15 Years Of Heyy Babyy EXCLUSIVE: “Akshay Kumar, Fardeen Khan, Riteish Deshmukh used to pull pranks on me. Once, in Australia, Akshay sir tried to set my pants on FIRE” – Milap Zaveri : Bollywood News

15 years ago, viewers thronged the cinemas to watch Heyy Babyy in large numbers, hoping that they’ll have a good time laughing at the antics of Akshay Kumar, Fardeen Khan and Riteish Deshmukh, and aww-ing at the cuteness of the baby. The viewers got not just laughs and some cute moments of the baby but also some emotional and touching moments. This made Sajid Khan’s debut directorial an ideal family entertainer.

15 Years Of Heyy Babyy EXCLUSIVE: “Akshay Kumar, Fardeen Khan, Riteish Deshmukh used to pull pranks on me. Once, in Australia, Akshay sir tried to set my pants on FIRE” – Milap Zaveri

As the film completed 15 years on August 24, Bollywood Hungama exclusively spoke to Milap Zaveri, who wrote the dialogues and co-wrote the screenplay. The writer-director was more than happy to share his experiences and memories attached to the film.

How did you become a part of Heyy Babyy? As per IMDb, you had worked with Sajid Khan on his TV show ‘Ikke Pe Ikka’. Is that how you both formed a bond and took it forward with this film?
No, I had never worked with him before. Over the years, I had bumped into Sajid various times at parties, events, etc. I was already a writer and had written some films. He had loved my work in Kaante and had found my work in Jhankaar Beats and Masti very entertaining. This was a time when a couple of films of mine failed as a writer. One fine day, he called me and said, ‘Are you down and out? If you are, then I’ll get you back (on top). Come and meet me’! That’s Sajid’s style. So, I went and met him. He narrated Heyy Babyy’s idea to me and asked me if I would come on board as the dialogue writer. It was a lovely idea and I was more than happy to bag the film and work with him, Akshay sir, Riteish, Fardeen, Sajid bhai (Sajid Nadiadwala), Vidya etc. It was a no-brainer.

Initially, I came on board as the dialogue writer but I contributed so much to the screenplay that eventually, I became the head screenplay writer of the film. Apart from me and Sajid, there was one more very good screenplay writer for the film, Renuka Kunzru.

How was the experience of working on Heyy Babyy?
Working on the film was a complete blast. It was the first time I went on a shoot happening outdoors, in Australia. I was there for the whole shoot. I was on the set every single day. Before Heyy Babyy, I had been on sets of my films but was never there on the sets daily. I picked up filmmaking skills while I was on the sets. So in a way, I was like Sajid’s DA (Director’s Assistant) as well. At a few places, he also allowed me to suggest some shots.

I had known Ritiesh before as I had worked with him in Masti. But I became best friends with him during the Australia schedule of Heyy Babyy. Once, we were at a café and he told me, ‘I’ll do your first film as a director’! He kept his word and worked in my directorial debut, Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai (2010).

In the making video, Riteish speaks highly of you and says, “Milap set pe hamare entertainment package the”! Could you tell us why he said so?
(Smiles) That’s because we used to have fun, make merry and crack jokes. Akshay, Fardeen, Riteish all used to pull pranks on me. Once, in Australia, Akshay sir tried to set my pants on fire! It was madness.

The other time, we got the keys to Vidya’s room. Me, Riteish, Sajid and Akshay sir went and hid in her room while she was away. Poor Vidya had no clue and as soon as she entered, we all jumped out of our hiding places. She had the fright of her life (laughs)!

What was the original cast? As per IMDb, Shah Rukh Khan was offered the lead part…
No, Shah Rukh sir was always offered a special appearance. Sajid had met him and he had graciously agreed. Anupam ji also came on board. However, when I joined the film, the cast was always Akshay sir, Fardeen, Riteish, Vidya and Boman sir.

A trivia on IMDb states that Sajid Khan had written four different second halves and four different endings. Is that true?
Not at all. We had a bound script. And anyway, aur kya ending ho sakta hai? The baby has to go back to the father along with her mother! But there was this debate we had about the shoot at the airport in the climax. We were in two minds about whether Isha (Vidya Balan’s character) would have a change of mind at the airport itself or does it happen later. Later, we decided to show that Isha doesn’t break down there. Instead, she takes off with the baby on the plane. It would make the audience feel that ‘bacchi chali gayi’. And just like how they found the baby at the doorstep in the beginning, similarly, they reunite with her in the same fashion!

In the Shah Rukh Khan scene, there was a nice Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ) connection as Raj (SRK’s character) was shown to be in love with a girl named Simran. What was Shah Rukh’s reaction on learning about it?

He was a sport. Our thought was that if we are casting Shah Rukh Khan, we should present him as the superstar that he is. Hence, Sajid thought of paying a small tribute to DDLJ. It was great fun. Anupam ji was also hilarious and he was sporting enough to come and do the cameo.

Who came up with the ‘Sim-ran’ line?
That was my joke. But the whole idea to get Shah Rukh was Sajid’s idea. I still remember in that scene, Fardeen was not there as we didn’t have his dates. We didn’t know what to do. So we added a dialogue where Arush (Akshay Kumar) tells Tanmay (Riteish Deshmukh), ‘Angel ghar pe hai na? Toh Al (Fardeen Khan) bhi uske saath hi hoga na?’! The idea was that instead of the audience wondering where Fardeen disappeared, it’s better that the characters only discuss and reveal it!

How was it to shoot with the baby?
It was excruciating. You have to be very kind and patient. You have to work around the child. I still remember the scene in the hospital where the baby is asleep and they come and touch the baby’s feet. We just had that one day to shoot that scene as the next day, Akshay sir was leaving for two months to shoot for Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007). If we had not pulled it off that day, we would have to wait for two months. By then, the baby would have aged and looked different. Hence, it was crucial to get it done that day. And we pulled it off and how. It was a miracle. You won’t believe it, on that set at Film City, every crew member worked the entire day without talking. No one was wearing shoes as it could cause noise. We all were roaming around in socks. The DOP, actors everyone were communicating through whispers. Imagine our luck that for those four hours of the shoot, that adorable baby slept beautifully. She neither woke up nor cried. And we were able to get our shot!

At a promotional event for Heyy Babyy, Akshay Kumar raised laughs as he said, “Bacche ko hasana hota tha toh Riteish ko aage bhej dete the, rulana hota tha toh Fardeen ko aur expression kharab karna ho toh mujhe”!
If you see the film now, you’ll realize that 90% of the time, the baby is with Ritiesh. She loved him. Whenever she would be with Riteish, she would be quiet or giggling. Akshay sir and Fardeen would also be happy as with Riteish, she’d be quiet and co-operate.

The title song of the film featured as many as 14 heroines… Before Om Shanti Om’s ‘Deewangi Deewangi’ song, this was the biggest song of that time…
It was Sajid’s idea. It was the goodwill of Sajid Khan, Sajid Nadiadwala and Farah Khan that all those actresses came together for the song.

Vidya Balan was slammed for the choice of her outfits in the film. However, when I recently saw the film, it was bewildering why this controversy even happened in the first place. Do you also feel that it was unwarranted?
When people want to nit-pick, they’ll do it. I thought Vidya was extraordinary in the film. She added poise and dignity to the character. She was a blast to work with. Even today, we remember the fun we had on the shoot.

Did you visit cinema halls to check the feedback?
Yes. Sajid and I had gone to Gaiety-Galaxy. We saw the audience laughing and clapping. In the second half, there were emotional scenes. The mass audience is not easily quiet. However, in Heyy Babyy’s serious scenes, they were watching it silently. They were spellbound and could connect with the movie.

Did you guys ever think of coming up with Heyy Babyy 2?
(Laughs) No. We never thought of it. It’s upto Sajid Khan and Sajid Nadiadwala. Just last week, I revisited the film and showed it to my son Mehaan. My son can’t see many of my films as they are A-rated or have too much violence! Heyy Babyy is one of my rare films which he can watch. I made a video of him watching Heyy Babyy and sent it to Sajid, saying my son is watching our film. He was quite happy!

Also Read: 15 Years of Heyy Babyy EXCLUSIVE: Milap Zaveri opens up on how Akshay Kumar’s poop scene was shot; says, “Akshay Kumar improvised on the set. He added the lines ‘Matar Panner’ indicating that’s what the baby had”

More Pages: Heyy Babyy Box Office Collection , Heyy Babyy Movie Review

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