Wish List

Who is your favourite character in Aladin?
It is very difficult to say. When you are young you are always fascinated by genie. But from the filmmakers point of view even the antagonist becomes very important.

How did you convince Amitabh Bachchan to play the role of a genie?
Like with any other actor,it is the script that appealed to him. The script should always challenge them to do something new and they should be convinced to take the role to another level. When I wrote the script,the character was on one level,but Mr Bachchan has taken it some notches higher.

Aladin has a lot of larger-than-life characters. How did the boy-next-door Riteish Deshmukh fit in?
Aladin as a character is not controlled by greed. I needed an image and Riteish fit in perfectly. For me,Aladin is a boy next door.

And how did you zero in on Jacqueline Fernandes?
That was tedious because Jasmine is the most important character. The entire story revolves around her. We called a lot of girls for auditions,but nobody really worked for us. Then one day Jacqueline walked into our office and all of us fell in love with her.

After the failure of Home Delivery,wasn’t take up a multi-crore project like Aladin risky?
At the end of the day,filmmaking is my bread and butter. If I am convinced that I would be able to create a visual spectacle which I would enjoy,then I am ready to take that risk. Also,technology is big these days and that’s what I have made use of in my film.

How different is Aladin going to be from many of the other SFX films we have seen in the recent past?
When you make a film,the story is most important. The special effects,gimmicky editing are all additional tools. Irrespective of these tools,a film would do well,only if has a good script.

If you were Aladin,what would your three wishes be?
All three wishes would be that the movie Aladin is a huge hit.

What next?
Hoping to see Aladin at the theatres. If the multiplex issue resolves,it would be release on August 14.