Madgaon Express is a box-office success and is being hailed as a comedy with a difference. t2 chatted with debutant director Kunal Kemmu and actors Avinash Tiwary and Divyenndu (Pratik Gandhi plays the third lead) on the film’s success and more.

Congratulations for Madgaon Express. It is such a fun ride! What has it been like since the film released?

Kunal Kemmu: What has stood out is how the audience has made the film its own. As a filmmaker, you make a film with a certain perspective but sometimes the interpretation of the audience is so different from how you had thought about it. But you do see the point that they are making and that is why I love cinema so much. It belongs to everybody. Even if my motivation to build a scene or put a line may have not been what they have understood, I love their diverse interpretations. I can endlessly sit and listen to people as long as they are not abusing me and the film!

That the film has been loved so much makes me feel that where do I go from here? I feel that there is a lot of pressure on whatever l do next, which is a good problem to have (smiles). But at the moment, every clap, every effort that one takes to go on social media and write something about Madgaon Express and spread the word and the love is a blessing.
Avinash Tiwary: The best thing has been the kind of love and energy that the audience has come up with for the film. We did a couple of theatre trails and once the film was over, people walked out with so much joy. That is something I have never experienced before... it encouraged me, it inspired me. If this is the reaction that people can have after a film, I would want to do this every day of my life.

People are talking about how the friendship has landed in the film, how they truly felt for these friends and the fact that they are so relatable and real. Also, audiences of all age groups are flocking to watch the film. I had gone to a screening where 50-60 elderly people from a local laughter club had come to watch the film. They were so happy....

Your film turned out to be their laughter club for the day...

Avinash: Exactly! They went out saying that they were going to tell the other laughter clubs to come and watch the film in groups. The initial target audience for the film was young viewers but to see people in their 60s and 70s walk out with so much joy is magical. It makes us happy and proud that we created something that can reach all kinds of people. It makes the work more fulfilling.
Divyenndu: It is a smart strategy to send laughter club members to watch the film because they anyway know how to laugh! What has worked for Madgaon Express is that it is the correct combination of classic and new-age comedy and I am l glad that people have understood what we tried to do. It is not a gag-filled comedy... it flows with the screenplay, with the characters and with the situations. People have been saying that they really miss this kind of comedy. To have a film which is not only loved but also respected, as our film has been, is special.

Madgaon Express is not a pack of popcorn that people pop in and forget about once they are out... this popcorn has so much nutritional value that the taste lingers far longer.

Kunal, I know it is tough to be objective about one’s film, but while you were making it, did you feel that you were on to something that could strike a chord with such a large audience demographic?

Kunal: I was sure that I wanted to make a film that would be a bridge between the masses and classes. My film Go Goa Gone was loved by the classes but it took a long time to reach the masses because when it came out it, it had a bit of a disconnect with certain regions of the country. But I have also acted in films like Dhol and Golmaal which have been loved by the masses. However, the kind of audience that has loved Go Goa Gone will perhaps say that these films are too loud or too slapstick for them.

With Madgaon Express, my attempt, as Divyenndu said, was to do a bit of classic comedy and bring a new-age touch to it. Beyond that, I let my instincts drive me. If you break down the film, there are no jokes as such. It is all situational conversations happening and they kind of become what they become. That is the kind of humour that I like to watch and which comes naturally to me.

I took it one day at a time, whether it was writing it or making it. On hindsight, I can’t lie and say: ‘Oh, I knew that I was on to something.’ I feel our timing was right...there is a dearth of comedy films now. Madgaon Express was the first comedy after a long time. If there were four or five comedy films around, I don’t know if we would have even got the sampling that it got.

For the actors, what do you think Kunal, with his understanding and experience of comedy, brought to Madgaon Express that was uniquely his?

Divyenndu: The writing is honest and pure. It is not written in a calculated way. It comes from a very pure heart, a genuine sense of humour. My character Dodo is such a mad ball... it wasn’t easy for me to crack the character and I constantly kept asking Kunal about how to navigate it, whether the sur was okay or not. But he was very clear that he could see the character and I just had to follow his lead. He made me come out of my comfort zone.

He had so much clarity while writing and directing this film that I didn’t want to overburden him or the film with my interpretations. Also, it was a complete script on all accounts. His vision told me to take it easy, enjoy and have fun and explore something new.

Avinash, this was your first attempt at comedy. With Madgaon Express, have you discovered a new side to yourself as an actor?

Avinash: I have definitely discovered that I can take up parts which are less traumatic to myself! (Laughs) This film has been so liberating and I have been able to let go of the baggage I had to carry over a period of time. It was a liberating experience to find friends on set, experience joy with them and at the same time, shoot, focus on our work with so much intent. I hope that I am able to carry this forward, to really liberate myself while on screen.

Kunal, what is it about three friends stuck in a comedic or a dramatic situation that makes for such compelling viewing?

Kunal: With two people, you can still reach an understanding but it is the third point of view that can often lead to more trouble. That dynamic really works on screen. With two people, you can sometimes be either the exact opposites or be completely similar to each other. With three, you can break that monotony... you have a third voice that is different and dynamic.

Comedy is said to be the toughest genre. Kunal, you are an old hand at comedy but was bringing alive the scenes from paper to screen the biggest challenge?

Kunal: You are right. Comedy is tough for everybody, whether you are writing, directing or acting in it. Often, people don’t realise how tough it is. I was aware that I chose to do a comedy as my first directorial and that if it did not land somehow, I would lose all credibility as a maker. But if you do the same thing with a drama or a serious intense film or even a thriller, they will still give you credit for your performance with stuff like: ‘You were very good, I cried’ or ‘that shot-taking was very nice’. That will completely go away in a comedy because if it doesn’t make you laugh, then nothing else matters.

I am an accidental writer and director and it was important that my first film, which is a comedy and what I am known for, lands well. It was a risk, but once I committed to it, I just went with instinct. I am primarily an actor and my aim was to deliver slightly better than what people were expecting out of me.

What I was mindful about was that my producers, actors and the rest of the crew were taking this risk with me. I am a first-timer at doing this and though I couldn’t guarantee how the film would do at the box office, what I could definitely do was work a little harder and at least make this experience a good one for the producers by finishing the film within its budget and by making the actors feel that they were utilised correctly.

Why do you call yourself an ‘accidental writer/director? Wasn’t doing this the natural next step considering the number of years you have spent in the industry?

Kunal: While I had imagined and romanticised about doing it, there wasn’t anything that I was actively doing to pursue it. I was, of course, put into a situation where I ended up writing dialogues for Go Goa Gone because at that point nobody believed in that film, no one was going to fund it and Raj & DK (the film’s directors) were not very well versed with Hindi. I co-write the film and I knew that I had the knowhow to at least write a screenplay and dialogues.

When I wrote Madgaon Express, I didn’t imagine how it would feel to be directing it... I didn’t think I was qualified enough. I had never been an assistant on a set but being a child actor, I have grown up on sets. I knew how it works but unless you walk that road, you don’t know anything. That walk happened when I saw the confidence in the people who read my script.

I am not a trained writer. People go to schools for this and they have teachers who teach them screenplay, how to build a scene and what the four acts are.... I skipped all of that and I had the audacity to say: ‘I will write this script the way I want to.’ But I also had the fear that people may not get what I am trying to say.

But the producers (Excel Entertainment) not only liked it, they also asked me to direct it. That kind of confidence from someone who was willing to put money on me as a director was huge. I knew there was some merit to this and I should definitely take it seriously. I am happy I did because I enjoyed the process of being a director and I am thankful it has paid off.

Divyenndu, do you feel that Kunal coming in from an organic space with his writing and directing contributed to the simplicity and clarity of Madgaon Express?

Divyenndu: Kunal has said that the writing of this film was a product of rage. I believe that only a talent like him can make a product of rage something that can give so much joy to people. Since it came out so organically from him, the writing is relatable and realistic. When you watch the film, you feel that you know these guys, you can imagine these situations, which is why the situational comedy lands very well. It is not out of the blue, it is not bizarre.

All of these came from his desire to write a story and not a project. That sweetness and rawness of the writing has reached the audience.

What’s next from you as a director?

Kunal: I would like to continue being one. I have to look out for a story that makes me feel that I really want to say it. Everything with me, whether it is as an actor, writer or director, has to be instinctive and organic. I look forward to getting back to directing sooner than I had imagined.

Who is your favourite actor-turned-director in Bollywood?
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