‘I was offered Swades and Lakshya‘

What made you decide on a comeback to Hindi cinema with such an unusual comic subject?
I’m yet to have a smash hit in Hindi. There were many offers from directors like Shyam Benegal and Ashutosh Gowariker, but nothing materialised. I was offered Ashutosh’s Swades when Aamir Khan was producing it. But after Aamir opted out, Ashutosh couldn’t afford to make a big-budget Hindi film with me in the lead. He has always been a big support, he watches all my Tamil films. I was also offered Farhan Akhtar’s Lakshya. To say that I was shooed away from Mumbai would be rather unfair.

What made you choose Sanjay Daima as the director?
I know him from when he assisted Ashutosh Gowariker on Lagaan. I felt the same positive vibes from Sanjay as my Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein director Gautam Menon. Model-actress Samita Bangargi will play my co-star, a London-bred Indian girl.

But isn’t a comedy about a Bihari cook in London a huge risk?
Yes. I was toying with the idea of remaking Nala Damayanthi for a long time, but wasn’t sure how audiences would react to the subtle non-vulgar humour. With Munnabhai MBBS, I realised a family comedy without double-meaning dialogues would work. In Nala Damayanthi, there’s no one dropping his pants or pretending to do unmentionable things with his mouth.

Was the three-hero film Dil Vil Pyar Vyar a wrong career move?
It may well have been, though I had great fun doing the film. When there are too many actors and too many creative heads pooling in, you lose control of what you set out to do. I think a multi-hero film can work only when no one questions the director’s vision and authority. This is the case with Mani Ratnam’s Ayutha Ezhuthu.