A first film brings with it a certain high and happiness, but Dil Bechara is a bittersweet feeling for its debutant film-maker Mukesh Chhabra. The casting director, who has given many a now-successful Bolly talent their first breaks, is understandably still trying to grapple with the sudden demise of his friend and the film’s leading man, Sushant Singh Rajput. “I don’t know whether I should be happy or sad. This is perhaps the first time in my life where I don’t know what I am actually feeling,” Mukesh told The Telegraph when we chatted with him about his film (that streams on Disney+Hotstar from Friday), why he fast-forwarded and watched The Fault in our Stars (on which Dil Bechara is based) and what he thinks Sushant’s legacy will be.

The response to the trailer and music of Dil Bechara, which is Sushant’s last film, has been phenomenal. Is there anything among the sea of feedback that’s moved you more than the rest?

The feedback that I have got across the board is that this film is a true tribute to Sushant Singh Rajput. I got very emotional about that because I had obviously not looked at the film from that point of view. People are telling me that they feel that it will be the best tribute to him in terms of his last film. He’s looking charming, he’s smiling, he’s happy (pauses)….

The Fault in our Stars was a bestseller that translated into a well-loved film. Did you feel that pressure when you were making Dil Bechara, and has that pressure doubled now since everyone expects complete magic from Sushant’s last film?

Honestly, I never took the pressure of The Fault in our Stars. It’s only a small section of the Indian audience that’s watched the film… the rest of the country, especially in the smaller towns, will watch Dil Bechara based on its own merit. But yes, I do feel the pressure that people are expecting so much from Sushant’s last film. That’s a lot of responsibility, but it also makes me feel honoured. I want people to just love the film and love Sushant in it.

No one, honestly, is now talking about The Fault in our Stars. The whole focus on Dil Bechara is that it’s Sushant’s last film. I hadn’t even watched The Fault in our Stars before I was offered to direct Dil Bechara (that was earlier titled ‘Kizie Aur Manny’). I watched it later, and I mostly fast-forwarded through it.

You’ll get to see a lot of how you saw Sushant in his debut film Kai Po Che!… young, charming, carefree.... In Dil Bechara, I wanted to present him as a lovable, charming, young boy Sourced by the Telegraph

Why is that?

I didn’t want to be influenced by the original. I wanted it to be completely my own take. I, of course, had read the book (written by John Green) and liked it.

What makes Dil Bechara the ideal film to debut with as director?

As a first-time director, a film, for me, is all about performance and emotion. The films that take me to an emotional high are the ones I naturally gravitate to even as a viewer. This film delivers emotions in massive amounts and speaks so much about life and relationships and the importance of making the moments in life count.

Your friendship with Sushant goes back to his Kai Po Che! days and even before that. Did you always know that you wanted to cast him in your directorial debut?

Always, always! Agar main Dil Bechara nahin bhi banata… aur koi aur film hoti… tab bhi main sirf Sushant ko hi cast karta. That was the promise we had made to each other. He had told me, ‘Whenever you make your first film, I will be the hero’…(pauses). When I went to him in 2017, he didn’t even read the script… he said ‘Yes’ immediately. I was like, ‘Script toh padh le’. But he didn’t want to read it, he just trusted me completely. So agar Dil Bechara nahin hoti, agar yeh koi action ya comedy film hoti, tab bhi Sushant hota.

What will we get to see of Sushant in Dil Bechara that we haven’t seen before?

You’ll get to see a lot of how you saw him in his debut film Kai Po Che!... young, charming, carefree…. Sushant’s filmography includes a lot of intense roles, like in Sonchiriya and (Detective) Byomkesh Bakshy! In Dil Bechara, I wanted to present him as a lovable, charming, young boy.

Being a casting director, what went into choosing the rest of your cast? Sanjana Sanghi makes her debut, and you have a line-up of good actors like Swastika Mukherjee and Saswata Chatterjee…

Since Sanjana is playing a Bengali in the film, I wanted authentic Bengali parents. I wanted great actors, and both Swastika and Saswata are very good actors. The key in the whole casting process was authenticity. I wanted this family, the Basu family, to look very authentic. That is the reason why Sanjana ko poorey teen mahiney humne Bangali sikhaya. Both Swastika and Saswata have done Bollywood films, but they’ve been seen in a different avatar than how you will see them in Dil Bechara. My primary motivation to cast them was to surprise the audience.

Kizie’s role called for someone who is innocent and has this positive and yet heartbreaking quality. The moment I saw Sanjana’s face, I knew she was perfect for the part. You feel emotionally connected the moment you set your eyes on her face.

Wouldn’t you have liked a big screen release for your debut film?

See, kisi ko pata nahin ki theatres kab khulne waale hai. No one has an answer to that. I don’t want to wait a year to release this film. I am just glad that people will get to see Sushant, and the film is free for everyone. You don’t need a Disney+Hotstar subscription to watch Dil Bechara. Anyone can simply download the app and watch the film for free. Watching at home is the best option, it’s safe and everyone can watch it. We wanted to make it special for Sushant. Dil Bechara is no longer just a film, or just our film… it’s everyone’s film now. It’s not about money. This is the best way to pay tribute to Sushant.

What do you think Sushant’s lasting legacy will be?

I think he’s left behind a body of great work, such great films. Every performance of his is outstanding… at such a young age, he had already done diverse kinds of cinema and worked with some of the biggest names in the business, whether it’s Rajkumar Hirani, Nitesh Tiwari, Dibakar Banerjee, Abhishek Kapoor…. His television performances, his dance… he’s left behind so much.

Is it true that you landed up in Mumbai to become an actor?

I was at NSD (National School of Drama) and did my diploma in acting. So that’s why everyone thinks I moved to Bombay from Delhi to become an actor. But the truth is that I always wanted to direct, and even in Delhi I was helping in casting. In Bombay, I decided to take up casting full-time because I found it interesting and also because no one really paid too much attention to it. So I left my assistant director’s job and started doing casting. Going forward, I will strike a balance between film-making and casting. I will never leave casting. Whatever I am today is only because of casting.

You’ve spotted many success stories through the years. Anybody you are particularly proud of?

So many. I am proud of the Dangal girls, the Kai Po Che! boys… I am proud of Sushant, Rajkummar (Rao), Pankaj Tripathi…. In recent times, Sanya (Malhotra), Radhika (Madan), Mrunal Thakur have been doing so well.