First, let me congratulate you on your venture with K Sera Sera. How did this idea germinate?
When I produced films earlier, they didn’t reap any fruits. While I have been sound creatively, I have always had problems handling the financials of my business. I love doing films so I can’t even stop doing films. So now I have come to a balanced equation where a company can handle the budgets and I will handle the entire creative aspect.
I am presently working on one or two scripts but it is too soon to talk about it. I will be ready to announce them by next year. K Sera Sera will be handling a couple of my projects and a few single projects with other producers. I plan to release between three-five films annually.
My ambition right now is to make good cinema.
Why doesn’t one see you in many big budget films now?
These days there is a problem with my salability and hence big producers don’t prefer taking me in their big budget films. Companies today don’t make films based on stories. These people, who don’t know the calculations of the film industry, have established their own methods to make films.
When faced with a hurdle like this, I decided to co-produce my own films and plans are in the pipeline to make big budget films too.
Your next film Naksha is with a debutant director Sachin Bajaj. Why does one see you working with so many new directors?
People raise this question because now I am a senior in the industry. However, the fact remains that I have been working with new directors since a long time now. I have worked with many new first time directors like Raj Santoshi and Ahmed Khan.
It is my personal observation that when directors are new, they are good but once they are established, they start throwing tantrums. Their subsequent films are never like their first films. Another thing is that after that they enter into other venues and hence don’t come back to me later. But this does not mean that I do not enjoy working with established directors.
It’s just that new directors have the same ideas but their idea of presentation is new and different and that is what excites me.
Do you think the movie audience has changed over the years?
Oh! Yes. Of late the audience wants to see a film, talk on the phone and walk in and out of the theatre… all at the same time. I think the audience of trial shows has shifted to cinemas. And the actual cinema going audience has no movie being made for them, or either they cannot enjoy the films due to the high ticket rates.
What is the story of Apne where you are working with your father (Dharmendra) and brother (Bobby Deol)?
Apne is about a joint family and everything that transpires within that family. It is an emotional drama with family feuds, which has boxing as the backdrop. It touches upon the aspect of bitterness and love between a father and son.
The movie is very close to my family and me. We have always been looking for scripts that will suit all of us. Shooting for Apne was like an extension of my family on the sets.
Which are your forthcoming releases?
Naksha is releasing on 8 September. Kaafila will release in November first week. Apart from that Deodhar Gandhi is also almost complete and should be ready for release by December. This will be followed by Fool and Final in January and then Apne.
