Known for his National Award winning debut film HellaroFilmmaker Abhishek Shah is now preparing for release bartenders. In an exclusive conversation with India Today, he talks about the expectations that come with the honour, his evolving idea of ​​success and why, for him, a film truly works only when it reaches the audience and connects with them. He also explained what kind of stories he wanted to tell and why Deven Bhojani was his first choice for the lead role.

Addressing the pressure that often comes after recognition, Abhishek clarified that he does not let it dominate his process.

He said, “I don’t put this pressure on myself. I think every story and every film has its own destiny. If you ask me what I feel bad about, it’s not about the numbers. I feel bad when a film doesn’t reach people, when it doesn’t touch people. Then, as a filmmaker, it feels like a big failure for me.”

For them, the real challenge today is to ensure that the audience actually comes. The filmmaker said, “I want my film to reach the audience and in today’s time it has become difficult to reach the audience. I don’t want people to sit at home and think whether they should watch the film or not. If I don’t get the audience, that’s the only pressure I feel. Otherwise, once the film is made, it is made.”

Abhishek said that his sense of satisfaction comes from the creative process itself. He said, “It has happened with all three of my films – when I was taking the final output, I was very happy. If I am happy, then I should be satisfied that I have done my job. With this film too, I feel I have done my job.”

Talking about the audience he hopes to connect with, Abhishek stressed his intention to make films that bring families together.

The filmmaker said, “I think if you look at the history of Indian cinema, whenever people came out of their homes with their families, many great films were made in that space. I try to make such films.”

He said, “If there is a small child in the house and also the oldest member of the family, everyone should watch the film together. My audience is everyone who wants to watch the film. The kind of philosophy and values ​​that this film has, I think children and elders should watch it.”

According to Abhishek, this film has not been made for any specific purpose. “Whoever wants to watch a Gujarati film – this film is for all audiences. It is not made for any specific class. Some films are liked by the rich, some by the poor, some by the youth. But this film, like my last two films, is made for the people and by the people, I mean all kinds of audiences.”

Abhishek also spoke in detail about casting Deven Bhojani and revealed that the decision was taken quite early.

He said, “I thought of it a year ago. When I finally learned that the film would go on floors in three or four months, I felt the character needed someone like him. This is a guy who one day finds out he has a disease, and then finds out he needs a heart transplant. I wanted a very versatile actor.”

The filmmaker emphasized that Bhojani brings an unseen dimension to the role. He said, “Maybe people haven’t seen that side of him yet. He’s done a lot in theater, but in popular culture, people haven’t seen that side of him in cinema or television. So I immediately thought of his name.”

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Referring to the actor’s range, Abhishek said, “Whatever he has done so far, we have seen and loved. But there is a side of him that is visible in the teaser that no one has seen before. I thought he would be uniquely suited for this role. And by unique, I always mean someone who performs very well. That’s when he looks unique. I knew Deven would do that.”

Interestingly, Abhishek also acknowledged Bhojani’s strong comedic sensibilities, which have been shaped by his work on the show Sarabhai vs Sarabhai. “The interesting thing is that he understands comedy very well. As a director too, he has done great comedy.” Sarabhai vs Sarabhai. There wasn’t much comedy in the character, but whenever there was a light moment, I knew what he was capable of as an actor,” he adds.

The filmmaker said, “He cries beautifully, he laughs beautifully, he is a champion. He has directed films and television and worked as a creative director for many years. Despite his vast experience, in front of me he was just an actor. He was very obedient.”

The most striking thing for the filmmaker was Bhojani’s humility. Abhishek said, “Sometimes when experienced actors come, they bring baggage. I never felt like that with him. Our communication was never like that. He never tried to show that he is older than me or that he knows more than me. That’s a great quality in him. That’s why this collaboration has been so good for both of us.”

Despite the temptation to take advantage of Bhojani’s comic timing, Abhishek held back. The filmmaker said, “There were some scenes where I felt it would be fun if he did comedy here. But I controlled myself because I was also greedy, I know what he can do. Even during dubbing, he has added a little touch at one or two places.”

bartenders It is set for theatrical release on May 1, 2026, which coincides with Gujarat Foundation Day.