Kunal Deshmukh, who's been an assistant director with Vishesh Films for many years, is a busy man these days, what with his film Jannat 2 starring Esha Gupta and Emraan Hashmi slated for a May 4 release.
Asked how difficult it was researching subjects like match fixing or illegal arms trafficking, he tells Mirror, "Meeting bookies in Mumbai was easy as they are all star struck but illegal arms dealing is quite another story. Finally, we got all the information from Mangesh Kashyap, Deputy Commissioner of Delhi; Navneet Sikera, an encounter specialist from UP and a legal dealer in arms."
Explaining why his films explore such subjects, he says, "I have seen friends partying with the money they won from match fixing. My writer Sanjay Masoom is from UP and he has seen people dealing in guns. So I know a little more about this."
Deshmukh shares an anecdote. While shooting a particular scene, they were waiting for guns that were loaded in a tempo from Mumbai. However, the consignment was held up at the Haryana border and the shooting had to be stopped. The crowd was disappointed and started jeering. When they came to know the cast and crew were waiting for the guns to arrive, a group of locals came forward and offered the guns they owned. That was scary, he remembers.
Ribbed about Esha Gupta having replaced Prachi Desai as lead, the director explains around a fortnight before going on floor, the producers decided they wanted to up the sensual quotient of Jannat 2. Prachi was very clear she hadn't signed up for more love making. That's how Esha was signed on.
Deshmukh gives all credit to his writers, who he says have done a phenomenal job.So isn't he nervous now that Jannat 2 is slowly and steadily inching towards release? "It would be unnatural to say I am not. It is a year of work which boils down to Friday morning. So on Saturday, you are either written off, or you go party," he laughs.
