How writer-director Raaj Shaandilyaa's real-life experience inspired the movie Dream Girl

Writer-director Raaj Shaandilyaa's movie "Dream Girl 2" is having an exceptional run at the box office. Despite facing stiff competition from blockbusters like "Gadar 2" and "OMG 2," "Dream Girl 2" has managed to secure its spot with the audience. The film is steadily approaching the Rs 50 crore mark at the domestic box office.

This success owes much to the fantastic storyline of the Dream Girl franchise, crafted by Raaj Shandilyaa and Nirmaan D Singh, as well as Ayushmann Khurrana's brilliant performance. Shandilyaa's debut venture as a writer-director in 2019 was none other than the first Dream Girl movie, which crossed Rs 200 crore in global box office collections. The film emerged as one of the highest-grossing movies of 2019, amassing Rs 148 crore in India and over Rs 200 crore worldwide.

Renowned as one of the finest recent comedy films, the announcement of the sequel to "Dream Girl" by Director Raaj Shaandilyaa generated considerable excitement among fans.

Unveiling the character of Pooja

The narrative of Dream Girl was notably unconventional and experimental. The origin of the idea behind the character of Pooja (portrayed by Ayushmann Khurrana) remains a mystery. A male imitating a female voice lands a job at an adult hotline agency. However, things take an unexpected turn when his clients, including Karam's (Ayushmann Khurrana) own father, begin falling for him.

In an interview with India Today, the writer-director revealed the inspiration behind Pooja's character in Dream Girl. He recounted how a friend of his had befriended a woman on the now-defunct social media platform Orkut. Their conversations took an unexpected turn when the woman turned out to be a boy upon meeting in person.

Raaj stated, "Back when people were using Orkut before Facebook, one of my friends used to chat with someone. I asked him, 'who is this person you talk to.' So he told me, 'She is my friend.' I asked him, 'Have you met her?' Then he told me, 'I am going to meet her tomorrow.' But when he went to meet her, he got to know that it was a boy he was chatting with. It actually happened to him."

He continued, "So in 2013, while I was working on 'Welcome Back,' my co-writer suggested this idea to me. I began working on it in 2014, but paused due to other commitments. I resumed the project in 2017 and eventually pitched it to Ayushmann Khurrana."

This real-life incident provided Raaj with the inspiration to pen a story that eventually became the movie Dream Girl.

'Ayushmann Khurrana was the only choice'

According to Director Raaj Shaandilyaa, as he crafted the script, he was unwavering in his belief that Ayushmann Khurrana was the ideal choice for the lead role. "Ayushmann was the only one in our minds," Shaandilyaa shared with India Today.

He elaborated, "I messaged him and he agreed to meet us. But we both got busy for a while, and then I finally went to Balaji Telefilms and narrated the story to Ekta Kapoor. She asked me to choose an actor of my preference, and I chose Ayushmann. When he heard the script, he agreed to join the project within 10 minutes."

This is the tale of how Ayushmann Khurrana and Raaj Shandilyaa united for the creation of "Dream Girl." We present you with the trailer of Dream Girl 2.