‘Akshay sir taught me the art of choosing films’, says Prernaa Arora

In the last two years, Prernaa Arora and Arjun N Kapoor of KriArj Entertainment have delivered two big successes with Akshay Kumar — Rustom and Toilet: Ek Prem Katha. Now, the duo is gearing up for their third venture, Pad Man, with the Bollywood superstar that releases next Friday. Prernaa tells After Hrs why she is drawn towards social dramas and her film’s impending clash with Padmaavat.

Pad Man is your third venture with Akshay Kumar. Are you excited?

I feel exceptionally fortunate to have worked with Akshay sir. He is someone who I respect for the kind of cinema that he is doing right now. No actor can do what he’s done in Pad Man. Nobody would have taken this up as it’s such a huge challenge. 

For me, this film is one step ahead of Toilet: Ek Prem Katha (TEPK), which I thought was the biggest movie of my life because of the respect I had earned due to it. Rustom was special too, but I learnt a lot after TEPK. You feel a sense of achievement by making something that talks about bringing a change in society. Akshay sir has taught me the art of choosing the right films.

Are you drawn towards social dramas?

Honestly, at this point, it might look like I am saying it just for the heck of it, but something genuinely changed within me after TEPK. I’ve now become conscious of the happenings around me and I enjoy backing movies that are more relevant. 

To what extent are you creatively involved with a project?

I’m not as involved as Arjun because I trust the creative side of people dealing with films. For example, when I’m making a movie with a director like R Balki, I don’t feel the need to intervene. Having said that, as a new producer I’m here to learn. 

What’s the point of interfering in a filmmaker’s creative process if you aren’t creative yourself? It then becomes a point to show off which isn’t my forte. I understand cinema well and that’s how I take my calls. I pick the right projects and that’s the proof of my confidence.

How much do numbers matter, whether it’s the box office or the budget?

Box office matters a lot. Budget becomes a little challenging sometimes, with respect to BO returns. But then your gut says that’s fine, let’s put in more money and make it look better. That saves so much time and energy rather than producing films which land nowhere. But yes, I want all my films to be loved by the audience and the box office is a barometer of that. Both my films have crossed Rs 100 crore and obviously, the audience loved them. I hope that continues.

At a time when studios are shutting down, are you planning to set up KriArj as another studio model like Dharma Productions?

I want KriArj to be one of the finest production houses. If you say that studios are shutting down, I don’t think that’s happening right now. Everyone has their ups and downs and you can’t write off people. The passion and integrity is still there so even if someone is going through a low phase, they will come back. There will be revisions and companies might lose money but that’s how life is. There will be phases and nothing is permanent or absolutely perfect here. Of course, there are times when producers back the wrong kind of cinema but then again, what do they do? Today, everyone takes more precautions and the revenue shares have opened up. There are satellite, digital and music rights which aid the producers immensely. You need to do the right calculations, that’s it. 

But have you ever thought of making a complete masala film?

Of course, I’m game for something like that. Unfortunately, no one has come to me with a film in that space. But I would love to work with people like Rohit Shetty who’s the best at making this kind of cinema which is not mindless but extremely commercial. I don’t see it happening anytime soon. Until Akshay sir wants to do a comedy with me. 

What about the clash with Padmaavat?

I’m very confident about my film and don’t look at this as a clash. It’s an unavoidable situation and I’m compassionate towards the team of Padmaavat and the situation. I would rather welcome their movie happily. I have immense respect for Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapur, Ranveer Singh and Sanjay Leela Bhansali sir and Viacom 18. It’s more about two good films coming together. 

But do you think it will affect the numbers?

Two movies do eat into each other’s business and the trade discussions are right. But then again, January 25 is a big date with a holiday weekend. The audience too has the luxury of going to theatres and watching both the films. If a movie is good, it will always work.