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'I will make sure that Gabbar Is Back has a longer shelf life and a great soul, besides a great run.'
'Akshay Kumar has no insecurities. He did not even colour his beard.'
'This one has nothing to do with Sholay.'
Director Krish talks about his Bollywood debut Gabbar Is Back.
Yet another director from South India has been bitten by the Bollywood bug.
South Indian director Krish (Krish Jagarlamud) -- who has made successful forays into Telugu and Tamil cinema -- makes his Bollywood debut with the Akshay Kumar starrer Gabbar Is Back.
Top: Krish with his Gabbar is Back leading man Akshay Kumar
All his three films, Gamyam, Vedam and Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum have been critically acclaimed have and enjoyed a fairly good run at the box office.
Gabbar Is Back, which stars Akshay Kumar, Shruti Haasan and Kareena Kapoor and is a remake of the A R Murugadoss's Tamil film Ramana, will release on May 1.
In this exclusive chat with Radhika Rajamani at his home in Hyderabad, Krish talks about his Bollywood debut.
How did you feel when you were asked to direct Gabbar Is Back?
I was surprised! I had seen the original (Ramana). It had great soul and a beautiful concept.
I revisited the script and reworked it. We have retained the best sequences.
Although the Tamil film was lengthy, we have ensured the Hindi film is two hours 10 minutes.
Was Murugadoss (who also wrote Ramana) associated with the remake in any way?
No.
Rajat Arora wrote the dialogues and the additional screenplay. I had another associate, Kannan, help me with the writing.
Murugadoss happened to visit Akshay Kumar at Film City (in Goregaon, Mumbai) when the shooting was on.
We told him about the climax and he liked what we had done.
Did you anticipate your Hindi debut would happen so soon?
I am lucky I was called to direct this film.
I got this project because of Bhansali Sir (Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who co-producing the film along with Viacom 18). I was planning to remake my own film Gamyam in Hindi when this happened.
Akshay believed in the narration and I owe him huge (debt of) gratitude for doing so.
You didn’t mind directing a remake as your debut Hindi film?
I had called Keeravani (well known music composer M M Kreem) for something and he said Ramana is a good film and a commercial subject, so I was convinced.
What’s the difference in doing another remake when I was trying to remake my own film in Hindi?
Moreover, I was working with Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Akshay Kumar, so I decided to do it.
Does this film have a message like your three Telugu films?
Yes. Instead of the term ‘message’, I would say ‘something to take home’. I would say soul.
I will make sure it has a longer shelf life and a great soul, besides a great run.
What was it like to direct Akshay Kumar?
It was easy. He is very spontaneous.
His attention to detail is striking. He put on 15 kg for this role. He also grew a beard.
He has no insecurities. He did not even colour his beard. He has maintained the intensity and honesty of this character throughout the film. His eyes reflect that.
He makes the atmosphere on the set light and entertaining.
Was Sanjay Leela Bhansali directly involved with the project?
We narrated the film to him but I told him to trust me on the last half-an-hour.
I said I had a vision that I would show on the screen.
He gave me the go-ahead. This climax, which is almost 30 minutes, is one of the best you've seen on screen.
Bhansali gave me complete freedom to do the film.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali titled this film Gabbar... Why so? Does the film have dialogues from Sholay?
The film has some dialogues that were originally said by Gabbar, but it has nothing to do with Sholay.
When a common man is vexed he takes up the danda (stick). He becomes a vigilante and it takes violent forms.
In the opening scene, Akshay Kumar’s character is writing an anonymous letter to the police commissioner. He wonders about the name he should sign off with.
Sholay is playing on the television. So he takes the name of Gabbar as a brand name for that mission.
How did you adapt the film to suit Hindi audiences' sensibilities?
We've made the film keeping the audiences' sensibilities and Akshay Kumar’s body language and image in mind.
His films can’t be dark; we expect them to be entertaining.
Gabbar Is Back is a fun film despite being a thriller drama.
It was challenging yet exciting to direct and debut with this film.
The soul of the original film is intact though.
Did you have to work on your Hindi?
Yes. I saw a lot of saas-bahu serials!
What was it like directing a Hindi film and working in another industry?
There is no difference.
I signed the film in January 2013. I stayed in Mumbai since then. I also directed some television commercials.
The biggest advantage is Akshay Kumar, who infused discipline in all of us. He is a role model from whom I learnt a lot.
He starts the day early in the morning. Not a single day is unorganised.
The day is also fun-filled as Akshay Sir is a bit of a prankster. We would not be tired even after a day’s work and would be looking forward to shooting the next day.
There was no pressure because it was my debut.
Tell us about Shruti Haasan's character.
She plays a junior lawyer, a bubbly, cantankerous woman.
She has performed very well. Her transformation from that bubbly character to a serious one is impressive.
What were the challenges you faced while shooting this film?
Surprisingly, none. It was only keeping up with Akshay Sir’s energy!
The film has taken a long time in the making. Where did you shoot it?
We finished it in quick sessions. And then the post-production was done.
We were waiting for the right release date. May 1 was decided as it was holiday time and also a long weekend.
The film was shot in Mumbai, Pune and Lavasa (near Pune).
Are there action sequences in the film?
Yes, there are some good action sequences. No ropes, cables or computer graphics were used in them.
Every fight was done by Akshay Sir himself. Since he is trained in martial arts, his precision is good and he is effortless in what he does.
How were the confrontation scenes between Akshay Kumar and Suman (who plays the antagonist)?
Those are the best parts. For such a story you need a strong villain.
Suman has a large body of work. Both Akshay and Suman are trained in martial arts.
They are strong artists and their timing is good. So it is a feast for the eyes.
Kareena Kapoor has a cameo in the film.
Yes, we thank her for doing that. Since she and Akshay have done quite a few films together, they have an exciting chemistry.
So, on the whole, how was it directing your first Hindi film?
It was good. The film will have a nationwide release.
There are big stars and hence there will be a huge reach. That is exciting.
What did you take home from Gabbar Is Back?
At a personal level, I learnt how to be disciplined from Akshay Sir. He told me we will have the script readings at six and asked me if he should call me at five.
I said since it’s only 6 pm, it wouldn’t be necessary. He replied that it was 6 am!
That’s his dedication.
The other thing is planning. A lot of planning is done for a Hindi film. In the South we do plan, but it is not of the same kind.
Have you been approached to direct other Hindi films?
I am reading a couple of scripts but it all depends on how this film does.
I would love to do Gamyam in Hindi.