Sudhir Mishra's next will be a light take on Iss Raat Ki Subah Nahin 
By Subhash K. Jha, February 29, 2008 - 14:15 IST
It looks like Chitrangada's dreams of playing Chandramukhi in Sudhir Mishra's Devdas will have to wait. The intrepid and prolific director whose last work Khoya Khoya Chand failed to find sizeable audiences is all set to change gears. "Enough of these dark brooding films for now," says Sudhir. "My films always reflect my mind-set at any given time. And one doesn't have to be in an introspective probing serious mood all the time. I think all my recent films Hazaaron Khwaishen Aisi, Chameli, Khoya Khoya Chand and now the ready-for-release Tera Kya Hoga Johnny have been exercises in soul-searching. I need to loosen up, lighten the load of existence. Have fun."
Sudhir has already zeroed in on a soufflé subject. "It's in the same genre as my first film, Iss Raat Ki Subah Nahin. But much lighter and certainly not set in the night like Is Raat. For now Tera Kya Hoga Johnny will be my last dark film."
So what about Sudhir's Devdas? "Well, first of all it isn't really Devdas. Yes, the main characters are the same. But I've added new people to the plot, like Mahesh Manjrekar's role as Paro's uncle. And the drama is set in a fiercely political scenario. So, this is Devdas as seen through the lens of a political parable. My writer Jaideep Sarkar has mixed Devdas with Hamlet." Sudhir even plans to change the defeatist ending. In his Devdas the protagonist may not be a dying loser at all!
Along with Shiney Ahuja and Lara Dutta as Devdas and Paro, respectively, Sudhir's old favourite Chitangada has been indeed signed to play Chandramukhi. "When I heard she was back, I was very happy and offered her Chandramukhi when he came to meet me. She and Lara will make a striking study in contrasts, just like Suchitra Sen and Vyjanthimala in Bimal Roy's Devdas and Aishwarya Rai and Madhuri Dixit in Sanjay Bhansali's Devdas. Both my producer Pritish Nandy and I agreed it was great pair."
Sudhir in the meanwhile has turned co-producer with his latest Tera Kya Hoga Johnny. "My last release Khoya Khoya Chand suffered partly because the US release never happened on the scheduled Friday. The prints didn't reach on time. I need to get savvy about the marketing side of my films. I also need to get happy. That's why a light film next."
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