Acclaimed filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani is stepping into the world of OTT with Pritam and Pedro, a crime-comedy series starring Vikrant Massey and Arshad Warsi.
The show also marks the acting debut of Hirani’s son, Vir Hirani, making it a special project for the filmmaker in more ways than one. Adding to the nostalgia, the series reunites Hirani with Arshad Warsi over two decades after their memorable collaboration in Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. Directed by Avinash Arun and created and produced by Rajkumar Hirani, Pritam and Pedro is inspired by real-life cybercrime cases and promises a blend of humour, suspense and social commentary-elements that have become synonymous with Hirani’s storytelling.
Rajkumar Hirani Recalls Discovering Arshad Warsi’s Unique Acting Process
Looking back at the making of Munna Bhai M.B.B.S., Hirani recalled being surprised by Arshad Warsi’s unconventional approach to acting on the very first day of filming. “We were doing the first scene, and I realised Arshad was not speaking from the script,” Hirani said. The actor had begun rearranging dialogues and adding his own lines instead of following the screenplay verbatim. Initially, Hirani asked him to stick to the script. “He complied, but the second take was not as good as the first one. I discovered then that Arshad has a unique process,” the filmmaker said, adding that Warsi’s improvisational style eventually became one of the defining strengths of the Munna Bhai films.
Arshad Warsi on Reuniting With Rajkumar Hirani
More than 20 years after Munna Bhai M.B.B.S., the actor-director duo has reunited for Pritam and Pedro, where Warsi essays the role of a police officer named Pedro. Reflecting on their enduring friendship, Warsi said the reunion felt natural. “There are some people who leave a big impact on your life, and Mr. Hirani has done that for me big time. Our friendship was always there and we kept in touch. I strongly believe that for any collaboration, a project should come together organically. So when he called me for this, I was really delighted.”
‘Pritam and Pedro’ Explores the World of Cybercrime
Unlike Hirani’s previous films, Pritam and Pedro delves into the world of cybercrime. The story is inspired by real-life investigations shared by cybercrime investigator and national security expert Amit Dubey. Explaining the premise, Hirani said he wanted to move beyond the clichéd portrayal of hacking often seen in films. “Typically, in movies, we see someone sitting at a computer pressing zeroes and ones. Instead, Dubey was telling me exactly how cybercrime is done and how it’s solved. There is one story, for instance, about an ATM being hacked and stolen that fascinated me, and we have included it in the series.”
‘Raju Had Already Written What I Would Improvise’
Known for adding his own flavour to characters, Arshad Warsi admitted that there was very little scope for improvisation while shooting Pritam and Pedro because Hirani had already anticipated his instincts.
“The first take was in my style. But from the second take, I did not have to improvise because Raju had already predicted and written what I would say!”
The Story Behind Circuit’s Famous Nicknames
Hirani also revealed that one of Circuit’s most-loved traits-giving quirky nicknames to everyone he meets-was born out of Warsi’s spontaneous improvisation.
Recalling the famous Chinese tourist scene from Munna Bhai M.B.B.S., Hirani said the script originally had Circuit knocking out a tourist and taking him to Munna’s anatomy class. During the take, however, Warsi unexpectedly called the tourist “Aey, hakka noodles.”
The improvised dialogue was so effective that Hirani decided to make it a recurring characteristic of Circuit’s personality.
“From there on, we decided that every time he meets a new character, he will give them a nickname. That’s why when he meets a trainee doctor he calls him ‘dispensary’ and so forth,” Hirani said.
Arshad Warsi Recalls Missing Out on a National Award
The actor also shared a light-hearted anecdote about Lage Raho Munna Bhai and how he briefly believed he had won the National Award for Best Supporting Actor.
“During Lage Raho (2006), word got out that the Best Supporting Actor award would go to someone from this film. So everybody assumed it’s me. I started getting congratulatory messages from the industry. It later transpired that the award went to Dilip Prabhavalkar, who played Mahatma Gandhi in the film. I said to myself, fair enough, I can’t beat Gandhiji!”
‘It Was Intelligent Humour, Not Buffoonery’
Speaking about his creative partnership with Hirani, Warsi credited the filmmaker for understanding and encouraging improvisation.
“You can only improvise at this level when you have a director who gets it. If you suggest a line to Raju, he will edit the entire scene in his mind to ascertain if it works.”
Reflecting on the comedy in the Munna Bhai franchise, he added, “It was a whole different brand of comedy. It was intelligent humour that we were doing. It wasn’t buffoonery.”
Hirani, meanwhile, fondly remembered one of Circuit’s most emotional scenes.
“The way Arshad says his line, ‘Mumbai has a lot of pollution… I cannot see my maa.’ It was really beautiful.”
Streaming on JioHotstar From July 3
Directed by Avinash Arun, Pritam and Pedro marks Rajkumar Hirani’s first original streaming series. Created and produced by Hirani, the crime-comedy stars Vikrant Massey, Arshad Warsi and introduces Vir Hirani. The series is set to premiere on JioHotstar on July 3.