Will there be a Fukrey 4? Actors Richa Chadha, Varun Sharma and Pulkit Sharma respond

Richa Chadha in Fukrey 3. (Screen grab/YouTube/Excel Movies)

Pulkit Samrat and Varun Sharma, also known as Hunny and Choocha, or two members of the fukra gang, joined Richa Chadha who plays gangster Bholi Punjaban for an interview about Fukrey 3. The Hindi language comedy film directed by Mrighdeep Singh Lamba, which also stars Manjot Singh as Lali and Pankaj Tripathi as Panditji, released in cinemas on September 28, six years after the previous film, Fukrey Returns. Excerpts from an interview with Chadha, Samrat and Sharma:

How important was it that you reunited for a third time?

Varun: It was very important. We were very excited. We are friends in reality as well and we meet often, so it was special to get back together on a set where there’s such a comfort level and for a franchise which is so close to all our hearts. We kind of started our careers with this brand. It was my first film, Pulkit’s second and Richa’s third. We've seen each other's journeys and been with each other through our ups and downs. To come back for the third installment of something that we all love was a beautiful feeling. Having said that, Fukrey 3 was a very challenging film to shoot because of the weather conditions, the way they planned stuff, like the entire crowd montages, and all that. It was very hectic but we kind of sailed through it. It was a lot of fun.

There was a long gap between two and three. What was the reason for that?

Richa: We actually started working on the third part at the beginning of 2020. In 2019 we heard the narration. Then Covid happened, and we waited, and then the second wave happened. We lost two-and-a-half years to the pandemic. But that didn't deter anybody. We kept going at it, and the film only got bigger and better. Our director got a chance to fine-tune his narrative. He's very finicky anyway. So, I'm really happy we are finally here.

When you have a franchise that's successful, the creators would feel like scaling things up. Also, the producers and distributors believe in you more. Is this true for Fukrey 3?

Pulkit: The scale is definitely bigger. The kind of locations that we shot in. The majority of the film has always been shot in Delhi. There's a short portion in South Africa, portions in MP, Gujarat, a little bit in Mumbai. This was possible because there is a certain faith in the franchise, in the director and in the team entirely. You get a little leeway with bigger budgets, and we got better rooms to sleep in this time around.

Doing comedy is said to be the toughest thing. What is the biggest challenge and biggest appeal of comedy?

Pulkit: One can only be comically challenged if the person in front of you is able to play that smooth tennis match with you, where you throw a serve and the person returns amazingly well. It's a two-way street. You can’t do it alone. As co-stars we are all punching each other quite well and really enjoying it on the set. That enjoyment is one of the key ingredients to making a good film.

Richa: And we are very secure around each other, which is essential for comedy. I've done a few comedies. Thankfully one hasn't been released. There was a lot of upstaging in that and you realize the joke just dies. Then you try to stomp on the dead joke as if forcing it to get up. But in this case, we are adding to it. We understand each other's characters. A decade after the first film, we own the characters far more. It's my most fun set and my most fun crew to work with.

Varun: It’s also the conviction of the director Mrighdeep Singh Lamba and the producers. Think about it: on paper there is this guy who has premonitions. There's another guy who makes a number out of it. They win the lottery. Their aspiration is very small and they go to a don, it all gets entangled and then, you know, it's a happy ending. It’s pretty crazy. But to have the conviction and make it come together is what Mrighdeep did and Excel backed. They’ve upped the game now. Comedy is a team effort. It's like an open field where everyone's trying to do things for the match, for that game. They're not playing individually; they're playing the game and doing so as a team. It’s beautiful.

Richa, this conflict between Bholi and the fukras is ongoing. Where does it go now?

Now we compete electorally. First, I hire these people to campaign for me. Then this guy realizes that they also have a candidate who wins public sympathy, even though he's kind of not a very smart bulb. Plus, there's a larger threat that looms over all our heads. It’s like a food chain in any kind of environment. You have to buy into the world. You have to buy into the weird science logic that we provide. That's the only way the film will make sense. But irrespective, it's just goofy. It's silly. It's a lot of laughs. There are a few instances of the fourth wall being broken too. It's just fun.

What does it mean to be a part of a franchise, work with the same team and work in this genre for you all, as actors?

Pulkit: When you do a comedy, especially something like Fukrey, which is not your run of the mill comedy or a gag reel but a slice-of-life comedy, you really need to work hard on it. It's very challenging and very satisfying, creatively, to play these characters and to do that dance with each other. It's very meditative too because you are laughing and having fun on the set. You're not in that headspace that I have to do an emotional scene now so I should not be disturbed so I can get into that zone. On the contrary, come and create all the ruckus you want to. Having said that, there's a lot of structuring and a lot of hard work that goes into creating chaos. While filming Fukrey 3, I was going through a very tough time and was emotionally very disturbed at that time. The fact that I would be going back to the set and meeting all of them is the thing that kept me going.

Varun: There is no feeling of contentment bigger than seeing someone's smile or seeing someone laugh because of the anecdotes or the stupid things that you are doing. Sometimes we just don’t know how cinema touches people's lives. So, I think comedy films are taken very lightly, but they are as serious as anything else.

Richa: I've done my share of serious films. I really feel like I'm also in a better state of mind when I work on a comedy. In fact, now that Ali (Fazal) and I are producing films, I want to do funny things and I really want to work on comedies only. It's like Oscar Wilde said, ‘If you want to tell the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they’ll kill you.’ That's how I feel about comedy.

Is there a message being delivered through the madness here?

Pulkit: Yes, for a change.

Richa: My dad said something very nice after seeing the film. He said, there seems to be a shift in the director's mind because the fukras were self-serving before but now, when they have the opportunity, they're choosing to give back. It's not a very underlined message, but it's there.

There's a promise of a return of the fukras and Bholi with a fourth part.

All together: Yay.

Richa: We are super excited.

Pulkit: We haven't read it in the contract yet though.

Varun: All we can say is, there are going to be three more chairs at the promotions of the next part.

Richa: One is Lali (Manjot Singh), the other is Panditji (Pankaj Tripathi) and the third is returning.