Laxman Utekar directed Luka Chuppi which starred Kartik Aaryan and Kriti Sanon in the lead.
Laxman Utekar also talks about helming the Vicky Kaushal starrer Chhava, a biopic of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, the son of the founder of the Maratha empire, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
Vicky Kaushal and Sara Ali Khan starrer Zara Hatke Zara Bachke hit the screens yesterday (June 2). The film follows the lives of an Indore-based married couple, who were once madly in love, but now is on the verge of getting a divorce. This marks filmmaker Laxman Utekar’s third directorial outing after Luka Chuppi (2019) and Mimi (2021). Even during the shoot of the film, Zara Hatke Zara Bachke grabbed the attention of the audience for many believed that it was the second instalment in the Luka Chuppi franchise. Reports began doing the rounds that the film has been titled Luka Chuppi 2. However, it was much later revealed that it has been titled Zara Hatke Zara Bachke.
Speaking to News18 exclusively, Laxman clears the air about the film’s working title being Luka Chuppi 2 and says, “Luka Chuppi 2 was never the title of this film. When we were shooting the film in Indore on the streets and in the markets, many locals would click pictures and videos and put it out on social media.” He further adds, “People started assuming that this is Luka Chuppi 2 because I was directing this film and had also directed Luka Chuppi.”
But does he have any plans of making a sequel to the Kartik Aaryan and Kriti Sanon starrer? “As of now, there aren’t any plans to make it but we can definitely think of making it in the future,” reveals Laxman. For the unversed, the film revolved around a couple exploring a live-in relationship in a small town. It went on to earn a favourable response from the critics and emerged as a box-office success.
Recently, the cinematographer-turned-director exclusively told us that he will soon be directing Kriti in a film again. But before that, he will be helming Chhava, a biopic of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, the son of the founder of the Maratha empire, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The film will have Vicky play the titular character and will also star Rashmika Mandanna. Talking about casting Vicky as the Maratha warrior in the film, Laxman shares, “I had started working on Chhava during the pre-production of Zara Hatke Zara Bachke. Even before we started shooting the film, we had spoken to Vicky about Chhava. We had cracked the story but hadn’t written the script.”
Laxman believes that Vicky is the perfect fit to play Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj because of his built and gravitas. “I like Vicky as a performer and human being. Sambhaji Maharaj was well-built and had a strong personality. To justify such a character, I needed an actor who was similar to Sambhaji’s personality. At the same time, I needed a great performer who could justify his character,” he explains.
And watching Vicky’s earlier works cemented his belief in the actor. “I felt I could only see that in Vicky Kaushal. If we take Sardar Udham (2021) or Uri: The Surgical Strike (2019), we will see that he has performed his roles with utmost honesty. This was our thought to cast him in the film,” says Laxman, adding that they are all set to go on floors in September this year.
