Jalebi is a story about human relationships: Pushpdeep Bhardawaj

Pushpdeep Bhardawaj is all set to make his debut as a writer and director with Jalebi, produced by Vishesh Films. But it wasn’t always meant to be this way. The first schedule of the film was shot by a different director, and Pushpdeep was only a writer then. But as fate would have it, he eventually came to sit in the director’s chair.

“Initially, I would be on the set, gradually building up a rapport with everyone around. One day, my associate director asked me to go meet Mahesh Bhatt, and Bhatt sahab told me to write the opening scene of the film and show it to him. He then told me to write the entire film. The day I narrated the whole script to him, he told me to narrate it to the rest of the team as well and said that if everyone liked it, he would allow me to take charge of the film’s direction,” the debutant narrates, adding, “We would brainstorm with Bhatt sahab every day, and he would share his experiences with us.”

He says that he was asked to adhere to certain guidelines while making the film, “No sex scenes, no bold scenes, it had to be a family film.” And when Mahesh Bhatt saw the film for the first time, he was dancing, according to the director.

Explaining the film’s title, Pushdeep says, “Our protagonist associates people’s faces with sweets. And anyone who has experienced love will be able to relate to the film. It’s a story about human relationships, and it questions why men assume the privilege of ruling over women.”

As he gears up for the film’s release, the director reminisces on the first time he decided he wanted to work in films. “At the age of 3, I watched Mera Naam Joker and I told my dad that I would make a film like that someday,” he says.