Riteish Deshmukh on Case Toh Banta Hai, his bond with Varun Sharma, Kusha Kapila and more

It’s hard to believe that Riteish Deshmukh has been a part of the Hindi film industry for 19 years, blending unobtrusively into comic, serious and even villainous roles. As Riteish is now ready to move to another dimension in his career he takes time off to speak to Firstpost about the new kick in his town. What brings you to the OTT platform? Do you see this as the present and future of the entertainment industry? OTT platforms such as Amazon mini TV offer a wide reach to artists across the nation. Not just that, shows such as _Case Toh Banta Hai_ that are produced at this scale coupled with its unique concept drive enhanced interest across audiences across the nation. Having said that, every platform has its unique offering and I believe that OTT will co-exist along with other platforms now and in the future.

Tell me about Case Toh Banta Hai and what made you say yes to it? Case Toh Banta Hai is a laugh riot. The concept of ‘court of comedy’ featuring some of the biggest celebrities facing some of the most atrangi ilzaams, makes it a cut above the rest. The punch lines, the concept, the writing, it has all of it, making it an obvious ‘yes’ for me. Films are flopping every week in cinemas. Should the film industry be worried? I don’t think that the film industry has to be worried about anything. The pandemic took its toll, yes, but now we’re seeing normalcy being restored. Every film finds its audience and it will keep doing so. Your comic timing has never been questionable. Yet, do you feel that our cinema needs to develop a sense of humour? Be it any art or skill, there is always scope for growth and development. Together as an industry, we have created some of the most hilarious shows and movies, but like every other field, we can always strive to create better content and keep entertaining audiences all over. What was it like working with Varun Sharma and Kusha Kapila? Did the three of you become friends by the end of shooting? It was like a vacation working with Varun and Kusha . We would just laugh and giggle all the time while shooting for the show. We always get attached to people we spend time with, and in this case, since we spent so much time, in fact, such hilarious time, we of course became very good friends. Not just them, be it Paritosh, Gopal, Monica, Kavin, our director – Mr. Sajid Shamji, the writers, shooting with everyone for Case Toh Banta Hai was a blast. You have produced a couple of well-received Marathi films. Are you tempted to produce more cinema you believe in? I always believe to do what you love. The concept of Case Toh Banta Hai struck a chord with me and I said yes, similarly, producing films or anything I find interesting and that can help me grow, I’d love to take it up. How do you think your colleagues in the film industry would react to Case Toh Banta Hai? Laughter is one of the best things in this world and I think everyone appreciates it if you make them laugh, so I feel that they would welcome Case Toh Banta Hai. Subhash K Jha is a Patna-based film critic who has been writing about Bollywood for long enough to know the industry inside out. He tweets at @SubhashK_Jha. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News ,  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.