A man chooses an old widower’s home for his first robbery, kicking off a set of events that have them both look at life in a new way and with new companions.’ That’s the brief description of Mast Mein Rehne Ka, which is a rollercoaster ride set in Mumbai in which Jackie Shroff and Neena Gupta star as senior citizens who rediscover life and what it has to offer. t2 caught up with Jackie, Neena, director Vijay Maurya and cast member Abhishek Chauhan for a chat about their film that is now streaming on Prime Video.

Vijay, what was the starting point of Mast Mein Rehne Ka?

Vijay Maurya: This film is about characters. It is about the daily lives of common people and our characters have been chosen from them. My co-writer Payal Arora came up with these characters. They are all Mumbaikars. Mumbai, as we know, is a land of opportunity. Whenever we meet someone, we ask them: ‘Brother, where are you from?’ He says that he is from Bombay. And then we ask: ‘ But basically, where are you from?’ That’s because most of the people living in Mumbai come from outside, it is a melting pot of people.

Mast Mein Rehne Ka is about the people who are hidden in Mumbai. But Mumbai is like a magnet which draws out almost every individual. But then there are some who are stuck, no matter what. So I thought that why not weave a story around them. So the idea came from the people who we interact with all the time, maybe even those we live with.

Did you always wanted to centre the story on senior citizens?

Vijay: The film has an ensemble cast. There are Jackie sir (Shroff) and Neena ma’am (Gupta), and it’s also about two young characters, played by Abhishek Chauhan and Monika Panwar. The film is about how all these characters cross each other. It’s an ensemble cast of mad people!

Jackie and Neena, what drew you to your characters?

Jackie Shroff: These are characters that exist all around. There comes a certain time in life when you reach a place where you have nobody for you. You outlive everybody, you lose all your friends. I have seen these kind of people around town. So I know this is something which is absolutely real, it happens. That how a man or a woman, as they grow old, maybe their friends go away or their children start studying somewhere else. Then they have to go to an old people’s home because nobody is there to take care of them .

Mast Mein Rehne Ka is how such people rekindle their energy, how they start living and enjoying life again. How does the desire to live come about... that’s what it asks. Even otherwise, loneliness is something we all go through.Neena Gupta: My character is very identifiable. She reminds me of a song I used to like in my childhood whose lyrics went somewhat: ‘We don’t care about love. Don’t say anything to us. Whatever we got from love, let it be.’ So we accept pain, we accept peace, we accept everything. My character suffers a lot of pain in life but despite that, she tries to be happy. She is someone who will go and slap someone who is not being nice to a dog.

Abhishek, what were your biggest learnings From observing Jackie Shroff and Neena Gupta on set?

Abhishek Chauhan: Every moment with them on set was a revelation. As a young actor who doesn’t have enough experience, when you experience new things with veterans who time and again prove how good they are at their craft, that is something that you aspire to achieve. I can’t objectively break down things for you, but there was a lot that I learnt every moment. I also learnt a lot from Vijay sir because he is also an actor. I feel that 80 per cent of this film is Vijay sir. He has literally held my hand and made me walk the path of this film.

Vijay has said how this film embodies Mumbai’s vibe. Jackie, you are known to be the epitome of the quintessential Mumbaikar. How do you feel that Mast Mein Rehne Ka represents Mumbai?

Jackie: I can see Mumbai in every frame of this film. I can see the characters that I see on Mumbai’s streets, at the railway station, the hawkers, the people who come out here from different parts of the country, from different parts of the state. Through this film, I got to see Mumbai from a new perspective. While shooting, we went to a lot of places that I had never been to before.

Vijay, what makes Jackie and Neena the perfect choice for these characters?

Vijay: The life experiences of Jackie sir and Neena ma’am. They are both institutions and encyclopedias of life. In this film, the city is also a character and to understand that character, I didn’t have to explain much to them. That is because they have lived the life of the film industry as well as in their personal lives. At the place in which I found them in life, I said: ‘There can’t be anyone better than them.’ The way they are connected, they are friends and it feels like they were in school together.

This film is about discovering and rediscovering your life every day. It’s also about how sometimes you don’t live life, but life lives you. Jackie sir keeps saying: ‘I don’t know acting, I learn from people around me.’ But I think he is one of the finest actors around, he lives in his characters. And he’s such a lovely person... he says plant trees, eat natural things, listen to nature. I love the way he says ‘Bhidu’. He would make us laugh a lot on set. When I approached him for the role, he asked me: ‘You are putting a tree named Jackie Shroff on your back. What will you feed him and how will he grow? Will you be able to do it?’ I said: ‘Sir, we will do it. We will do it together.’ And slowly, he got involved in the script and the character.

How does the title Mast Mein Rehne Ka apply to your life?

Jackie: There is no option but to be chill in life. Slowly everyone will go, darling. Everyone loves you. Everyone is with you, but you will go. You cannot stop it. So this way or that way, you are in a mess. No matter how much tension there is, make life worth living even in this mess. Try and live life king-size, be happy and spread happiness.Neena: I still make mistakes, I am still learning. I don’t understand life, I don’t understand relationships, but I am still learning and I will keep learning.

Which is your favourite film about rediscovering life? Tell t2@abp.in