‘I made the film because I believe in Raghav Juyal’: Bhai Tera Star Hai director | Exclusive

New Delhi: After spending over three decades in the film industry as a cinematographer, director and producer, Vivek B Agrawal is stepping into a new chapter with Bhai Tera Star Hai, an independently produced comedy-drama headlined by Raghav Juyal. Backing the actor in his first solo lead, Agrawal has assembled an eclectic cast featuring Sanjay Kapoor, Nikki Walia and popular content creators such as Niharika NM, Jordindian and Vikalp Mehta.

In an exclusive conversation with News9 Digital, the filmmaker opens up about how a song inspired the film’s title, why he was convinced Raghav was the right choice to lead the project, his decision to cast digital creators for their comic sensibilities rather than their follower count, and the real-life experiences that shaped the story.

How did you zero down on the title Bhai Tera Star Hai?

The title is primarily for the attitude. It was not in my mind that it would ever be the title of the film. I have always had an English title which was more in line with the actual story of the film. It’s not that Bhai Tera Star Hai is not in line. But after spending some time with Raghav Juyal and understanding his journey in life in general, it’s just his attitude and persona as a human being. The title seemed apt.

Immediately within doing months of workshops with him, I modified some traits of the character to completely become Raghav. Raghav has absorbed the character of Ajay Singh so well that you can’t differentiate between the two.

I was jamming with Amit Trivedi (music composer) and Kumar (lyricist) to have an opening song for Raghav. We did a couple of versions of the song. One day, they called me to tell me that they had cracked the song and wanted me to hear it in their studio. They just played the song which had the hook line Bhai Tera Star Hai. The lyrics of the entire song replicate Raghav’s life.

Can you elaborate on that?

Raghav has always spoken unabashedly about wanting to become a superstar. He’s very inspired to make it. He doesn’t care that he started as a background dancer, then got bits and pieces roles, and then he got Kill (2023), in which he was the main villain. He was brilliant in that. Then he got The Ba**ds of Bollywood* (2025), where he showed his comic timing. He has grown.

The lyrics of the song also tell that this boy imagines that he’s a superstar. He was imagining that one day people would walk up to him for his autograph. The title song completely outlines Raghav’s life. So, after listening to the song, I couldn’t imagine any other title than Bhai Tera Star Hai.

What gave you the confidence to cast Raghav Juyal as the main lead, as he had never headlined a film before?

I have produced this film as an independent producer. I don’t have a studio backing. I don’t have a music label buying my music. Irrespective of that, I made the film because I believe in Raghav. He’s a brilliant actor.

I’ve been around in this industry for more than 30 years. I’ve been a technician, a cameraman, a director, and I’ve produced a series of films with Phantom. So, I know the business to a large extent. Monetarily, it is a risk, but somebody has to take the risk. Everyone can’t get big stars, and big stars can’t guarantee a hit film either.

So, if you have faith in yourself and an actor who believes in himself, then you have to go for it. You have to make it sensibly, though. I haven’t spent ₹100 crore and made a period drama. I’ve made a fun, light film which suits the youth of today. The character is very relatable.

Tell us about the female lead of the film.

Along with Raghav headlining the film, I have an ensemble cast of twelve actors. There’s Sanjay Kapoor and Nikki Walia, whom I’ve known for a very long time. They’re commendable actors. It was easy for me to approach them and get them on board.

I’ve brought in some phenomenal content creators who create and act in their own content. There’s Niharika NM, Jordindian, Vikalp Mehta, who don’t have a cinema background but have a background in creating content which people like to watch.

Do content creators help in propelling a film and converting views into box office numbers? What’s the thought behind casting them?

I want to get actors who fit my characters. If I’m making a film with Raghav as the main lead, who’s a phenomenal actor, I need to complement him with great actors around him to make the film look young and fresh.

I did my research to get content creators who excel in comedy. I haven’t cast keeping box office in mind. It’s not that I’m not thinking about it. It’s my money and I need to recover it. But the only way I can recover my money is by making a good film.

Casting was very important. So, why run after actors whom people have seen in the comedy space in, say, 20 films? I’ll punt on newer guys and get the best performance out of them and make the film look fresh.

Tell us about Sanjay Kapoor and his unique look in the film.

I’ve known Sanjay for the longest time. I used to assist Ashok Mehta (cinematographer) in the late 1990s. So, I’ve worked with Boney Kapoor (producer, Sanjay’s brother) in my growing-up years. I’ve hung around the family when I started my career and have known Sanjay for 30-odd years.

So, it was easy to reach out to him because I could see him play that badass character. Sanjay has never worn a wig in his entire career. I’ve never seen him in long hair. He was hesitant at first about the wig, but then he was game once he tried it on.

He wore the wig while we were doing workshops in Mumbai, and he refused to take it off. The wig worked out brilliantly. He just got into the character so well.

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Did you keep the social media following of the content creators in mind while casting them?

While these content creators have a huge following on social media, we know that following does not convert into box office tickets. Otherwise, all the content creators would be doing feature films.

So, that was not the pull at all. It was their personality. Raghav and Vikalp are together in almost every scene in the film. I was reminiscing about Naseeruddin Shah and Ravi Vaswani in Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron. And that’s what I saw in Vikalp and Raghav.

The film was an inspiration while I was writing this film. Raghav and Vikalp together is my way of reliving Naseeruddin Shah and Ravi Vaswani scenes.

How did the story come about?

The story is largely something that I’ve written over time. All the characters are inspirations from people I’ve met in real life working in the film industry. Everyone, including Raghav’s Ajay Singh, is inspired by a real person that I’ve kind of tried to write and bring to life.

Reality is funnier than fiction. Like the first line in the trailer says, actors are delusional.

The film is set in London. Why did you choose that location?

The film is set in London because I’ve travelled so much to London before I got into films, while I was producing films, and directed my first film in London. I find it far easier to set up, prep and shoot a film in London than in Mumbai.