‘I’ll Keep on Making Bollywood Films’

You had to leave the country after receiving extortion threats. Any plans of returning?Well, let me clarify that I am an NRI, based in Los A...

You had to leave the country after receiving extortion threats. Any plans of returning?
Well, let me clarify that I am an NRI, based in Los Angeles. It’s unfortunate I had to leave, but I have managed to keep in touch. I keep on coming to India because my father has not been keeping well. If you ask me whether I plan to come back, the answer is no because I like my life abroad. But I’ll keep on making Bollywood films. I don’t plan to venture into Hollywood or anything because I understand our films better. And I am always an Indian at heart.

Your latest venture Asambhav has been extensively shot abroad. Was that financially challenging?
I’ve shot the entire film in and around Switzerland, in Locarno to be exact. I liked the location and the area suits the script also. I’ve only done three set works in India. Definitely, the location took a toll financially but that’s okay. The budget of the film is Rs 15 crore.

The promos of Asambhav have many multiple screens. What inspired the innovation?
I’ve tried something in the edit pattern of the film and have used multiple screens or layer concept, as they say in Hollywood. I’ve used multiple cameras and taken different angles of the same shot in a few action sequences.

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Your films—from Tridev to Pyar Ishq Aur Mohabbat—have all been multi-starrers. Asambhav has only Arjun Rampal. Won’t the audience feel let down?
I know people expect big actors and multi-starrers from me. But I also believe that very few people have long memories. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if you have a half actor, one actor or 25 actors. It all boils down to having a good actor.

This is your second film with Rampal. How does he excite the director in you?
When I used Arjun in the first film (Pyar Ishq Aur Mohabbat), I had a feeling he would make a better action hero than a romantic hero. I probably didn’t use him correctly. I was excited to make an action thriller with him. He is physically fit, has the right body language and, hopefully, it will show in Asambhav.

You’ve repeated Naseeruddin Shah for the fourth time. What’s the magic formula?
There’s really nothing magical about it. It’s a two-way street. We share a fine rapport and have also tasted success together. Naseer deserves a lot more from the industry than he has been getting. People ask me if he’s a difficult actor. I don’t think he is difficult, but he is definitely choosy.

How did you convince Naseer to go blond?
Actually, he gave me the idea. Then he got cold feet. He felt it might look odd. But I was like, you already have grey hair, might as well have it blond.

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You’ve cast a lot of models in Asambhav. How come?
Yeah, we have Shawar Ali, Chetan Hansraj, Dipannita Sharma and Anupama Verma. But that’s because they suited the roles. It’s not that my film has anything to do with a fashion show or something.

Will your wife Sonam act again?
I don’t think acting is even 1 per cent on her mind. And that’s been the case since our marriage. I’ve also not tried to convince her otherwise.