Dayanand Shetty, known for playing the cult character of Inspector Daya in the long running crime TV show ‘CID’, is all set to release his first Hindi film as a producer, Hello Knock Knock Kaun Hai. In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, Dayanand Shetty talked about his production, casting and a lot more.
Is Hello Knock Knock Kaun Hai your first film as a producer? What made you take the plunge? I have produced a Tulu film (Yaan Superstar; 2023) before and this is our first Hindi film. Our director, Prabal Baruah sir, had a concept. When he narrated the concept to me and Aditya Srivastava sir, we realized that it was a story that deserves to be told on celluloid. The first thought that TV actors have is that we should make it into a TV show. However, the content was so well-suited that we felt that it would be ideal for a film format. Then we wondered about the finances and who would produce the film. This was around 2023, when we had just come out of Covid. We spoke to a few producers. But we feared that a producer would constantly tell us ‘Yahan paisa kaato, yahaan paisa bachao’ (smiles). We were clear that we wanted to shoot uninterruptedly. That’s when we took the onus of producing it ourselves.
Was casting yourself and Aditya Srivastava a natural decision? Yes, as the director was clear while narrating the concept that he wanted both of us in the lead cast. However, he also made it clear that our equation would be unlike the one we have in ‘CID’. He realized that even for the audience, it would be novel to see that the thick friends of ‘CID’ are sworn enemies of each other in the film. Also, we are not playing cops.
As for female characters, Sonali Kulkarni was his original choice. For the other character, we considered a few actors and finally, we zeroed in on Barkha Bisht.
Aditya Srivastava’s French beard look is quite interesting... Yes, it was intentional as all the characters have shades of grey. Until the end, the audience won’t be able to guess who is positive and who is negative. The audience would also be surprised to know about the motives.
How was the process of cutting the trailer? Was it a challenge to ensure you don’t give out important plot points while also enhancing the film’s hype? Again, the credit goes to Prabal Barua ji. He cut the promo and was clear that we have to show important plot points but also conceal the secret. There’s also a hint of eeriness. The feedback that I got from some people is that it looks like a supernatural or horror film. But it is basically a thriller mystery.
So, can we conclude that the suspense is not out yet and that we’ll be shocked with the climax? Yes, for sure (smiles).
How many days did it take the shoot the film? Prabal sir and the whole team had planned it very well. The dates were taken care of and the set was put up at the bungalow. Then the film went on floors and the shoot was wrapped up in just 17 days. We shot in the bungalow, in South Mumbai and the outskirts of the city. Everything went off smoothly and perfectly, just the way we had planned.
Since the team of ‘CID’ is a part of the cast, can we expect Shivaji Satam as ACP Pradyuman’s cameo? (Laughs) No. We did think of it, though. But then we realized that his character is so strong that we wouldn’t have been able to do justice. But apart from us, there’s also Zarina Wahab ji, Sahil Uppal and Liliput ji.
It's important for an independent film to get the right distributor. Who’ll be releasing Hello Knock Knock Kaun Hai? The film is being presented by Girish Wankhede. UFO Moviez is distributing it.
Do you have an OTT partner on board for the post-release digital premiere? As of now, we haven’t planned it. Once the film gets released, we’ll take a call.
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