‘Khaali Peeli’ director Maqbool Khan heaps praises for Ananya Panday and Ishaan Khatter

Maqbool Khan’s directorial ‘Khaali Peeli’ is like a tribute to Mumbai’s taxis. In a recent telephonic interview, when we asked Maqbool how the film happened, he said the writers of the film-Yash Kesarwani, Sima Agarwal and he were discussing making a film and the idea cropped up.

Khan said, “We have been friends for a long time and we were discussing how and what kind of story we want to make. We all have been very fascinated with Mumbai. The first thing that comes in mind is the cab that is ‘kaali peeli’. We decided that should be the character and the guy who drives the cab and who owns the cab, it should be about him. Then came the girl’s character who also has a similar backdrop running from a chawl and lands in his cab. It is a sweet rom-com. To cater to the younger generation, the screenplay has been written in a very newly fashion. Packaging and all are very very fresh and appealing.”

On what research he did before going on board, Maqbool said, “We have been living in Mumbai for the past 30 years. Whatever we have seen in Mumbai, the night of the city has been incorporated in the script.”

Ananya and Ishaan’s characters have Mumbaiya tone and mannerism. When asked what advice he gave to Ananya Panday and Ishaan Khatter, Maqbool gave a very modest reply. “Advice depends on the actors we have. I can tell them what to do but at the end of the day when I say action and cut, in between that action and cut, the moment they are living, it’s only their moment. It’s purely them who have given their heart and soul to the film. They did workshops with me for almost a month and probably that hard work and dedication is evident and it’s showing in their work. Both have worked really hard to get this right. I hope people also watch and appreciate them,” he said.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CFriZ7OJH87/

Produced by Ali Abbas Zafar and Himanshu Mehra, ‘Khaali Peeli’ will be unveiled on October 2 on Zee5.

Also Read: ‘Khaali Peeli’ Trailer: Ishaan Khatter and Ananya Panday’s mad ride is full of life-threatening risks