‘This is Akshay’s best’

After the flak Vidya Balan got for her costumes in Heyy Babyy,did you consider her for this film?
I take full responsibility for all the flak her costumes got; after all I was the director. But I did not approach her for this one because there was no role which suited her.

Akshay Kumar had a disastrous 2009. Do you think Housefull will turn his fortunes around?
It will not just change his fortunes,but will make him numero uno. In Housefull,he has given his career’s best performance. Unlike other stars,Akshay has a movie releasing every two months. But after De Dana Dan in October,there has been a long gap and the audience is eagerly awaiting his next.

A lot has been written about the bikini sequence with Deepika Padukone,Lara Dutta and Jiah Khan. How important is it in the film?
When I make a film,I like to have something in it for everybody—from the kids to the teenagers to the oldies. I want to give them something they like to watch. The bikini sequence is very talked-about,thanks to the costumes designed by Aki Narula. And it takes care of one aspect of entertainment.

Jacqueline Fernandes is doing a special number in the film. With so many friends in the industry,how did you zero in on her?
I found her ravishing in Aladin. So I thought of casting her for a song.

Are you keen on turning producer now?
No. It is a thankless and dangerous job.

Why haven’t Farah Khan and you planned a venture together?
We will probably kill each other. We have different ways of functioning and we do not discuss our work. But she has choreographed the songs for my film.

You again took a dig at film critics at an awards function. Considering your release is not too far,weren’t you taking a risk?
Critics are people who through their reviews list the finer or not-so-finer details of the film. But by and large most of them don’t know what works at the box office.

You once said that casting Shah Rukh Khan and Akshay Kumar together would be your dream project. When is this likely to happen?
It will happen when I get the right subject. I am sure both of them will not have a problem working with each other or working with me. In the ’70s,people loved watching Amitabh Bachchan and Vinod Khanna. I wish to create the same magic now.