Nikhil Mehrotra is doing sports films despite not being associated with sports, said this in praise of Janhvi

Dangal, Panga, Mr and Mrs Mahi are not just sports films

When asked about his inclination towards sports films, he laughs and says, “It is a strange irony that I myself have never played any sport in my life. In fact, till some time back I weighed 125 kg, so I was not fit for it. I think since Dangal became so successful, such stories have come to me more, but I have also written films like Ittefaq and Gunjan Saxena. Then, Dangal, Panga, Chhichhore, Mr and Mrs Mahi have sports, but they were not about sports. They are stories of human emotions and everyone's hearts are different. In one, a father wants to make the country proud through his dream, while Panga is a story of rediscovering one's identity. That story is very close to me. When I was working in advertising, I myself saw that most women who take a break due to motherhood do not make a comeback, which is unfortunate. On the other hand, the idea of ​​Mrs Mahi was also very big for me. Mahi and I came up with a story after Panga where there is a couple who come closer because of cricket, but then I did not like the conflict in it, because even in Panga, the husband supports, so I left it for fear of repetition. Then I thought that the way people today are running to prove themselves in the eyes of others. They are running after name and success, so I added this angle to it, due to which this story also became different. This is not a comeback or underdog story. Still, I will definitely look into this thing in the future, because I do not want to be typecast as a writer. Is there a fear of being typecast in writing too? When asked this, Nikhil says, 'It happens. Like when Panga and Gunjan Saxena came, people started calling me a writer who writes on women empowerment. Then I was offered many films on women empowerment in defense.'

Jhanvi is very hardworking

Does Nikhil keep the actor's face in mind while writing the story? On this he says, 'Absolutely, this happens many times. While writing, an image starts forming in the mind that this actor will be suitable for this role. Like, when we were writing Dangal, I jokingly said that it would be fun if Aamir does this role. At that time we were not film writers, we were from advertising, so we thought how can a big actor like Aamir do our film, but he liked the story and what we thought happened. At the same time, this is my third film with Janhvi Kapoor after Gunjan Saxena and Bawaal. Janhvi is a very hardworking actress. She works hard to bring life to her character. Like, for Gunjan Saxena, she showed amazing dedication and participation and did a great job. Similarly, for Bawaal and Mahi, I had the same image in my mind that Janhvi would be a perfect fit for it.'

We made mistakes in the chaos

Despite having stars like Janhvi Kapoor and Varun Dhawan, Nitesh Tiwari's Bawal faced criticism for its subject. I don't understand why the heroine in the film tolerates the bad behaviour of the boy. On this Nikhil says, 'I agree with you. I will not defend it. At some places the story did not turn out as we had thought, but sometimes it happens. Like every profession, writing also has its risks and challenges. We also try but sometimes the right tone does not match.'