As a director, Ghosh is actively involved in the scripting. “I usually prefer not having writers on set and getting everything ready beforehand,” he said. “The writers too prefer it that way, I have no doubt. I would send them scenes where I needed tweaking, and they would make those changes and send them back.” With Freddy — written by Parveez Sheikh, who has co-written films like Darlings (2022) and Queen (2014) — Ghosh didn’t see the need for too many revisions. His approach towards his own work is critical, he said, and he always keeps his audience in mind while directing. “I follow a thread, a one-line thought or sentiment that I need to be conveyed — and if that gets through to the audience, my job is done. For Waisa Bhi Hota Hai, it was ‘Shit happens’. For Veere Di Wedding, the idea was to convey that friends are the new family.” Freddy, according to Ghosh, is about “how love can transform and change your entire configuration.”
The critical response to Freddy has been mixed, with some finding the thriller a refreshing change for Aryan while others despairing over the film’s clichéd storytelling. Ghosh says he’s not one to turn a blind eye to the flaws in his films. “I have already seen it [his own work] close to 300 times. So after a point, I can barely see the rights, I only see the wrongs. And it happens every single time. At first, I hated my first film Waisa Bhi Hota Hai II, I couldn’t stand it. Years later, I was on a flight and I ended up watching the film, and I thought to myself, ‘Hey, It’s a decent film’.” The time that it takes for Ghosh to see his films with fresh eyes changes from project to project. “With Quick Gun Murugun, it took 10 years before I liked it. For Khoobsurat, it took almost four years. With Veere De Wedding, I am still processing what all could have been better, what more could I have done.” About Freddy, Ghosh said, “I don’t know if it’s a good thing or not, but Freddy is one film where I am really happy with the end result.”
