As Aankhen completes 30 years, filmmaker-writer Anees Bazmee recalls the time when he wrote the script for the film without a bound script. Despite the lack of a complete script, the film, directed by David Dhawan and starring Govinda and Chunky Pandey in lead roles, went on to become a cult classic.
Bazmee shared interesting incidents that happened before and during the filming of Aankhen. He revealed that the producer of the film, Pahlaj Nihalani, had asked them to start shooting without a bound script in hand. Thus, the entire film was written on set in bits and pieces. The hero-heroine sequences, songs, and everything else were shot before Bazmee ran back to his village because he couldn’t figure out what to do with the villain’s character.
Bazmee mentioned that he wanted to have a strong role for the negative character as comedy films at that time did not have a strong crime angle. However, he couldn’t come up with an idea for the villain’s character, so he went back to his village. When he finally came up with an idea, he returned to the set, and the film turned out to be his best script ever.
According to Bazmee, the organic way of writing a comedy is the best way. He believes that whatever comes naturally would always be better than thinking a hundred times about what would sound funny or not. He also stated that people have become very cautious and think a lot, which makes them insecure.
Bazmee also shared an incident about the casting of Aankhen. The film had initially signed two big actresses for significant roles, but when Bazmee arrived at the mahurat, he found two new actresses, Raageshwari Loomba and Ritu Shivpuri. Bazmee was disappointed as he had written a fabulous role for the original actresses. However, he rewrote the script and created a love triangle between Kader Khan, Bindu, and Shakti Kapoor, reducing the heroines’ track. When he saw the performances of the new actresses, he was surprised at their talent but couldn’t undo the changes he made to the script.
In conclusion, Aankhen is a cult film that was written on set without a bound script, and despite the challenges faced during its making, it went on to become a classic. Bazmee’s experience with Aankhen shows that sometimes, the best work can come from spontaneous, organic creativity.
