Filmmaker Sooraj Barjatya on Tuesday said he let go of all the ‘trappings’ of his previous films, including naming a character Prem, for his upcoming movie Uunchai.

Popular for star-studded family dramas such as Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!, Hum Saath-Saath Hain and Vivah, Barjatya’s last release was Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (2015) and Uunchai is his first film in seven years.

The director said the pandemic prompted him to accept changing times. “In this film, I have moved away from all my earlier trappings. There once was a charm that if you name (a character) Prem, the film will work. But I have let go of that. In the pandemic, everything was slipping away, so there was no point holding onto anything,” Barjatya told reporters at the trailer launch of Uunchai.

Billed as a drama about four friends, played by Amitabh Bachchan, Anupam Kher, Boman Irani and Danny Denzongpa, the Rajshri Productions film marks a lot of firsts for the director.

Barjatya said he had never set his movies beyond film studios, but he travelled to real locations across the country, including Kanpur, Agra, Gorakhpur, and even the snow-capped Himalayas, for Uunchai. “It was liberating for me,” he added.

According to the filmmaker, Uunchai is the “most challenging film” of his 35-year filmmaking career. “In 2016, writer Sunil (Gandhi) told me the subject of the film about four friends, all 65 plus. It was a humorous story about their mission to trek to the Everest base camp. The subject didn't leave me. In the pandemic, when we were going through our challenges, I decided to take on my biggest challenge," he said.

Barjatya also said close friend and frequent collaborator Salman Khan had expressed a desire to work on Uunchai, but the director said the film was not meant for the Bollywood superstar. The director further said he was quite nervous before meeting Bachchan.

“When I wrote the script, I messaged him. He gave me an appointment for a Zoom meeting. I had taken two anxiety pills because it is not easy to face (Bachchan) sir. But over a period of time, I realised he is the easiest person to work with,” he added.