Four is company! 'Hum Chaar' debutantes open up on their friendship

For Anshuman Malhotra, Prit Kamani and Tushar Pandey, three of the four actors from Rajshri Productions’ Hum Chaar, their bonding began even before they started shooting for their debut film, thanks to Mumbai’s geography! How did that happen? “Rajshri’s office is at Prabhadevi and most of us are based in the suburbs. I stay in Juhu, and Anshuman is there almost all the time. So, when Tushar said he’s in Versova, mere dil mein laddoo phoota! Because that meant we could all share autos and taxis!” laughs Prit, recounting their rehearsals and workshop days. 

Simran Sharma, the fourth cog in the wheel who stays in Thane, could not join in, but nevertheless, she soon became friends with her co-stars.

None of the actors are strangers to the camera. While Prit is a familiar face because of the several ad films that he’s done and hosted shows such as Dil Hai Hindustani and the YouTube series ARRived, we have seen Simran in many commercials, too. Delhi lad Tushar is a National School of Drama graduate and the audience will remember him from Pink (2016) as one of the ‘bad boys’. Kanpur ka chhokra Anshuman, who shifted to Mumbai a few years ago with his family, was seen as the younger Shahid Kapoor in Vishal Bhardwaj’s Haider (2014).

For all four, however, this is the first time they will be seen in lead roles. Tushar admits that he was apprehensive about making his debut as a protagonist in a Rajshri film, because of the perception he had of their movies. “I know they are family-oriented and engaging, but I wasn’t sure, until I read the script. That’s when I realised that this is Rajshri 2.0. The concept of family values are there, but at the same time it’s millennial,” he adds. 

Hum Chaar, directed by Abhishek Dixit, with its tagline, ‘Friends bhi family hai’, stands true for many people, believes Tushar. “People like us, who are not from this city, tend to spend a lot of time with our friends. You fight with them, but they are the ones you turn to at the end of the day.” he adds.

For the friendship to come across seamlessly onscreen, the actors had to undergo workshops with the director. “By the end of it, hum log itne manjh gaye thhey apne characters mein, that we could play around a lot with them once we started shooting,” recalls Anshuman. Ask the actors if they are nervous about their first lead venture, and Anshuman answers on behalf of the quartet, “Only excited!”

Rajshri Productions’ Hum Chaar: Friends Bhi Family Hai releases in cinemas today.