BACK with a BANG

Within trade circles too,there is tremendous optimism about the fate of the film. According to trade analyst Amod Mehra,Dabangg,a medium-budget production (45-50 crore) is likely to get an opening as big as Ghajini or 3 Idiots.

“The anticipation among trade people,masses and the classes to watch Dabangg is as high as My Name Is Khan. The curiosity around it is usually the sort that accompanies a big-banner film like Dhoom or a Rakesh Roshan film starring Hrithik Roshan. Even if it doesn’t surpass 3 Idiots,Dabangg is likely to overtake Ghajini as far as the opening is concerned. Though it may not have a huge following in the overseas territories,it will be popular in the Gulf countries,which contribute about 20 per cent of the overseas collection.”

The Khan family,including father Salim Khan and brother Arbaaz are understandably bullish about the film. Arbaaz,who turns producer with the film,in a discussion at his office mentioned that Dabangg’s biggest strength was that it tapped into Salman’s star-power. “It is not enough to have a big star. You have to give him things to do that suit his personality.”

The sentiment is echoed by Mehra who says that the audience loves Salman when he plays himself. “Unlike other Khans,people don’t like to see him play characters. They like him as himself. They don’t want to see him in a serious role or playing the family man – they like him as a lovable brat.

Screen spoke to the man himself,who with his inimitable irreverence spoke on all Dabangg-related matters and then some more. Excerpts.

What can we expect of Dabangg?
Every film has expectations but in the trailer that you see,you have action,romance and comedy. The audience has caught on to that,which is generating the buzz. Otherwise one thinks ‘Oh,I will watch it on Monday’ and the Monday never comes. But if people are waiting to watch the film then it is a sign that the film has already been accepted. And then even if it’s an okay movie,it will do well.

There are a lot of comparisons between Wanted,your last year’s hit,and Dabangg…is that a good sign?
Dabangg,we knew,was going to be compared to Wanted, haalaanki (though) it’s a completely different film. Except that once again I am playing a cop. So we had to make everything larger,bigger and better than Wanted. I think we have managed to do that. We got Vijayan,its action director because we felt that the only one who could up the action from Wanted was him.

Tell us something about Chulbul Pandey,the character you play in the film.
You can’t describe Chulbul Pandey’s character because I believe he is characterless. He just does anything he wants. He is fearless and people,even senior ranking officers,give him respect though they know he’s corrupt,because he’s also got emotions and loyalty. He’s very respectful to women — his idea of romance is almost like he’s giving the girl protection. That is the kind of romance that is there in the film.

Sonakshi Sinha is yet another newcomer whom you have introduced this year — how did she land the plum project?
Sonakshi is a family friend — we have known each other for the longest time. We always asked her if she wanted to do movies and she would say “No”, but because of the fact that the family was producing it,she said,‘Chalo,let me give it a shot.’

She’s worked very hard on herself because she realised that eventually the film is not going to stay in the family. It’s going to go out and the fear of that made her work harder than we expected. And she’s got a certain amount of confidence,her own style and she’s done a good job of it.

Were you really the one who inspired her weight-loss programme?
I tell everybody to lose weight — I would ask you also to lose weight…so I asked her too! But nobody does it unless they feel like it. Once you start losing weight you see yourself in the mirror and feel better about it,people start complimenting you and then you stay with it. Sonakshi is a nice girl and now,she’s looking nicer. I think she will do well but that entirely depends on how hard she is willing to work. Just because she has a film with me it doesn’t guarantee future success.

Director Abhinav Singh Kashyap is a first time director too — what made you agree to work with him? Stars are usually known to work with directors who are friends…
Abhinav came with a script that we quite liked and it would have been unfair to take the script from him and give it to someone else to direct. He’s worked in television and people who worked with him liked his temperament and the way he functions.

This is a home production with a lot riding on it,so would you worry about film reviews? Also,how objective is your opinion on the matter?
Usually I don’t like talking about the stuff that I have worked on. It’s our home production,so obviously,we are not going to bitch about the film. But eventually when the film releases on Friday,if the audience likes the film,then that’s it! The media can give it a minus one or minus 10 stars.

Arbaaz had mentioned that it is important to exploit star-power and a star’s personality in the correct way. How well does Dabangg showcase your skills?
After the film has done well,everyone says,“We knew all this,so it has done well”,but if it doesn’t do well then people say “you went overboard”.

All these things come into the picture. Mare hue aadmi ka hi post-mortem karte hain so I hope is picture ki post-mortem nahin ho. It’s a romantic film,family drama with emotions and a lot of action,so I hope the audience enjoys it.

Are action films your new love? What are the projects in the pipeline?
That’s it. After all these action films I am going back to my romantic movies for a bit. There’s Ready,Partner 2 (which are romantic comedies),Shirish Kunder’s next,a remake of Bodyguard and as for the remake of Mahesh Manjrekar’s film — we still have to work out all the dates and everything.

There are a lot of regional film remakes in your kitty — is it because these are safe bets as they have already worked in the South?
I am not really thinking of it in that manner. I just liked the scripts because they have plots suitable for commercial cinema. People should laugh and cry in the theatres,they should clap…I don’t want them to sit like murtis. They have not gone there for a lecture. They are not going to school. They have gone there to watch a movie. You have to pick a format that is entertaining.

What kind of films work better for you — action,romance or comedy?
Anything that holds my interest till the end works for me.

Did Peepli [Live,counted among the most entertaining non-mainstream movies,hold your interest? Between blockbusters,is there room for such movies?
I loved the film. I liked the way the humour is handled. It’s not slapstick — it retains the tone of the characters in the movie. I also liked the way it portrays the media; not your kind of press though. It is very apt because a journalist has helmed it.

There’s room for a lot of of movies — romantic,action etc. Our family issues,emotions and actions are crucial to a Hindi film.

Is Dabangg likely to work better in single- screen theatres?
Everybody I know watches movies in multiplexes but for this film they want to go to single-screens and watch it. What I want to do is to get single- screen guys into the multiplexes because the amount they will spend buying the ticket in black will be more expensive,so they may as well get a multiplex ticket and enjoy a better film-viewing experience.