Andaz Apna Apna (1994), a film that has zero haters and crores of fans, is all set to re-release on April 25 in cinemas. Hence, the office of Vinay Pictures was bustling with excitement and release-related work when Bollywood Hungama dropped in to speak to Priti Sinha, Amod Sinha and Namrata Sinha. They are the children of the comic caper’s deceased producer, Vinay Sinha; they exclusively spoke about the re-release and a lot more.
EXCLUSIVE: Family of Andaz Apna Apna’s producer talk about re-release, bust the ‘flop’ myth: “It had a silver jubilee in a Mumbai theatre; distributors confirmed that they made money”; open up on film’s SURPRISE tax-free status: “Agar ek film aapko hasati hai aur aapke gham bhulati hai…”
When were Andaz Apna Apna’s lead actors, Salman Khan and Aamir Khan, informed about the re-release plans? Priti Sinha replied, “We informed them when we finalized our distributors, Cinepolis, in January-end or February 2025. We thought it was right to inform them when things were in place. Some weeks ago, we met them as well. Both are very excited about the re-release.”
Amod Sinha added, “It’s an evergreen film and has received a lot of love from the very beginning. There’s also a perception that yeh film chali nahin hai! We later realized that this was not true. Our father knew about it as a lot of distributors over the years had told him that they made money. It had a silver jubilee in one of the theatres in Mumbai.”
Namrata Sinha continued, “Our father thought that it’d be made in a certain budget. But it was made in 4x the amount due to delays. The shoot was supposed to be wrapped up in a year’s time and was stretched over a period of four years. Hence, his profit share was depleted to some extent. Nevertheless, the film got a lot of love and my father was proud of it. He made 10-11 films in his career but he’s only remembered for Andaz Apna Apna! Initially, he may not have made money though the film was an average hit. Over the years, he managed to do well thanks to DVD, satellite and digital rights and by renewing it every 5 years.”
What many are not aware of is that Andaz Apna Apna was a Diwali release in 1994. It even clashed with Ajay Devgn-Akshay Kumar starrer Suhaag. This means that two two-hero films were released on the same day that year on the Festival of Lights.
Priti Sinha explained, “Andaz Apna Apna’s release was planned a year before, in 1993. But then, delays happened. In 1993, the promotion also happened. But then it stopped as the film was postponed. And then, finally, it was released on November 4, 1994.”
Amod Sinha, who also was an assistant on the film, said that making the film was a challenge, “We suffered date combination issues. If you see the film, there are barely any scenes in which there’s just 1 actor performing. Every scene has either 2 actors or 4 or 8 actors.”
Tax-free for Andaz Apna Apna
One usually associates a tax-free status with a film that delivers a social message. Hence, it was a surprise to know that Andaz Apna Apna was tax-exempted in Maharashtra from week five. Amod Sinha reasoned, “I feel agar ek film aapko hasati hai aur aapke gham bhulati hai, then it should be given tax-free status. The government should do so to ensure that the country has happy citizens (laughs)! The happiness quotient of the people in the country should be a big social priority.”
Remembering Vinay Sinha
The Sinhas got emotional as they also remembered Vinay Sinha, who passed away on January 24, 2020. Namrata Sinha said, “Though my father was 74, he was young at heart. Until his last day, he attended office. We have added in the opening disclaimer about his vision and legacy. Because of his goodwill, our lives have become easier. He used to help everybody. We try to emulate him but it’s not always possible as he had an incredible amount of patience. I don’t see that quality anymore in anyone.”
Priti Sinha revealed, “He would also treat the CEO the same way as he would treat a peon. Dono ko baithne ke liye kahenge aur dono ko chai offer karenge. I have not seen anyone do this ever. Maybe, I am still single as I keep on looking for such qualities (laughs).” She continued, “Actually, Salman’s father Salim uncle is also like that and so was Ajay Devgn’s father, Veeru uncle.”
Amod Sinha said, “I wish our father was here to see the re-release happening. Nevertheless, we are sure that his blessings are there.”
Future plans
Recently, there have been reports that Andaz Apna Apna 2 is on the anvil. On this, Priti Sinha said, “Andaz Apna Apna was released 30 years ago. In the last 15 years, there have been reports of remakes and sequels. My father was definitely keen on making a sequel. We were in talks with Raj ji (Rajkumar Santoshi) for it for the longest time. But it didn’t materialize as the script never got ready.”
When asked about the future plans, Namrata Sinha said, “We have the rights to one of the books of S Hussain Zaidi. We plan to make a feature film out of it. We are working on the Ramsay biopic. We also plan to make a film on Baloo Palwankar, the Dalit cricketer. It is a very spirited and aspirational story. He never really bothered that caste could get him down. Whenever he faced discrimination, he would ignore it, citing ‘My cricket would do the talking’! I loved his attitude.”
Recently, Pa Ranjith revealed that he’ll be directing the film but the Sinhas declined to comment on this aspect. Amod Sinha, however, added, “We have one more film with Tigmanshu Dhulia. We have also bought the rights to another book by Vikas Swarup.”
Vikas Swarup’s Six Suspects was adapted into the much-loved web show, The Great Indian Murder, by the Sinhas. Will there be a Season 2? Priti Sinha said that there was a possibility, “The story hasn’t ended yet. We’ll either do a second season or we’ll make a film. Kahaani toh complete karni padegi. Hotstar and Jio Cinema were merged. Hence, things (got delayed on this front).” She continued, “Vikas Swarup ji was thrilled with the show. He keeps telling us, ‘Story complete toh karo’!”
Amod Sinha signed off by talking about the challenges faced while making the web series, “We shot the show in 12 cities in India in the middle of the Covid pandemic, including in Andaman. There, we suffered a tropical storm. 120 people had to return. Nevertheless, it was a great experience and it taught us a lot.”
More Pages: Andaz Apna Apna Box Office Collection
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