Why 'Sanam Re' is a story of love and self-discovery?

As 'Sanam Re,' a romantic-musical with Pulkit Samrat, Yami Gautam and Urvashi Rautela keeps its Valentine's weekend date at the cinemas, director Divya Khosla Kumar talks about what went into making her second directorial venture extra special.
Pulkit and Yami
Pulkit and Yami's characters start as kids in the film. They don't have just one scene but there's a story around them.Divya says directing them was easy. 'Being a mother myself, I know how to handle children. I brought out their innocence through the lens. I had to ignite the right emotions to ensure we captured their child-like reactions correctly.' Divya believes Pulkit and Yami have potential that had not been exploited. She says, 'As a filmmaker, I knew I could bring that out. I did a six-month workshop with Yami as her screen journey starts as a 16-year-old. She also lost adequate weight to look that part.'
Rishi Kapoor
Rishi Kapoor plays Pulkit's Dadaji. He was constantly questioning the director. She attributes the senior actor's constant questioning to his need to be satisfied with his character graph. 'We had some brainstorming sessions which further helped. He has taken the graph of his character notches higher and his performance is brilliant.'
Music Review: Sanam Re
Bharti Singh
Bharti Singh plays the leader of a summer camp where Pulkit and Yami go to. 'Bharti is talented and she suited the character well. Pulkit comes to this camp to discover himself,' says the director, adding, 'Apart from being a love story, the film is also about stopping a bit, listening to the heart and enjoying every moment.'
Pulkit and Urvashi Rautela
On casting Urvashi Rautela, the director says, 'She's tall and beautiful. Pulkit and she make a good pair onscreen.
A 'U' Rating for 'Sanam Re'
'Sanam Re' was cleared with a 'U' rating and no cuts. She explains, 'While Yaariyan took me time in pre-production, I also had issues with the censor certification. I started scripting 'Sanam Re' in January (2014), commenced shooting in December (2014) and had it ready in a year. We got a 'U' rating with no cuts. My film is for youth and family audiences. It's about the emotion of love being lost.'
Producer's note
Bhushan Kumar 'I am thrilled with the way the film has turned out. I am now excited for the audience to see it.'
'Sanam Re,' produced by T-Series, releases February 12.
A pure love story with Pulkit-Yami chemistry
The filmmaker feels we haven't had a pure love story since Aashiqui 2. She says, 'Also, love is incomplete without pain. This story will answer a lot of questions about love.' Given the importance of great chemistry between the lead pair especially in a romantic film, Pulkit and Yami, the director says, 'The scenes and the dialogue were written very sensitively. Pulkit and Yami have performed enhanced the emotions with their performances.'
Melodious music
Since her production house also owns also an established music label T-Series, it has always been their endeavour to give great music to the audience. Divya says, 'Bhushan has worked hard along with the composers to create this soundtrack. I choreographed the songs myself and I'm happy to hear praise for the way the songs have turned out.'
Great locations
The director has ensured 'Sanam Re' was shot in beautiful locations in India and abroad. 'This time we went to Kalpa, Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) and Ladakh besides Mumbai, Chandigarh and Canada,' she says, adding, 'I was looking for a sleepy town like Spiti in Himachal Pradesh, that looks like it has been left behind.' She researched for locations on the internet and travelled to Kalpa for a recce. 'My production designer and DOP (director of photography) Sameer Arya loved the pictures and we decided to shoot there.'
Director-actor's special song sequence
It's not often that one sees a director put in a special appearance for a song sequence. Divya has done just that with the number Humne pee rakhi hai. She shot this song after wrapping up the movie. She also worked on her abs to make sure the result is good. 'It feels great when young mothers compliment me and ask me how I lost weight,' she says, adding that she has always been fitness-conscious.
Rishi Kapoor's special appearance
The veteran actor's character ages from 60 to 80 during the course of the film. He did a few look tests before they decided on his look for the part. About working with him, Divya says, 'It was an enriching experience working with Rishiji. There's so much one can learn from him ' be it professionalism or filmmaking.' She recalls instances when the actor drove all night from Delhi to Shimla to shoot early morning. 'Even after the long drive, he looked amazing for the morning shoots. That's why he's a superstar,' she says.
Listen to Sanam Re songs on Gaana.com
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WATCH: Bharti's role in 'Sanam Re' kept under wraps