‘Jayeshbhai’ gets a ‘Jordaar’ trailer launch

- ADVERTISEMENT -

The stage was set for the no-holds-barred darling of the masses, Ranveer Singh, to take over the hosting from the professional RJ. At Yash Raj Studios, the Jayeshbhai Jordaar team hosted the trailer launch of the mass and message entertainer with a ‘jordaar’ (solid) event for the protagonist, who has been termed in the publicity as the most unique action hero, a title that will be justified as soon as the film hits the screen.

The film revolves around gender discrimination and aversion to the female child, a cause clearly dear to Yash Raj Films’ head honcho as proved by the climax of Sultan as well as the Mardaani franchise.

Ranveer was accompanied on stage by producer Maneesh Sharma and the debutants Shalini Pandey as the female lead, and writer-director Divyang Thakkar behind the screen. The film has music by Vishal and Sheykhar, which we thought was a very funny spelling for the latter. If this is numerology-driven, then this will be the first case of half of a duo spelling his name differently. And we would love to know the reason for it!!

Ranveer ribbed Shalini, who plays a de-glam pregnant Mrs. Jayeshbhai, the son of the autocratic and regressive village sarpanch, essayed by Boman Irani, in her debut. As she was dressed like so many youngsters nowadays instead of in her on-screen avatar, and was urging her hero to say something (positive) about her, he quipped, “You are looking very hot!”

The film makes you laugh and cry “at the same time” and the entire team was harping on this as a kind of fixed mantra for the morning. Ranveer said that he had never played a more unique character and the script bowled him over, as did Divyang as a person.

Divyang thanked the absent film editor Namrata Rao for putting him and his story in touch with Yash Raj Films. “They say it takes two years for a script to be passed or rejected by YRF, but I got a call within two days!” he said, as Ranveer called him a junior Raju Hirani.

Maneesh Sharma raved about his then-debutant hero Ranveer and their association since the 2010 Band Baaja Baaraat (followed by the 2011 Ladies Vs. Ricky Behl) and admitted that he had neither seen his nor Shalini’s audition video. And while Shalini termed it a miracle that her first film (as she had run away from her home to make it in Mumbai!) was with YRF and Ranveer Singh, the latter came down the stage and showed the spot under which he had actually screen-tested for his debut!

Divyang spoke of making sure (as a Gujarati himself) not to indulge in caricature Gujarati stereotypes who pronounced “snacks” as “snakes” and so on, Ranveer spoke about the challenges of playing another Gujarati after Goliyon Ki RasLeela—RamLeela, while raving about how Sanjay Leela Bhansali had made him evolve as an actor.

Known to be a shape-shifter who never repeats himself (except as Simmba in the Rohit Shetty universe), Ranveer said, “Each material comes with its own challenges, but how much you challenge yourself is what is important. It’s always in my hands to absorb and create new characters. I have also got a vision for the character, and I had instinctively begun to emote even while Divyang was narrating the story in his own unique way.”

The event was followed by a traditional and lavish Gujarati lunch. And as of now, May 13, on which Jayeshbhai Jordaar hits theatres, looks like a date for scrumptious entertainment. Boman Irani, Ratna Pathank Shah, Puneet Issar, Deeksha Joshi and Jia Vaidya co-star in the film.

And yes, there is another first—Ranveer plays a father for the first time in his 12-year career.