Mumbai, July 3 : Director-producer Suneel Darshan has opened up on his film 'Jaanwar', and how it was received across India vis-a-vis its performance in Mumbai.

The director spoke with IANS recently, and said that while the film was panned by entertainment journalists in Mumbai, the film performed exceptionally well in the rest of India, particularly in states like Bihar and UP.

He told IANS, 'I made that film, Mumbai didn't like that film. But not just India, the world appreciated that film. It ran for 15-25 weeks in theatres in the villages of Bihar and UP. The journalists in Mumbai, who tend to write about our destiny sitting in Mumbai, should realise that the one who writes destiny is above everyone else'.

In March, this year, it was reported that Suneel Darshan is working on his next, 'Andaaz 2', which features debutant actor Aayush Kumar.

Talking about how he locked in on Aayush for the project, Suneel shared, "I had scripted 'Andaaz 2' and also completed the songs-recording of the entire album with just the final stage of casting to execute(guess I have this tendency to seek artistes' confirmations last) when my casting director brought male artistes to approve for the protagonist's friend's roles & amongst them was this person who I felt could be my best choice not for the friend but in the leading man's role' his persona & look qualified for the lead character Aarav & I decided to go by my intuition and signed him up' the leading man Aarav Kumar was born at that moment & it took quite a while for the actuality to register in his mind. It was time to get the prep going & Aayush started working towards chiseling & toning up his body as well as fine-tuning his dance alongside the script reading'.

"In 'Andaaz 2', Aayush portrays Aarav, a passionate musician navigating love, ambition, and personal struggles. The film promises a rich blend of romance, drama, and emotional depth'elements that have long been the hallmark of Suneel Darshan's films', he added.

The film is a sequel to a blockbuster film, 'Andaaz', and carries the weight of audience expectations.

/IANS