Writer-director Milap Zaveri detailed what he believes went wrong with his much-discussed movie Satyameva Jayate 2. (2021) in an interview with Bollywood Hungama.
What is the most important lesson you took away from Satyameva Jayate 2 failing?
The first episode of Satyameva Jayate (2018) had a profound impact on my life. For consenting to star in the movie, Manoj Bajpayee sir and John Abraham, as well as T-Series, Nikkhil Advani, Monisha Advani, and Madhu Bhojwani, will always have my gratitude. Despite the fact that I was a lousy director, they all exhibited faith in me. Every task you complete has an outcome. With Vir Das and Shaad Randhawa, I made the short film Raakh. It received a lot of praise. I was able to obtain Satyameva Jayate thanks to that. John enjoyed Raakh when he saw it, and when he read the script, he nodded. The movie Satyameva Jayate was a financial success.
I then completed Marjaavaan (2019), a film that defied all odds. For five years, Sidharth Malhotra had been unsuccessful. It was also a throwback 80s masala movie. Some people questioned why I was doing such a mass-produced picture and playing the front foot while I was making it. My theory was that Sidharth had performed in virtually every type of movie, but not one like this. Therefore, I’d prefer to introduce him to a brand-new avatar. I leaned on my aptitude for comprehending popular culture. I used to make fun of building an Elaan-E-Jung or Hukumat (1987) with Sid (1989).
Marjaavaan, meantime, had three different release dates. It was given a low tracking number by Ormax. Three months earlier, Sid’s Jabariya Jodi (2019), which was released, failed. Many believed that our movie would also be a failure. However, I had faith in the movie since I knew Sid, Riteish Deshmukh, Tara Sutaria, and Rakul Preet Singh had all succeeded. Riteish was really my ace. I was aware of his exceptionality.
Therefore, when Marjaavaan succeeded against all odds, it greatly boosted my confidence. However, having too much self-assurance can lead to overconfidence. Looking back, I can see that my overconfidence was a result of Marjaavaan’s success. Nobody had any faith in it. Some of my producers weren’t sure it would succeed. Still, it did.
Who is your greatest detractor?
Meet, my little brother. He has discerning tastes in movies. He disapproves of standard commercial food. He calls a spade a spade and frequently criticises my films. My films are adored by the rest of my family. They are love-blinded. Azaz Khatau and Shaad Randhawa are two of my closest buddies. They often speak the truth to me.
What’s coming up?
As I previously mentioned, I am penning the scripts for Mohit Suri, Sanjay Gupta, and Kookie Gulati’s upcoming movies. Also, I’m writing two scripts for Remo Dsouza’s movies. A few further movies are also in the works.
When will the film you are directing begin production?
Hopefully it will go on floors next year. My main character is locked. I’m still learning the modalities. I’ll publicly announce it soon.