I loved Yogi Duniya for its story and characterization

When young director Hari narrated a script to Yogish, more popularly known as Loose Mada Yogi, the actor had two reasons to take it up — not only did it offer him a good story, but a gripping character as well. And these were criteria he has setting for himself in the past few years. “There was a time when I would do 4-5 films in a year. But the fact that many of them did not make an impact at the box office weighed heavily on me.I realised that I was a part of many flop films and took a share of the blame. I also decided to exercise a much more stringent approach in selecting films to be a part of. Hari’s script fit this perfectly,” says Yogi.
But then, much to his disappointment, the film got stalled almost immediately for multiple reasons. “I liked the script so much that I then got Hari to narrate it to my father and a few of his business partners. They also loved it and decided to take over the production reins. But our problems did not end there. Almost from the word go, we ran into trouble over our choice of title, with another film team hauling us to court. Eventually, after a lot of delays, some of which were not under our control, we not only managed to finish the film, but also settled on our final title — Yogi Duniya,” explains Yogi.
The story, adds Yogi, explores the rackets surrounding betting during major cricket tournaments. “Our intention was to highlight how betting works and what it does to people who fall into it. I have come across several people who give their hard-earned money to bookies in the hopes of winning a jackpot. Often, they win a few hands, but as the stakes go up, so do their chances of losing. There are many families who have lost all their belongings to betting. We wanted to show audiences how betting unfolds and, more importantly, the perils of it, without ever being preachy. In that sense, Yogi Duniya is a complete commercial entertainer, with the right amount of drama, love and action,” says Yogi.
But is realistic cinema Yogi’s true calling? “Personally, I love stories that are true to life, but I have my share of films steeped in reality that did not work for audiences. Going forward, my aim will be to be a part of films that entertain. If it happens to be a realistic story it will be the icing on the cake,” he signs off.