Jhankaar Beats, the 2003 musical dramedy that went on to achieve cult status, completes 22 years this month. To mark the occasion, producer Rangita Pritish Nandy took to social media to share an emotional and candid reflection on the making of the film, its unconventional origins, and why a sequel may never happen.
“22 years of Jhankaar! Which means 25 years since the day we decided to make the film! And we made an unforgettable film—how many people can say that?!” she said, reminiscing about the early days of the film’s journey. Rangita revealed that the film was one of the first scripts chosen for production after Pritish Nandy Communications (PNC) went public. The script came through film critic Rajeev Masand, who introduced them to a “mad script” written by his friend, Sujoy Ghosh.
“Because we loved Masand, Ba and I met Sujoy and realised he was the OG mad man. We had to do this and become B-town’s Madhatter Party!” she said. Once music composers Vishal and Shekhar came on board, the film found its rhythm—both literally and figuratively.
But the road to casting wasn’t easy. Rangita recalled how almost every actor in the industry declined to be a part of the project, with only Archana Puran Singh showing early interest. Eventually, the cast came together with Juhi Chawla, Sanjay Suri, Rahul Bose, Rinke Khanna, Riya Sen, and Shayan Munshi.
“So Sujoy and I put together the only motley crew of actors who barely agreed to work with us… And Jhankaar Beats was born, with R D Burman playing his mouth organ loud,” she recalled.
Describing the film as “birthed in the innocence of youth and friendship,” Rangita believes this is what helped the film connect with audiences. “Every frame celebrated that—maybe that’s why it connected with everybody who watched it and still lives on in people’s hearts.”
Addressing the possibility of a sequel, she added, “Very often Ba, Sujoy and I have toyed with doing a sequel—but we are neither that young, nor that innocent—we’d cock it up for sure!”
Her heartfelt tribute ends with a note of gratitude: “There is and can only be one Jhankaar Beats… so thank you—everybody who watched, everybody who loved and everybody who remembers!”
Also Read: “My next is relentless thriller set in Kolkata titled Kahaani” – Sujoy Ghosh
