Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra: Toofaan was liberating to direct

Known for directing such notable films as Rang De Basant (2006), Delhi 6 (2009), and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013), celebrated filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra is now coming up with his next directorial Toofaan.

Set to premiere on Amazon Prime Video on July 16, the film reunites Mehra with Farhan Akhtar after their 2013 film Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. It also features Mrunal Thakur and Paresh Rawal in important roles.

Talking about the film, the filmmaker said that it was liberating for him to direct it, which he believes is more than just a sports drama. Billed as an inspirational sports drama of a goon called Aziz Ali aka Ajju Bhai (Akhtar), from the streets of Dongri, Toofaan is set against the backdrop of boxing and charts the ups and downs of its lead.

“It was liberating to direct Toofaan. It also had the subject matter I felt very close to. The joy of discovering the film belongs to the audience. But here was a story that was working at all levels. There's friendship, romance, guru-shishya parampara, father-daughter, father-son (relationships), etc. There is a social relevance to whatever we are doing and a responsibility,” Mehra told reporters during a virtual press conference post the release of the film's official trailer on Wednesday.

With Toofaan, Mehra said he and Akhtar saw an opportunity to eclipse the work they did with Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, the biopic of late sports legend Milkha Singh. “With Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, we had set the bar so high. We have waited for six years and there was a hunger in both of us to work together once again.  There was a fear that we have set a certain standard and we were very lucky with Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, can we raise the bar this time too?” he added.

Mehra also revealed that the core idea for Toofaan came from Akhtar which was later developed into a script by writers Anjum Rajabali and Vijay Maurya. Talking about the rapport that he shares with Akhtar, the filmmaker said they both have mutual respect for each other's craft.

“The relationship (between Farhan and me) as person to person, respect for each other's craft, giving each other space to do their thing, and most importantly, what we have shared in silences more than anything else. And that has given me a lot of strength to go out and do my work better. It has made my work shine more because Farhan knows the craft inside out,” Mehra added.