After Wanted and Dabangg, will Bodyguard be your third consecutive Eid blockbuster?
Let the Wednesday the film releases decide that. Everyone wants to make a film that will surpass their last films. I’m no different. Today, we have the technical know-how to up the standards but l haven’t discovered a hit formula. So, all you can do is make a good, sensible, emotional film and leave it at that.
But the expectations from ‘Brand Salman’ have risen?
Expectations are high because people have watched my last few films. But it’s true in other cases too. For example, you always expect more from your girlfriend and vice versa (smiles).
Your last two films with Kareena Kapoor, Kyun Ki! and Main Aur Mrs Khanna didn’t work. Will this one break the jinx?
In our film industry, certain people dismiss an on-screen pairing as panvati (jinxed) if their last few films haven’t worked at the box office. But I believe that if a heroine is perfectly suited for a particular role, why shouldn’t I get her? In Wanted, we cast Ayesha Takia in the lead because she fit the part. And the film was a superhit!
Is Katrina Kaif doing a cameo in Bodyguard or a special appearance in the title track?
I start out as her bodyguard so she appears in the title song, Aaya Re Aaya… to establish the fact. Later, I become Kareena’s bodyguard.
Is Bodyguard a special film for you since your sister Alvira is co-producing it with husband Atul Agnihotri?
It doesn’t matter who is producing the film. A film is a film. People are going to spend money, from Rs 10 to Rs 400, to watch it. So, my responsibility is towards them. Once the audience like the film and they start coming in numbers and my responsibility towards the producer will be automatically fulfilled.
How is Dabangg 2 shaping up? Have you really written parts of the script?
Dabangg 2 is simply an extension of the first film. Chulbul Pandey is an interesting guy so I think we won’t have any problems with the character. In fact, we have finalized and locked the script of the sequel. I haven’t written anything in the script since it’s completely Arbaaz’s (Khan) film. Since Chulbul has shades of gray, it’s easy to meander into different genres — comedy, action and romance. Now that the character of Chulbul is established, we can easily take it to the next level.
We’ve heard that Chulbul is moving to a metro now?
Yes, Chulbul is moving to a bigger city. (Smiles) Now, there’s a lot more jhol in Dabangg 2.
Many feel you seem to be stuck on action films these days?
Nothing like that, every film has action, even Ready. For instance, you can’t call every film a musical just because it has 4-5 songs. In fact, I had to work harder on Ready because the action scenes had to make you laugh.
Have you lost weight for Ek Tha Tiger?
No, it’s just that I was training hard for the climax of Bodyguard and carried the lean look into Ek Tha Tiger.
