Why do you think satire works?
It works because the audience either identifies with the common man, or recalls a time when he too was in a similar situation. People enjoy themselves when they relate to the story.
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Pankaj Kapur who plays Mussaddilal is all set to release his own directorial debut, Mausam. Was there a clash of priorities?
I have completed my film, and don't require Pankaj now on a day-to-day basis.

Is it true that he is not promoting your film?
There are twenty thousand things for a director to do once a film is complete. Pankaj and I talk everyday and discuss his inability to promote our film because of (his preoccupation with) Mausam. He cannot do much. It is a huge loss to me. That's life.

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Why have you chosen to keep the cast the same as in the serial?
The four characters from the serial -- Asawari Joshi, Sanjay Mishra, Deven Bhojani and Hemant Pandey -- were as loved by the viewers as Pankaj was. They are brilliant actors. It will be stupid on my part not to retain them in the film. For instance, Pankaj's character could have been played by Amitabh Bachchan, but I don't think it would have worked for the viewer.

Your father FC Mehra was a noted Bollywood producer. There have been recent reports of a property dispute among your brothers.
That's personal. I hope everything is sorted out in time. My father was a partner in a company called Eagle Theatres. He held 19 per cent of the stake while 81 per cent belonged to his partners. The majority decided to sell a certain property as a business proposition. I am nobody to sell it. In fact, none of my brothers have the authority to sell it because it is not ours; it belongs to that company. My brothers and I have no differences.

So, in a way your father's film production company is making a comeback with this film.
In 2001, we turned to TV because the the business model for Bollywood was changing. We are back with a bang.