Making his directorial debut with the spy comedy ‘Happy Patel’, International Emmy winner Vir Das opened up about producer Aamir Khan’s meticulous way of shaping a film through mock shoots and multiple test screenings. At a recent screening of ‘Happy Patel: Khatarnak Jasoos’, Das admits he was met with some blunt reactions.
Vir Das opens up on Aamir Khan as a producer
At the screening, Das said, “‘What the hell have you made?’ That is a question I heard quite often,” he said with a laugh. “That is good feedback. Everybody seemed to be laughing.” The actor-comedian, known for his sharp humour, seems to be taking the response in stride as he steps into the director’s chair.
Aamir Khan’s rigorous greenlight process
Although Aamir Khan liked the script, he insisted on a detailed development process. Das explained, “There are five-six narrations with Aamir sir, during which he asks questions like ‘What is the story? What are the characters? What do they want?’ Once you’ve done that, he gives you a bit of money and makes you shoot five scenes of the movie.” Only after reviewing those scenes in their final edited form did Khan approve the project. “When we showed those scenes, graded, colour corrected, edited to him, he greenlit the film,” he said.
Thirty test screenings to refine the film
Khan’s involvement continued well beyond the green signal. According to Das, the producer organised close to 30 test screenings with diverse audiences. “After the second cut, he held screenings for people of different age groups and demographics. He told them, ‘Tell us what’s wrong with the movie. No praise allowed’, we did our third and fourth cut,” he revealed.
Learning from a creative lighthouse
Despite the intense process, Das considers the experience invaluable. Reflecting on the collaboration, he said, “The win is learning how to make a film from Aamir Khan. I wish every bhatkoing artist finds the creative lighthouse that is Aamir.”
Why spy comedies needed their moment?
Das also explained why ‘Happy Patel’ took so long to materialise. Inspired by films like ‘Johnny English’, the idea first struck him in 2009, but he felt the genre hadn’t yet found its footing in India. “Culture has to be mainstream for comedy to counter it. So, I had to wait for ‘Tiger’, ‘Pathaan’ (2023), and ‘Dhurandhar’ (2025) to happen,” he said. He added that the script was finally written with co-writer Amogh Ranadive in the same month that ‘Pathaan’ released.
Release date and cast details
‘Happy Patel: Khatarnak Jasoos’ has released in theatres on January 16. The film also marks Imran Khan’s return to the big screen after ‘Katti Batti’ in 2015. He appears in a cameo role. The cast also includes Mona Singh, Sharib Hashmi, Mithila Palkar, and Srishti Tawde. With the ‘A’ certificate, viral promos, and bookings opening soon, the film is set for a strong start.
