Chhatriwali director Tejas Deoskar and star Rakul Preet Singh react to the film being compared with Janhit Mein Jaari.
Chhatriwali, the new film on Zee5, focuses on a young woman who takes up the cause of sexual education and educates young children in a small town about it. When the trailer was released, many felt the tone of the film – if not the content – was similar to Nushrratt Bharuccha-starrer Janhit Mein Jaari. The film dealt with a woman becoming a condom salesperson in a small town. In a chat with DNA, Chhatriwali director Tejas Deoskar and lead actress Rakul Preet Singh address the comparisons and more.
When asked about the comparison, Deoskar throws his weight behind Chhatriwali. “I think it has a complete body to stand differently than any other film because it has its own identity and own personality. But, I think there is no reason to compare this film with any other film. As you know, there could be 10 love stories in a year and it could be still different from one another. Any genre of films, for that matter. In this film, the focus is wholesome. It is not derived from anything else and within the story. We are very true and sincere to our story so I am not even thinking about comparing it with anyone else.”
Rakul says comparisons happen between films that take up subjects considered taboo because there are so few of them. “Action is normal, love story is normal, the moment we make films on issues like sexual health, people will stop comparing. Whether it is Doctor G on gynecology, Chhatriwali on sexual education, or a Padman on menstruation, people won’t compare,” she argues.
Deoskar says that the film offers a fresh take on the issue. Talking about how he and his team made sure to remain sensitive while infusing humour, he says, “The crux of the story is keep writing, keep doing iterations, keep narrating it to different people. There, you find finer nuances and where you are going wrong. As a blanket understanding, you need to be sincere with the topic. You cannot take out gags. That does not work in a film. For a film, you need to have a cohesive understanding of the story. When you spend more time with the script, you get to know if you aren’t doing justice to the character. Then you try and correct it.”
Chhatrwali also stars Rajesh Tailang, Sumeet Vyas, Satish Kaushik, Rakesh Bedi, Prachee Shah, and Dolly Ahluwalia. The film released on Zee5 on January 20.
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 "Rakul Preet Singh in Chhatriwali and Nushrratt Bharuccha in Janhit Mein Jaari")
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