomorrow (February 25, 2021), Aanand L Rai in an interaction with a leading daily opened up about how he is forever indebted to the audience for welcoming this film with open arms.
Speaking about the film clocking 10 years, the director-producer told Hindustan Times, "It feels very nice to reach this milestone and I'm thankful that I was allowed to tell this story so honestly and so well. This film is something that gave me my identity in Bollywood, you know. This film brought the honesty through me in the story. It's a great feeling to be associated with a story like this and to receive so much love from the audience."
Recalling his fond memories of shooting this Kangana-Madhavan starrer, Aanand L Rai said, "The only thing I remember was that I was feeling very fearless while making the film. I was enjoying a lot, we all were. Nobody not for a single day wondered ki kya yeh picture chalegi? We were having a lot of fun and we had great energy and in our own creative space everyone was contributing. I did feel that something magical was happening."
The filmmaker also shared that there were a minor hiccups while shooting Tanu Weds Manu, and revealed, "It was made in a very tight budget and all. Commercially and financially we were in a tight spot but it never looked like a hurdle." Well, like they say, all's well that ends well!
When asked why the film continues to hold a special place in the audience's hearts, Aanand added, "The reason it became a part of our life was because it was our life. It was Indian to its core and it was culture that was actually us. Jo ek apnapan tha na it was owned by the audience so beautifully. The pulse of the story and audience was the same."
In 2015, Aanand L Rai made a sequel titled Tanu Weds Manu Returns which starred Kangana Ranaut in a double role. That film too, struck a chord with the audience and set the cash registers ringing at the box office.
The director is currently busy with his upcoming film Atrangi Re which stars Dhanush, Sara Ali Khan and Akshay Kumar in prominent roles.
