Faizan Bazmee on father Anees`s films: Still building skill of writing comedies

It’s not a case of like father, like son. One look at the poster of Postman is enough to tell you that Faizan Bazmee’s maiden directorial offering is poles apart from the comedies his father Anees Bazmee helms. “I love watching his comedy films. Writing comedies is difficult. I am still trying to build that skill. I want to be able to write all genres. But what I like about drama is that you can present a collage of emotions,” says Faizan, who has co-written the Sanjay Mishra-starrer with Shwet Parekh.

Sanjay Mishra in the film

Three years ago, when the two friends cracked the idea of a postman delivering a letter that would change his life, they wanted to develop it as a feature film. But keeping the budget in mind, they mounted it as a short film instead. Finding a trusted actor and a producer is challenging for a first-time director. Did being Anees’s son ease the process for him? “There is an advantage — people know me because of my father, and I can get contacts. But if you’re not focused on your work, no one will want to work with you. Even if I met Sanjay through him, if he didn’t like my idea and the story, he wouldn’t have done it.” 

One wonders if there were discussions about Anees producing his maiden venture. Not at all, says Faizan, before adding, “My father helped me learn things. He made me work on other people’s sets more. I have worked as a second, third, and fourth assistant director. My father also tells me to watch as many films as possible.”