Farhad Samji: Matching Govinda's performance is a tall order for any actor

David Dhawan's remake of Coolie No 1, a situational comedy that revolves around a coolie and his means to find love, should be on floors in two-three monthsn with Varun Dhawan and Sara Ali Khan. For the last couple of months, the director and writer Farhad Samji have been writing out the comedy together to ensure that while the story retains its original flavours, it also has a contemporary feel to it. Back in the 1990s, Coolie No1 was also loved because one encountered more coolies at railway stations and bus stands, which is not the case today. Although coolies continue to work at these public transport halts, their numbers have somewhat dwindled. Won't that make

Coolie No 1

lesser relevant today?

Farhad explains, "It's a funny love story of a guy who takes these shortcuts to find love. Even if there are fewer coolies today, the story won't lose its relevance because it's about a coolie who is sandwiched between two women. It's not his atmakatha. When you watch the film, you'll realise that Davidji and I were not trying to make a documentary. In all these months, Davidji and I have had a lot of sittings on the film to ensure we do it differently this time around. Matching Govinda's performance is a tall order."

This is not Farhad's first assignment with David or Varun. Farhad worked on

Judwaa

2 with the father-son duo and has individually collaborated with them on different project. Talking about his equation, the writer-director says, "Judwaa 2's experience has given us that confidence that we can look at attempting hit concepts of the 1990s with a modern twist. Varun did a very good job in Judwaa 2 and with that, Davidji and I are confident that he will be brilliant in Coolie No 1, too. Actually, when I wrote Chashme Buddoor for Davidji, youngsters had loved it and he had wanted that freshness in Judwaa 2 and now, he seeks it for Coolie No 1. I've written dialogues for Varun's

Street Dancer

, and he loves the way I narrate them to him, main uski copy kar leta hoon. The Dhawans and I work on each other's strengths."

Lately, news stories about David Dhawan's falling health have appeared on a couple of occasions. When asked if Farhad would indeed take over as the director, he says, "It was Davidji who got me into the industry. In 19 years, I haven't seen his enthusiasm dwindle. Coolie No 1 is our film. It's not important who directs; it's got both our energies and knowing Davidji, he will pull it off very well. The film should be on floors in two-three months. In the meantime, we're also in the process of finalising the second leading lady."