Sholay looks very different, visually, from your own style. Sure it's artfully framed, but this film looks particularly classical, with lots of wide shots, and an almost Sergio Leone (Italian filmmaker) feel at some points. Was this a deliberate styling decision?
Yeah. The reason for it is at that point of time, Sholay was a certain benchmark: the way it was shot, the frames, the sound editing techniques, the editing cuts etc. Everything about it was just updated, it went years ahead of the style of filmmaking at that time.
So I was very clear with Amit (Roy), my DOP (Director Of Photography) that the least we should achieve is to create a visual style that has not been seen before. At least on intention; whether we can or whether audiences like it is another point. That is for the people to see it and say. But we as technicians should have that thought behind our heads.
Do you feel compromised by the name thing? Calling him Baban doesn't have quite the same ring to it...
Yes and no. The point is when I said other films are possibly closer to Sholay, that's the truth... but for me Sholay is not a story at all. Sholay is too many things. Like I said, the background score, the editing techniques... the characters were so clear that you still remember their names. That intention for me... all those things I learnt there. What I absorbed on and off screen, all that for me is Sholay. It's not truly about who is Soorma Bhai, etc -- that's just 10 percent of what is Sholay for me.
So that's why I wanted to name the film Sholay. Why I wanted to call it Ram Gopal Varma Ke Sholay (laughs) is because it's my interpretation of it. So I'm owning up to it in case I'm making a mistake. (Laughs) Mera galti hai.
But obviously, because of this whole court thing we couldn't wait indefinitely, so we decided to change the title. So then this is the film and this is the title and this is the promo: you like it, you come and see it; you don't like it, tough luck.
Also read: Meet Jai from the new Sholay
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