Rajkumar Santoshi calls Bollywood’s star obsession ‘ridiculous’, wants to restart film on Battle of Saragarhi: Akshay’s film didn’t do ‘justice to subject’

He is also quite critical of the star system in Bollywood and how it has affected the mechanics of the film industry.

He says, “The nine years gap was a conscious decision. In those times a lot of people approached me with work but everybody wanted to make a film around a star. The first question they’d ask me is ‘kaun hai star?‘. That’s ridiculous for I’ve always believed in content. People should ask the director what they want to do; what is the subject and the story. The second question should be which actor you plan to cast, whether it is going to be a newcomer or an established star. These points are important, need to be considered before making a film. I’ve made a lot of films, and the film’s subject has been of the first and foremost concern.”

Explaining how the story should dictate the star-cast and not vice versa, he shares an anecdote. He says, “When I attempted a film like China Gate, it was a very big film, budget wise. We had a big star-cast and our main stars were Om Puri, Naseeruddin Shah, Danny Denzongpa, Amrish Puri, all veterans because the story was of veterans, underdogs, retired army personnel. It is the subject that calls the shots. That is why I was a little upset that every time people wanted me to cast a big star and make a film around him. So I said no, I did not want to work on the dictates of the so called corporate houses or producers who just want to glorify the hero, make a film around a star.”

“I don’t mind doing films with stars, stars are a very essential tool for a director to take his idea to the bigger audience because they have a huge fan following. So far, I have never faced a problem with the stars with whom I’ve worked. There was never an ego problem. I’ve worked with Ajay Devgn in four-five films, Salman (Khan) and Aamir (Khan) are very close to me, all of them are. Twice Salman did guest appearances for me. So I don’t have an issue with stars but I want the subject to decide, only then I’ll also be able to do justice to them as stars. That is what is happening nowadays — so many films are being made to please a star, massage their ego, and it doesn’t work,” Santoshi adds.

Santoshi, in the second innings in his career, wants to revive some of his old projects. Talking about one such project which was supposed to star Randeep Hooda, he says, “I had announced a film called Battle of Saragarhi (2017). Unfortunately (it didn’t work out even after) I shot for twenty days. It was a war film but another film (Kesari) on the same subject was announced with Akshay Kumar and Karan Johar (backing it). So my financiers and I discussed the issue and they got a little worried and backed out. Now next year I’ll do a film on the same subject because I feel that they have not done justice to the subject and it is a great subject.”

#RandeepGoesToWar as #HavaldarIsharSingh! #BattleOfSaragirhi #1897 pic.twitter.com/0VdDSjMZNb

— Randeep Hooda (@RandeepHooda) August 1, 2016

When asked if he’ll cast Randeep again, the filmmaker said, “Let’s see when the investors come and how much the film will cost. Randeep is a very dedicated actor, very hard working and committed to the subjects of his films. For two years, he grew his hair and beard and became a sardar for the film. Very rarely you come across an actor like him, someone who is good and hardworking at the same time. I want to do a good film with him in the future.”

The 67-year-old filmmaker also addressed hate against Bollywood and how only a few films have been able to bring the audience back to theatres. “The only way to bring the people back is by making good films. If you make a good film, people hear about it and they come. I don’t think people will stop watching cinema because some people are tagging boycott Bollywood, no. People want good, healthy entertainment. You think today if someone makes a Mother India or Deewar people will not come to watch it in theatres? Why did people come to watch Kantara, Pushpa, they liked the movies. Most of them didn’t even know the hero’s name at the time, they came because the content was good. If you make a good film with sincerity, people will appreciate it.”

He then suggests that stars and filmmakers should stop being desperate for publicity and focus on making a nice film instead. He says, “A good film doesn’t need all that, a good film is like cooking biryani at home. Its fragrance will spread in the neighbourhood, and people know acchha khana ban raha hai (something good is being cooked). Similarly, if you’ve made a good film, people will come to watch it in theatres. Talking to ministers, appealing to them will not work; what will they do? People have to decide to come to watch films in theatres, so if we make good films, I’m positive people will come. We will win back the audience,” the filmmaker concludes.