He cast a newcomer along with Ayushmann Khurrana for "Dum Laga Ke Haisha", a medium budget wonder which delighted the viewers with its simple yet message-backed content. Director Sharat Katariya says a film can be a success sans A-listers and a mega budget, provided it has a strong script.
The 36-year-old, who has scripted critically acclaimed films like "Bheja Fry", "Hum Tum Shabana" and "Titli" in the past, received an "overwhelming" response for "Dum Laga Ke Haisha", which released earlier this year.
"A film's success depends upon its merit and not on its budget and name of big actors involved in it. It's not that commercial cinema is only getting more and more popular. Small budget films are also getting better response nowadays. The audience has more choice now to watch the film they want to," Katariya told IANS over phone from Mumbai.
He says the idea for the small town-set "Dum Laga Ke Haisha", which is about the marriage of an overweight woman and an unsuccessful man, had been in his mind for a long time.
Katariya, who earlier directed "10ml LOVE", said: "Ideas are like small packets of joy. When you are living your life the way you want to, you get better ideas in mind and it just happened so with 'Dum Laga Ke Haisha'. I was planning to make this film since a long time. The idea was there in my mind, but I was looking out for a better opportunity."
And it couldn't have got a better timing, considering how Bollywood is opening up to unique subjects.
The movie also struck a chord with the audiences as Katariya took "inspiration for the film from real life".
Most Indian filmmakers try their level best to increase the glamour quotient in their film, but that was not the case with Katariya, who roped in debutante Bhumi Pednekar to play Sandhya Verma, the bulky wife of Prem, essayed by Ayushmann.
