Friendship is one of the strongest emotions: Wild Wild Punjab actor Varun Sharma on appeal of buddy comedy films

Actor Varun Sharma, best known for the Fukrey franchise and Chhichhore, says buddy comedies continue to be a relevant genre as friendship is one of the strongest emotions a human being can experience.

The actor's next outing is the Netflix comedy Wild Wild Punjab, which follows a group of drunk men who decide to avenge a friend's breakup by crashing his ex's wedding. This impromptu plan leads to unforeseen adventures as they travel through Punjab.

Varun, popularly known by his Fukrey character Choocha, said he hopes the upcoming movie also finds an audience on the streamer.

"Buddy comedies or buddy films are attractive because friendship is one of the strongest emotions that we have in our lives... It is a stronger emotion than even what you feel in love... I really hope 'Wild Wild Punjab' resonates with people... Whether it's 'Pyaar Ka Punchnama', when that came out back in 2011, it was like a new take about buddies and then 'Fukrey' came out in 2013 to a Chhichhore that was again a college flick with IT boys and what madness happens amongst friends and all that, to a Madgaon (Express) to a Crew," the actor told PTI in an interview here.

Presented by Gulshan Kumar, Bhushan Kumar, Wild Wild Punjab is a Luv Films Production. It is directed by Simarpreet Singh and produced by Luv Ranjan and Ankur Garg. The film is all set to premiere on July 10 on Netflix.

Varun said not only Hindi films, but the South has also explored the theme of friendship in recent Malayalam releases such as Manjummel Boys and Aavesham.

"You go down South, they had Manjummel Boys recently and it did fantastic business and what a beautiful film. There is Aavesham for that matter... Dil Chahta Hai is something we still talk about' (American series) Friends was made 30 years ago, it is still relatable," he added.

Wild Wild Punjab also stars Manjot Singh, Sunny Singh, Patralekhaa, and Ishita Raj.

It may be set in Punjab but the story of four friends makes it relatable and universal in nature, said Manjot, popular for playing the character of Laali in Fukrey movies.

"It could have been Wild Wild Gujarat or even Wild Wild Tokyo. So, it's just four Punjabis that live in Punjab, they are friends, they meet and then what all happens is the story...There are many excellent scenes in the film... There are wild, wacky, crazy and bizarre things happening in this film. People will have fun watching it... I am very excited... It was a lot of hard work and fun so I hope people can see all of that," the actor said.

It's a homecoming of sorts for Sunny and Ishita, who have previously worked with Ranjan on his directorial ventures Pyaar Ka Punchnama films and Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety.

"Luv sir is like a mentor (to me). Like in the old times, there used to be a guruji from whom you learnt so much. I have always had that respect for him (Ranjan). That is a form of love, it's the same I have with my father," said Sunny.

Even though they had worked together before, Ishita said she and Sunny became friends after featuring in Wild Wild Punjab.

"Sunny for us was a very silent guy. Even if we were at a party together in the end we would ask each other 'Did Sunny come?' He was that silent. To my surprise, we got to know that Sunny is so talkative... During our shoot, if we had a break, Sunny doesn't let you talk after a point of time. So, that was a surprise," she added.

Doing an out-and-out comedy film like Wild Wild Punjab was a first for Patralekhaa.

"It (comedy) is the toughest genre, tougher than drama. It was a big opportunity for me and I lapped it up. I had such amazing co-actors... These guys have done 'Pyaar Ka Punchnama' and 'Fukrey', which are this generation's iconic films. To be working with these actors, who were so skilled, was a big learning experience for me and I had a good time," she said.

Wild Wild Punjab also stars Jassie Gill.