Rajkumar Hirani and powerful performances have led to Sanju’s massive success: Vijay Singh

Here are the excerpts from the conversation:

Q. Did you expect such a response from the audience for Sanju?

We knew we have a director and a production house with amazing credentials and a very good film. Honestly, did we sit and say we have a record-breaking film, no. Also because that is not how someone would want to start evaluating the film. But Sanju breaking such records is just amazing. What is satisfying is with Sanju we have got the number one film of 2018. The important thing is that the run is not yet over. What makes it special is not only the film has done commercially well but it has also got so much lot of love.

What makes this achievement special is that it was a U/A certified film in India and internationally. It came on a non-holiday weekend. The three-four films which are ahead of us at this point were all releases largely in the Christmas period. The Christmas period tends to add Rs 40 crore-50 crore, so in real terms I would say that this film is effectively the number 1 film, taking into account the certification and the period.

Ranbir Kapoor in conversation with Rajkumar Hirani during Sanju shoot.

Q. What do you think actually worked in favour of Sanju at the box office?

I think it all starts with a very powerful story told in an engaging way. The credit has to go to Rajkumar Hirani. Everyone knows he’s a master director, but I think here we all recognise that this film was slightly different from his earlier films. Some people were questioning the choice, but I think he’s revalidated the power of the story and story-telling.

The second thing, of course, is performances. I think after a long time, there comes a film where it’s not just one performance. The quality of performances that Ranbir and all the others including Vicky Kaushal, Paresh Rawal and Manisha Koirala have delivered, it’s just outstanding. If this film was, let’s say an English language film, it would’ve been in the Oscar contenders.

Q. It was your first collaboration with Rajkumar Hirani and Vidhu Vinod Chopra. How was it like working with them?

It has been a collaborative process. I think they are as good as they are because they’re willing to question everything, they’re willing to challenge everything and I think that’s what makes a really good collaborative, productive relationship. We are doing two more films with them, one is Ek Ladhki Ko Dekha Toh and there’ll be one more film after that. I look upon this as the start of a long relationship with both Vidhu and Raju ji.

Sanju received positive reviews from critics, who praised Ranbir Kapoor and Vicky Kaushal’s performance and Rajkumar Hirani’s direction.

Q: It is being said that Ranbir Kapoor’s star power added to the performance of the film at the box-office. How far do you think an actor’s star power contributes to the success of the movie?

There is no denying that an actor brings a certain star power to a film, but I think it’ll be fair to say that regardless of which actor it is, he/she can help to open a film, but by lunchtime on Friday, the film takes over. Because of the power of social media today, you can have the biggest actor but if the film doesn’t have the energy, it will not hold. Which is why in Bollywood all of us are recognising how it’s the power of storytelling, it’s the power of scripts that work. Therefore, we are working with talented directors and actors.

Q: So do you think that the age-old belief that only the Khan’s rule the box-office has changed over the time?

If we look across, starting with Baahubali and now Sanju, the Indian consumer is looking for variety and for powerful stories which will give them a reason to come to the cinemas. To some extent, I think star-power is an element of some importance but ultimately, the stories are the reason that people are coming in. You have to be able to give them a reason because they’re going to come and see a film which captures the imagination of the idea.

Q: Were you worried when the criticisms started coming in that Sanju was glorifying or whitewashing Sanjay Dutt’s image?

I think it wasn’t something that came as a complete surprise. Even before we released the film, we realised that there would be people who would have a different point of view, but you have to respect that this is Sanju’s and Raju Hirani’s interpretation of his story. I think it’s fair for people to have their point of views, but this is our point of view. But I think any amount of debate is good and generates enough interest. To me, the important thing is that the film has captured the emotions of people and it’s a conversation you will have. People will support it, people will challenge it, which I think is healthy.

Q: Recently, box-office numbers have started impacting which movie people choose to watch. Do you think this is the right practice to follow to decide a film’s future?

My view on this is very simple. Films are made for two reasons. One, they are meant to entertain and two, there’s a commerce angle to it. The audience has so many different options, whether it is Hotstar or Netflix. Therefore, it puts more pressure to deliver a good film. Coming to box office numbers, I think it is just an information that people take but then they finally go to see a film that they believe has a story which they want to see.

Sanju starring Ranbir Kapoor is the biggest opener of 2018 so far.

Q: You have collaborated with Dharma Productions in the past and you have many upcoming films with them as well, so how has your journey been with them?

We’re very proud and happy about our relationship with three production houses Vidhu-Raju, Dharma as well as Sajid Nadiadwala. All three houses have their own sort of specialist zone in which they make films. They are master storytellers and producers and they’ve kind of consolidated their position in Bollywood. We consider ourselves privileged to be working with these production houses, they do great films.