'Pati Patni Aur Woh Do' director Mudassar Aziz says Sooraj Barjatya praised 'Khel Khel Mein,' calling it a defining career moment

Mudassar Aziz is gearing up for his next release, 'Pati Patni Aur Woh Do.' The director is known for films like 'Happy Bhag Jayegi' and 'Pati Patni Aur Woh.' His recent film 'Khel Khel Mein' did not perform well at the box office. Despite the outcome, it gave him a moment he deeply cherishes.


Sooraj Barjatya’s unexpected praise


During an interaction with Variety India, Mudassar revealed a surprising experience. Veteran filmmaker Sooraj Barjatya watched Khel Khel Mein and reached out to him. “I feel ‘Khel Khel Mein’ gave me what ‘Pati Patni Aur Woh,’ ‘Happy Bhag Jayegi’ and ‘Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi’ did not give me in so many ways. It is the only film in my career—I've not shared this with anyone—for which I got a call from Sooraj ji (Sooraj Bharjatya). He didn't tell me why he was calling me and just said, ‘Mein, Aapse Milna Chahta Hu’ (I want to meet you). He called me to his office. And I thought, Rajshree wants to offer me a film, or I don't know what. I didn't know what to make of it, but obviously, when Sooraj ji calls, you go, so I just showed up and said, ‘Jee, Sooraj ji.’ The filmmaker recalls, “Believe you me, he sat down with me for 30-45 minutes, speaking to me about ‘Khel Khel Mein.’”

What impressed Sooraj Barjatya

Mudassar further shared what stood out to Barjatya in the film. The appreciation focused on specific creative aspects. “Things that he loved, lines, dialogues that he liked, moments that he thought I had captured correctly.” The filmmaker described the interaction as detailed and meaningful. It gave him validation beyond box office numbers.

Lessons for Mudassar Aziz beyond box office success

Mudassar explained why the meeting remains special. He said it taught him valuable lessons. “It's not from any one of my three hit films. So, I guess it's about the teachings. These are all the lessons you get along the way. It sort of makes you stronger for the next one. Now, I feel like that meeting and spending that time with Sooraj Ji inspires me to work harder in my next film.” Who knows? If that film was a blockbuster, then maybe I wouldn't have had this meeting and the exchange of thoughts that happened. I would have thought, ‘Oh, I'm doing really well. I don't need to change anything about what I'm doing.’ So, life has its ways of teaching you. Now I suddenly feel, "Sooraj ji sees my films.”

Ayushmann Khurrana on his role

Meanwhile, Ayushmann Khurrana opened up about his character in the upcoming film. In a conversation with Cinema Express, he shared insights into Prajapati. Speaking about his character, Ayushmann shared, “I found Prajapati to be a man who is honest and whose intentions are clean. Still, the kind of situations he finds himself in draws laughs; on the surface, it looks like this guy is having a lot of fun. However, when you watch him navigate one problem after another in this comedy of errors, you realize he never imagined his life would take such a turn. He’s quite a star of the jungle, but dealing with three women in the film is a chaos he never imagined would enter his life.”


The film also stars Sara Ali Khan, Wamiqa Gabbi, and Rakul Preet Singh. It is set to release in theaters on May 15.







Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”