Kumar Bahukhandi
Salman Khan and Sooraj Barjatya reunion is definitely going to happen –photo credit – Salman Kahna /Instagram
Sooraj Barjatya spoke about his decision to enter the OTT world with Bada Naam Karenge, and how he navigated the OTT space.
Mumbai : Filmmaker Sooraj Barjatya, renowned for creating the iconic ‘Prem’ persona for Salman Khan , is gearing up for a much-anticipated reunion with the superstar. The director has revealed that he is working on a new script, promising a different narrative from their previous collaborations with a more mature and nuanced love story. This exciting news has sent movie buffs into a frenzy, eagerly awaiting the return of this iconic director-actor duo.
The filmmaker sat for an interview with a media portal where he spoke about his decision to enter the OTT world with Bada Naam Karenge and how he navigated the OTT space. During the interaction with Hindustan Times, Sooraj Barjatya also revealed about creating a new ‘Prem’ but with same fun, masti and family values.
Answering about his upcoming project with Salman, the filmmaker revealed, “It is on the cards. But it is going to take a little more time because we have to accept that age is now there. I have to create a new Prem. It has to suit his age. You cannot expect him to do the same thing that we have been doing till now.”
“So, to suit that age is taking me a little more time so that I can create a fresh Prem for him that goes with the same fun, masti and family values. But it will be on a different maturity level. That is an experiment that is taking a little more time,” he added.
He also opened up about his decision to foray into the OTT space. Sooraj shared, “The credit entirely goes to Sony LIV. Every time we thought of entering the space, we were told that OTT space belongs to crime and thrillers. People were telling us that our strength is family values, and the platform is not ready for family stuff. However, the executives at Sony called us, asking us to bring the Hum Saath-Saath Hain audience to space. I was so honoured and grateful about it. And they allowed us all the freedom.”
Revealing about the storyline, the filmmaker mentioned that the story revolves around a boy and a girl coming from a small town and trying to find their own identity. “It’s a pure love story,” he shared.
In the same conversation, Sooraj spoke about his experience of navigating the OTT space. He shared that the digital space is largely dominated by content high on explicit elements such as crime, gore, profanity and mature scenes. However, he is determined to stay true to his ethos while navigating the space.
He stated, “After the pandemic, I saw a big shift where people are wanting to see family content. So many people reached out to me mentioning that they are comfortable watching some content on OTT with bad language coming up… They used to ask me for suggestions.”
“I felt the time is just right to bring in something that is not there. All my life, I have been working on things that are out of the box. When I tried to do it as per the trend, I failed. … We have made this sincerely… I am very proud of what has come up,” he concluded.
