As  The Musical Blockbuster Aashiqui 2 Turns 11, Mahesh Bhatt On Why Aditya Roy  Kapoor’s  Never Had  Another Hit

Aditya Roy Kapoor as a rock star who is rapidly slipping from the charts gives all of himself to the character. And then some more. In Aditya’s persona Rahul becomes a metaphor for all the success in showbiz that goes awry. In pursuit of pleasure derived from the bottle his character becomes a cross between Shah Rukh Khan’s Devdas, Ranbir Kapoor’s Rockstar and Kris Kristofferson’s John Norman Howard  in  A Star Is Born.

Like all the heroes of Mahesh Bhatt’s cinema Aditya has to portray a man who frequently creates a scene and embarrasses the person he loves the most. This young actor is not afraid to look compromised on screen. A fearless actor, Aditya falters in the higher notes.

Speaking of Aditya Roy Kapoor  limited  success in his career so far, in spite of such a phenomenal  hit, Mahesh  Bhatt  observes, “You know, despite all the glitz and glam, folks started wondering about Aditya’s next move. But a successful movie career? It’s more than just talent; it’s about timing, luck, and those killer scripts. And to answer your question as to why we took Aditya when we knew that he was playing a second lead opposite Ranbir in Karan Johar’s movie(Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani)  , the answer is simple: we knew what we were making, and he was just right for our tale. Let’s get this straight. The audience is very fair. It judges the performance of an actor and sees it divested of the memories of another work. And look at how it worked wonders for our film!”

    Aashiqui 2 is a film with its heart in the right place. There are many moments of pure cliché between the lovers. And these moments, so deeply entrenched in the conventions of our cinema, blossom into fresh statements on modern love .It’s a joy to see writer Shagufta Rafiqui and director Mohit Suri ferret out those feel-good places in the script where the protagonists plonk their emotions with  a confidence and conviction that reaches out to the audience.

inspired by Frank Pierson’s 1976 drama A Star Is Born.And I deliberately mention the funky psychedelic  1976 version and not the older 1954 version of the same story. In spirit and in the way the two principal actors perform their parts of two soul-mates and singers torn asunder by their allegiance to the same competitive spirit of showmanship, Aashiqui 2 is robustly reminiscent of the Kris Kristofferson-Barbra Streisand film where he discovers a co-singer who steals his heart and also his career. Hrishikesh Mukherjee made his lyrical  melodious Abhimaan on the same theme. It was easy for Hrishida to portray Jaya Bhaduri as a better artiste than Amitabh Bachchan quite simply because she sang in Lata Mangeshkar’s voices.In Aashiqui 2 the two protagonists are pretty much left to their own devices to create that unbearable frisson between two people whose love is trapped in the whirligig of showbiz. For their love to be liberated from the rituals of competitiveness one of the lovers must make a huge sacrifice  before the end.

Understandably  Mahesh  Bhatt is  very proud of  Aashiqui 2. “It’s not just a movie; it’s a legend, not just for its story and music, but for the fresh talent it brought, who still rule Bollywood.Picture this: Aashiqui 1, its timeless tunes echoing through the years. Then boom, Aashiqui-2 bursts onto the scene, introducing us to the wizard behind the camera, director Mohit Suri, and the vocal powerhouse, Arijit Singh. And who can forget ‘Tum Hi Ho’ by Mithoon? That song practically took over the world!”

Mahesh  attributes the  film’s success  to the  team. “Let’s give credit where it’s due. Jeet Ganguly, the unsung hero of the music scene, weaving magic with his tracks. And Ankit Tiwari? His soundtrack ‘Sunn Raha Hai Na Tu’ mesmerized the world, setting the film’s emotional tone from the get-go.And writer Shagufta Rafiq? Assigned the Hollywood gem ‘A Star Is Born,’ she gave it an Indian twist that hit home for all of us. Bhushan Kumar? He had a mission: to keep this film and his father’s brand T-Series shining bright, and man, did he deliver on the marketing front!Then comes the duo on-screen: Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor. Aditya, showing us what real acting looks like, and Shraddha, stealing hearts as Aarohi, the Aashiqui girl. They were just amazing!”