'Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani is a piece of my heart and soul'

Mumbai: Filmmaker Ayan Mukerji said that ‘Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani’, which completed 10 years on May 31, represents a piece of his ‘heart and soul’. Released on May 31, 2013, the film was Mukerji’s second feature after he made his directorial debut with 2009’s ‘Wake Up Sid’, also starring Kapoor.

“YJHD, my second child, a piece of my heart and soul, has turned 10 years old today! I think after all these years, I can confidently say that making this movie was one of the greatest joys of my life! And what we achieved with it - with all its perfections and imperfections - is a source of great eternal pride for me,” the filmmaker wrote in a post on ‘Instagram’.

Also starring Kalki Koechlin and Aditya Roy Kapur, the romantic comedy followed the stories of four friends - Bunny (Kapoor), Naina (Padukone), Avi (Kapur) and Aditi (Koechlin) as they went through the various adventures life had in store for them.

Mukerji, 39, revealed that he has never seen ‘Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani’ from ‘beginning to end, since the day it was released’.

“But when I’m older and wiser, I think I will watch the movie at least once a year because a big part of who I was and how I looked at life is forever captured in this movie!” he added.

The filmmaker said that even today, people recognise him more for ‘Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani’ than ‘Wake Up Sid’ and ‘Brahmastra: Part One - Shiva’.

“So, putting out a whole lot of gratitude for ‘Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani’ and all the many people who connected deeply with the movie over the years!” he added.

Koechlin also celebrated the film’s milestone moment on ‘Instagram’ and wrote: “How we’ve all grown and learnt since then and yet some things I can’t imagine any different, like Deepika Padukone will always be teaching us a dance step we can’t follow, Aditya Roy Kapur will always be our big Lebowski, Ranbir will always play a prank that makes us squeal and Ayan Mukerji will always ask us uncomfortably personal questions that lead to the best conversations.”