TESTING the WATERS

Aakrosh deals with honour killing,the sensitive topic currently prevailing in India?
Honour killing has become a big issue today. It has also taken a politician angle. Even the Supreme Court has taken action against it. Yet the problem is still prevalent,in the North,at places where the law is controlled by the sarpanch and local kings.

What I was surprised to find out is that in certain districts of North India,the police belongs to the higher caste and they suppress the lower caste people from getting into higher position in the job. There is a lot of political game. If this attitude is not curbed,it may actually break our country.

However,I have not dealt with the issue in a sensitive way. I have made a commercial entertainer because I want people to see my film. If it is made like an art film,nobody will go to see it.

People have a lot of expectations from your films for their entertainment value. By not making comedy films,dont you think you will be disappointing your fans?
I think as long as the film is interesting,I am sure people will watch. And in Aakrosh,I have not gone into great detail over the issue by talking about any caste or gothra and neither have I criticised anybody. What I have highlighted is that there is a huge caste war happening in the country which can break the country and is dangerous. I just want people to be aware of the danger that is happening in our country.

There is another film titled Khap that has been made on the same issue.
I believe that has got more details about pratha and gothra while mine is an entertainer.

Does Aakrosh have any message to convey?
There is no message in particular. A news that you watch on TV has got just the value of a news item,and it doesnt touch you but when you see the same thing in a film,it hits you.

Did you have to do a lot of research on the topic before starting work on the film?
Not much. However I referred to a lot of true and original stories that were published in the local newspapers without going into its depth.

How did you go about selecting the starcast?
Except for Ajay Devgn,Bipasha Basu,Akshaye Khanna and Paresh Rawal,most of them were local actors from Bihar,many of who have never faced the camera. Some were from NSD. They made the film look realistic and thus giving it a feel of parallel cinema.

Another reason I chose them was for the different dialect that has been used in the film. It is Hindi but with a local slang. Since they are from that place,it also became easy for Ajay and Paresh to understand them and their culture better. I also did not want the film to look predictable. With regular actors we know who will do what. I did not want that.

What about the main cast?
Akshaye is a versatile actor and it really saddens me that he has never got his due. I bond well with Paresh having done many films with him but in Aakrosh,for the first time,he is playing a villain in my film. I was surprised to see the kind of range that this actor has in him and he has performed it with so much of ease. I promise,you will hate him for the character that he plays.

As for Bipasha,I have given her a new image. For a change,she is completely covered laughs and looks like a Bengali actress. She plays a character who has had a past,as Ajays lover,but is now married to Paresh. One thing I like about her is the intensity in her eyes and I wanted to exploit it. Something unusual is always attractive which is why I selected her. This is the first time I worked with her.

Akshay Kumar is said to be your lucky mascot. So what was the reason for choosing Ajay Devgn with whom you are working for the first time?
I am told that Akshay is lucky for me. So is Paresh. This time I chose Ajay because I have always loved him as an actor. What I like about him is that he never acts,he just behaves. I prefer that kind of acting wherein he is just himself. I have never seen him thinking too much about the character that he was playing. I worked that way for me because I wanted Ajay,the person and not the character that he was playing in the film. His expressions are just the way he is in real life. He has made 200 films,how can he get in and out of a character.

Every director tells his actors; get into the character,get into the mood. I dont believe in that. I tell my actors understand the scene and perform it like the person you are. I dont believe in methodically acting and so allow my actors to be themselves and use their own body language. I believe it is the screenplay that makes the film work and I feel what makes the scene different is when the actor understands the scene properly and performs likewise. Ajay is just a perfect actor.

You were so impressed with Ajay that you are doing another film Bullet Train with him?
Thats right but the film is yet untitled. I am surprised where this title has come from. A thriller,it is about a bomb scare in fast train. I plan to start shooting for it in London and Birmingham by September end.

Is the film for Subhash Ghai a comedy?
I told you I am off comedies for some time. This is a commercial film and I have not yet finalised the script for it.

Your two releases this year Khatta Meetha and Bumm Bumm Bole did not fare well at the box-office.
After making 80 films,success and failure does not matter. I am happy as long as my producer gets back his investment. What the critics have to say about my films doesnt bother me. I am too old to get affected by all this. laughs

How do you feel about The Library of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to acquire a copy of the screenplay of Khatta Meetha?
Every film gets some achievement and I am happy with the little achievements that I get. I cannot ask for more. I am grateful to god that for 30 years I have survived at the top line,making films in six languages. How many directors have done it? After coming to Bollywood,I have achieved so much that I dont think any South Indian director has ever done it. Of my 81 films,27 are in Hindi.

You must also be proud of Kanchivaram winning the National award.
I have never won any awards in my life. And Kanchivaram got me 19 awards. My other films have won 16 national awards in different categories but never one for me.

Is there a formula for winning awards?
Definitely. You make realistic cinema and non-realistic cinema. Realistic cinema definitely is meant for critical acclaim. I know many who mix both as they want critical acclaim as well as collection. But I am very clear that I want box-office collection.

Does it work that way?
It did,for me. With Kanchivaram,I wanted only critical acclaim which is why my film bagged 19 awards. When I make a commercial film,I just want the producer to get back his money.

You are known for remaking your own Malayalam films into Hindi.
This is the first time that I am not remaking a Malayalam film in Hindi. chuckles. This is a deliberate attempt. Aakrosh is an original subject since the issue is new. I have always wanted to try something like this. Most of the time I was doing remakes because I did not find any good scripts. When I got one,I decided to quickly make it into a film.

So now which Malayalam film of yours will you be remaking?
It is all over laughs. I have remade all of them. So now I shall have to make a Malayalam film first and come back to make the same in Hindi.

Any plans in that direction?
I am planning one with Mohanlal next year.

Recently you said Mohanlal is complete actor.
Mohanlal is a great actor and I have no qualms to say that what I teach others today is what I have learnt from him. Everytime he can come up with something new and easily surprise his director with his spontaneous performance. I remember director Mani Ratnam telling me,that he forgets to say cut when he is working with Mohanlal as he is in awe just looking at him performing.

I have seen and worked with a lot of great actors but I have never seen the versatility of Mohanlal in anybody yet.

What do you feel about Aakrosh now that it is releasing on October 1?
I know that people will love the film and I can change my image of a comedy director with it. Critics,I am sure,are going to rip me. But then I shall continue making films and they will continue ripping me. What I have also noticed is that when you make a film like Kanchivaram,every critic will keep his mouth shut. They dont even write because they are not interested in writing anything good. chuckles

Lastly the third edition of Hera Pheri is being made by Anees Bazmee8230;
My work with Hera Pheri is over.