Exclusive! Zara Hatke Zara Bachke's Inaamulhaq: I can't work with people who are talented but toxic and throw tantrums

Actor Inaamulhaq is thrilled to be back on the 70-mm screen with Zara Hatke Zara Bachke. People have been appreciating the family entertainer that revolves around a middle-class family, calling it enjoyable, and Inaamulhaq gives credit to director Laxman Utekar for this. He even draws parallels between him and filmmaker Hrishikesh Mukherjee, who extensively made family entertainers in the 1960s.

Talking about working with Laxman, Inaamulhaq told OTTplay, "I think Laxman is the Rishikesh Mukherjee of our time because he has been constantly making films on small family matters, capturing the lives of middle-class people. These days, such sentiments are missing in most of our films. When I was growing up, I loved watching family entertainers, in which everything in a middle-class family used to be captured in detail, be it the respect towards elders, the joint-family culture, or relatives that you never wanted to meet but had to be nice to. All of that was beautiful and had a realistic touch to it. Laxman somehow retains those values in his stories. Even today, buying a house is a dream for many lower-middle-class families, and privacy for a married couple is something that many struggle with. In Zara Hatke Zara Bachke, Laxman put everything together with a dash of humour, and that is why I really like his style of films."

On working with Sara and Vicky, Inaamulhaq said, "On a film set, what matters to me the most is not how talented my co-star is, but if he or she is a good human being or not. I cannot work with people who are really talented but toxic and throw tantrums all the time. Vicky and Sara are both wonderful human beings and are very respectful to others on set. So, even though they belong to illustrious families, their value system of being supportive and respectful to everyone impressed me."

Hrishikesh Mukherjee has helmed iconic Hindi films like Anuradha, Anand, Guddi, Bawarchi, Chupke Chupke, and Mili, among others.

Laxman is a cinematographer-turned-director whose filmography includes Luka Chuppi and Mimi. He also worked as a DOP in Amitabh Bachchan and the late Rishi Kapoor's 102 Not Out, English Vinglish, Dear Zindagi, and Hindi Medium.

Zara Hatke Zara Bachke is currently playing in theatres.