"You feel very challenged..": Tarun Mansukhani on shooting multiple climaxes for 'Housefull 5'

By Ila Sankrityayan

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 6 : The popular franchise 'Housefull' has wowed the audience with its comic timing and over-the-top plots. Now, filmmaker Tarun Mansukhani has increased the audience's excitement for 'Housefull 5' with multiple endings.

Two different climaxes were filmed for the movie. Indeed, it was challenging, but the director found it most thrilling to make the film with two endings.

In a conversation with ANI, he said, "Definitely challenging. Sajid (Sajid Nadiadwala) sir had this idea about 30 years ago. And finally, he brought it to 'Housefull 5'. And that was one of the most exciting things for me as a director to make a film with two different climaxes."

He added how interesting the idea was for him as a filmmaker, "At that point in time, it sounds very exciting and you feel very challenged and want to make it as a filmmaker. But when you come down to doing it actually on set, then you realise the real challenges."

On the challenges faced by him while shooting for the film, he shared, "A lot of times I was making mistakes over there on set. But because there are two climaxes, you're trying to shoot them both simultaneously. But I had a great team, a great associate director and a great DOP who both would kind of make sure that I stayed in the correct zone. So it had been challenging, definitely pulling this off. But I think we've managed it successfully."

The film features an ensemble cast that includes Akshay Kumar, Abhishek Bachchan, Riteish Deshmukh, Jacqueline Fernandez, Sonam Bajwa, Nargis Fakhri, Sanjay Dutt, Jackie Shroff, Nana Patekar, Chitrangada Singh, Fardeen Khan, Chunky Pandey, Johny Lever, Shreyas Talpade, Dino Morea, Ranjeet, Soundarya Sharma, Nikitin Dheer, and Akashdeep Sabir.

Working with multiple actors comes with several challenges for a filmmaker; however, Tarun, who has worked as an assistant director on multistarrer projects, didn't find it tricky or difficult to shoot with an ensemble cast.

"I've been an assistant director and associate director on several films, which had a very huge cast. So getting a big cast together wasn't the scary part for me. For me, the bigger, the more challenging aspect was the fact that when I have 19 actors in a single scene in my one camera, how do you justify and make sure that all the characters stay the same? They are not deviating from the story. Their character arcs are being represented correctly, are being completed correctly. The screenplay is coming through, and you're not just seeing 19 big actors standing there...You're seeing 19 characters standing there. So that was the challenging part for me, at least as a director on set. I never had any trouble from any of my stars," he added.

Reportedly, the film's teaser was removed from YouTube on May 9 after certain copyright claims. As a director, dealing with all these controversies is always challenging, but Tarun has a different approach: "My job was to make the teaser. The producer's job is to figure out all these things. And Sajid sir has been a person who works tirelessly, quietly. He doesn't get involved in all the controversies or people saying things or any of the negative feedback that might come. We take it with a smile and we move on and we work harder the next day. So when it comes down to even this teaser thing, I honestly don't even know the nitty gritties of it all because I was so busy working on the next element of the film that had to come out and finishing the film itself that I really don't even know what went on, who was doing what in it. I just know that it came off and it came back on and that's all that mattered to me. I don't like referring to them as controversies. I think it's little problems that come along the way when you're making a film."

Directed by Tarun Mansukhani, 'Housefull 5' takes place on a luxurious cruise. It offers a mix of slapstick comedy, outrageous characters, and an intricate plot filled with twists.

For 'Dostana' director, shooting with the entire cast on a cruise was not easy, as he shared, " It was tricky because none of us had ever shot on a ship before. So no one knew what to expect and what not to expect. One of the big problems is the fact that the ship is rocking all the time. So your camera can suddenly move to the left and move to the right along with the actors because they are also trying to find their balance. But other than that, I don't think we had any issues because everyone was stuck on that ship, to be honest. And you had nowhere to go. Half the time you don't get network there. The internet keeps dropping. It's not like you had other things to do. And that was a good part because then everyone just wanted to come to work and have fun as a gang rather than be individuals and sit by themselves."

He also spoke about working on a sequel and making it as intriguing and successful as the previous ones, saying, "My job is to make a film that is entertaining, keeps you hooked, and that you enjoy. You enjoy the songs, and you have good memories when you watch the film. Beyond that, I think that it is a producer's job to figure out budgets, returns, viability, and all of these aspects. And I'm not a producer. I don't know that job. So I think it's a little premature for me to turn around and say what is possible and what is not, because that's not my job. My job is to make sure I make you a good film that the audience can enjoy. If the audience enjoys it, the producer will enjoy it. So I have to cater to my audience and not to anyone else."

The 'Housefull' franchise, which premiered in 2010, is known for its ensemble casts, absurd humour, and slapstick moments. The first 'Housefull' movie, directed by Sajid Khan, introduced audiences to a world of chaotic comedy, featuring Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, Lara Dutta, and Deepika Padukone.

Produced by Sajid Nadiadwala under his banner Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment, 'Housefull 5' was released on June 6.

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