'Happy Patel: Khatarnak Jasoos's Vir Das says no cell phone rule changed everything; Film finished 1.5 times faster

Vir Das has spoken about a strict rule he followed while shooting 'Happy Patel: Khatarnak Jasoos'. In a recent interview he said there were no mobile phones allowed on set. There was also no entourage. Everyone shared one common hair and make-up team. This came as a surprise to many people. But for Vir Das, the idea was very clear in his mind.

Vir said the film was very small and had to be finished fast. Talking to Mid Day, Vir Das said, “It is a tiny film, shot in 31 days. So, it was crucial to do this.” He felt that normal film set habits would slow things down. So he decided to do the opposite of what most people do in the industry.

Tight budget and fast shooting plan

Vir Das explained that the film had many difficult parts. There were six action scenes and 14 original songs. On top of that, there were cameos by Aamir Khan and Imran Khan. All this had to be managed on a tight budget.

He shared his thoughts clearly and simply. “We had six action sequences and 14 original pieces of music. We also had cameos from Aamir [Khan] and Imran [Khan]. We had to keep our costs down,” Das explains.

He also said he feels happy that this film created a new work culture. He believes the expert crew played a big role in finishing the movie on time. He said, “The no-cell phone policy benefited us. We sped up shooting by one and a half times.” According to him, this focus helped the team complete the film in just 31 days.

Mithila Palkar on real slaps in the film

In another interview with NDTV, Mithila Palkar spoke about her experience on the set of Happy Patel. She revealed something shocking. The slaps seen in the film were real. They were not fake or acted with camera tricks.

Talking to NDTV, Mithila said, “In the trailer alone, I think it's at least five times. But honestly, we've lost count. Even while shooting the song, we stopped counting.” She said the scenes were shot many times, and every take needed a real slap to look right.

There were no sound effects or fake angles used. Everything was done for real. Vir Das was very clear about it.

Why the slaps were kept real

Mithila explained that Vir Das wanted honesty in the scenes. She shared his exact words. “He kept saying 'You have to slap. Otherwise the effect won't be the same if you're just acting.'”

She also said this made the shoot difficult for her. Slapping someone again and again was not easy. She was honest about her feelings. “It's not my instinct to slap anyone.”

'Happy Patel: Khatarnak Jasoos' is directed by Vir Das and Kavi Shastri. Vir Das also plays an important role in the film.




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