Director's Cut: Rohit Raj Goyal reveals, 'I had sent Titu Ambani's idea to many so-called OTT faces, but none gave me any time.'

Rohit Raj Goyal’s directorial debut film Titu Ambani is releasing today (July 8). It stars Tushar Pandey and Deepika Singh Goyal in the lead roles. The Free Press Journal caught up with the filmmaker for an exclusive interaction.

Opening up about how he is feeling about the film, Rohit says, “I am really happy that I am debuting with such an intriguing subject. It’s really an inexpressible feeling for me. The only thing I wish is that this film should reach many people and they should like it. Reaching people is very important, and after that, we will wait for their reaction.”

When asked how the film’s unique title was conceptualised, he reveals, “I was shooting for this TV serial Diya Aur Baati Hum and met an individual whose father worked with Dhirubhai Ambani. This person revealed his struggle of how he would carry the bundles of clothes on a cycle. I understood that whenever one wishes to make it big, they have to start from scratch. Titu is my character’s name who wishes to make it big. Thus, I titled it, Titu Ambani. We finalised the title after voting a few more titles alongside, and this title was voted by most of my friends.”

Interestingly, the film’s leading lady Deepika, who is also Rohit’s wife, was initially reluctant to greenlight it. “Yes, as my wife, her concern was rightful because she felt that I was offering her this role because she is my wife. But it wasn’t so. This was a character I could relate her to. Also, Deepika is a very good actor, so I chose her to play the female protagonist. It is very difficult to cast actors for a film with a new director. With Deepika, my struggle to cast a female actor reduced hugely,” he shares.

Rohit is very happy he cast Tushar opposite Deepika. “Tushar is a brilliant actor and a great human being. I had sent the idea to many so-called OTT faces, but none gave me any time to narrate the script to them. Tushar was the first actor who read the synopsis and also heard the script. He got convinced and has acted very well,” he states.

When asked if he’s a trained director, Rohit says, “I did join a film institution, but I didn’t want to continue for one long year. Also, I didn’t have money to pay the institution. I just had Rs. 1500 and I decided to travel to Mumbai as I always wanted to direct films. I came to Mumbai in 2006 and got the hype with Diya Aur Baati Hum, which was my third show.”

Despite Rohit and Deepika collaborating for this film, there were no issues between husband and wife. “It’s work, and we both respect our profession. We don’t fight over professional things. We exist together because of our work. Frankly speaking, I have done so many romantic scenes and kissing scenes, but I had no jealousy,” he avers.

With Titu Ambani hitting the screens, the director confesses he is slightly nervous. “I have a lot of Friday jitters. It was very difficult to show the content nicely to the audience. I hope it does well,” he concludes.