Excerpts:
When Khosla Ka Ghosla was released, what thoughts were running through your mind? What had you expected out of the movie?
There was a sense of relief after Khosla Ka Ghosla released. We faced lot of trouble while shooting the movie and also with its release. Today the movie is a marker, but back then producers and distributors liked the movie when they saw it; however they stepped back at the time of negotiating money and gave raw deals. Nonetheless, all that led us to believing that we had created a good product which touched people’s chords, but not of businessmen, and just then UTV stepped in and the movie became bigger.
While the trials and tribulations were still going on, did it influence your mind towards making masala films in future?
No, never! I did not want to deter from Khosla… kind of film making because the private screening of the movie reaffirmed that people were ready for such films, but only wanted someone else to make the investment and set the ball rolling for others.
Tell us a little about your second movie Oye Lucky Lucky Oye?
Oye Lucky Lucky Oye is the story of a fascinating thief. He is very flamboyant, moves in big cars with nice girls and dresses smartly. He takes a business ticket and flies down to Bombay from Delhi just to steal Shahrukh’s car to drive around and then parks it and flies back to Delhi. He is a working class man who rises to posh lifestyle, but is still stealing and even wants people to know of it. So the film tries to look at the reason why he is doing such things.
Like Khosla Ka Ghosla why is Oye Lucky Lucky Oye also so Delhi centric in its story telling and setting?
I am from Delhi so I know the nuances, mannerisms, details and layers. Then to make that entertaining is even more challenging. I have been living in Mumbai since 4-5 years now, so I may decide to set my next movie in Mumbai.
Whose choice was Abhay as the lead of Oye Lucky Lucky Oye?
I have been watching all of Abhay’s movies and I must say that he has impressed me because all he wanted to do was act. He doesn’t want special costumes, dark glasses nothing at all. He just wants to portray characters and get into the skin of characters. No matter what people say about Oye Lucky Lucky Oye, they will surely say Abhay has given a sizzling performance.
Going forward what kind of films do you want to make?
I have scripts of a political thriller film and a period thriller ready with me. Let’s see which I embark on first. The political thriller film talks about how there is no room for dissent in our society. Whether you are right or wrong you will be shouted down and out, an individual’s point of view is not there anymore. It is very intriguing, pacy and has dark humor.
Oye Lucky… is releasing along with small concept movies like Sorry Bhai, Khallballi, Meerabai Not Out on 28 November and many others that follow on 5 December.
Whether big or small, a movie has to work on its own. Fortunately Oye Lucky Lucky Oye has great curiosity because it is a follow up after Khosla Ka Ghosla and marketing is giving us great support.
