“I wish I had made a film like AJAB GAZABB at that time after I made DHOOM 2 instead of setting out to make a KIDNAP” - SANJAY GHADVI

How would you describe your latest film AJAB GAZABB?

AJAB GHAZAB is a full on romantic comedy starring Jackky Bhagnani and Nidhi Subbaiah and based on the relationship between a young boy and a young girl. It is a comedy with a lot of twists and turns, like a thriller.
You seem to take a great delight to make films belonging to different genres?

You can say that, because my filmography is very rare. I made my debut with a film based on rock music long before Farhan Akhtar came up with his own film ROCK ON. Then I set out to make a film called MERE YAAR KI SHAADI on the scale of DILWALE DULHANIYA LE JAYENGE and a full blown action film like DHOOM
You have never made any comedy till date!

My friends in the film industry like Minissha Lamba, Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai used to always tell me that I should do a comedy but it has been a conscious effort on my part not to make a comedy. I always feel that comedy isn’t an easy genre. It isn’t an easy job. I had trained under Anant Balani on how to take the performance from my actors, before I bagged my debut film TERE LIYE, which was a youthful romantic film.
Is AJAB GAZABB an out and out remake of any South Indian film?

My film AJAB GAZABB is a remake of a Telugu film called SEEMA TAPAKAI. It means Urban Firecracker. I liked the Hindi film has shaped and saw it three times. Mayur Puri has written the Hindi adaptation of the film. Since we felt that the sensibilities are different, we made it a point to make a frame to frame Hindi remake.We chose to give it a contemporary Mumbai feel to the films, because we opted for Indianisation. Mayur Puri has also written the Hindi adaptation. Since the sensibilities between the South and the North are different, we decided not to make it a frame to frame copy.
How did you bag the assignment to direct your film?

I always go purely by the story. In fact, I had even suggested some minor changes. We do not know whether WANTED and ROWDY RATHORE clicked because of the stars like Salman Khan or Akshay Kumar respectively, or since the film was a remake, but when I suggested some changes, immediately Vashu Bhagnani told me that I should direct the film.
Why do you think producer Vashu Bhagnani took you on board as the director?

While I was working with YRF, I used to be viewed at as an Uday Chopra specialist since I was portraying a producer’s son well in my film.
Why did you sign on a new face like Nidhi Subbaiah?

We took on a new face like Nidhi Subbaiah frankly because we wanted to make the film in a short period of time, in just two and a half months flat, with new faces, especially sine the Telugu original was made on a small budget for just two and a half crores. On the first day of the shooting of the film itself, we had announced the date of release of the film as October 24. I have made just 6 films till date. As a director, you should know where to draw the line. After DHOOM 2, I did not set out to make as many as 25 films, because I have always believed that a director should always make only one film at a time. A film is like a wife and you cannot have two wives at the same time.
Why do you think KIDNAP did not click at the box office?

I confess that KIDNAP was a half hearted attempt on my part after DHOOM 2. I wish I had made a film like AJAB GAZABB at that time after I made DHOOM 2 instead of setting out to make a KIDNAP. Today when I look back at my career, I have an allergy to the word kidnap.
How crucial will be the success of AJAB GAZABB to you as a filmmaker?

Frankly, I would say that the box office success of AJAB GAZABB will be more crucial to me than the success of all my other films. The reason is that though 30 to 40 films have been made by Yashraj Films and there have been only three all time greats- DHOOM, DHOOM 2 and CHAK DE INDIA, which have had zero influence by YRF, a lot of producers felt that I did not direct DHOOM and DHOOM 2 and did not want to work with me at all.