Filmmaker Aanand L Rai says he has taken upon himself to continue narrating stories that speak about the magic of love, something he believes has been missing from the everyday life of people nowadays.
The 50-year-old director, best known for weaving romantic dramas such as the Tanu Weds Manu movies, Raanjhanaa and Zero, also lamented that there are only a few filmmakers who continue to tell stories in the romance genre. “It is often said that when something is not around us, we stop talking about it. In today’s time, we as makers are not indulging ourselves in telling love stories. We have lost love. Love is not the most important thing in today’s time. I personally don’t like this feeling,” Rai said.
As a filmmaker, Rai said he is always inclined to promote stories that are “full of love”.
“I will always push stories which are full of love. I am the most fortunate person who has always got his share of love. I have never been deprived of love with my people around me — family and friends. And I feel very happy about it. I think your life only gets completed if you get your share of love. Maybe one reason is that there is so much love around me that I want to show that on-screen,” he added.
Rai is currently awaiting the release of his upcoming directorial Atrangi Re, a tale of a twisted and complex love triangle among three characters — Rinku (Sara Ali Khan), Vishnu (Dhanush) and Sajjad (Akshay Kumar).
“It is the purest and most complicated love thing I have ever held. I wanted to come back with something extraordinary in a very simple way. I have enjoyed every moment of making the movie,” the filmmaker, whose last release was 2018’s Zero, said.
The movie, Rai said, is a test for him in understanding what “we are going through at this point of time”.