Whatever topic you make a film on, you explore it in depth. How did you research the bubbly bouncer? And what do you think are the challenges female bouncers have to go through?
Female bouncers have a world of their own. Earlier there were only male bouncers, now female bouncers are also being kept. It is believed that only female bouncers can handle females. I found this idea very interesting, because till now no one has made a film on it. I have always made films on different subjects and I felt that the world of Female Bouncer was hitherto unseen, untold, so show it to the world as a happy, fun film that the whole family can enjoy. The rest, you will see in the film, the challenges these bouncers have to face. It could have been a very serious film too, but I have given it an entertaining and laughable tone. There is humour, satire, romance, relationship story, but there is also a huge angle of women empowerment, how a girl from Haryana comes to Delhi and works as a bouncer in a pub. Seeing this, you will get the feeling of Basu Chatterjee, Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s films.
You said that this is a film to watch with the whole family, so I do not regret that I wish it was released on the big screen, where a lot of people would enjoy it together?
We made this film for OTT only. Like, the last two-and-a-half years went into the Covid pandemic, so after that I wanted people to have a smile on their faces. Of course everyone wants his film to hit the big screen, but we made this film keeping OTT in mind and we wanted people to feel happy when they watch the film. Remember that today a very large section watches movies on OTT. There are many elderly people who do not come to the theatre, so this film is such that everyone can sit and watch with their family.
Till 2012, one of your films used to come every one or two years. But this is just your third film in ten years since 2012. Your last film ‘Indu Sarkar’ came five years ago. What is the reason for this gap?
The reason for this is that after the release of Indu Sarkar in 2017, I took a break of six-eight months. After every film of mine, I take a break because I love to travel. I travel around the world, go to film festivals, read books. This is my nature. Then again, it’s not like there’s a rule that you have to make a film every year. I make films only when I think this film should be made, so after Indu Sarkar when I started working, I was working on three films. There was one huge action film, one serious female oriented film and one Babli Bouncer. I was working on all three, so even writing takes time. Then in 2019, when we started work, it took some time to think about which film to start work on first, only then came the Covid epidemic. After that everything collapsed. We all sat at home. A year and a half went into it. Then when the time was right, Hotstar and Junglee Pictures approached me that the subject of Babli Bouncer is good, we will make it on a good budget, in a good scale and when people were in bad shape during covid, I also wanted one such Make a happy film, which gives happiness to the people. However, in the middle of March 2021, I made another film, India Lockdown, which will release in a month and a half, so I have two films ready. Had it not been for Covid, the India lockdown would have come last year itself.
You have been in Bollywood for three decades. What do you think things have improved in the industry over the years and are they less than before? Like it is said that after the advent of corporate culture, where the industry has technically progressed a lot, now projects are being made instead of films.
Look, I’ve seen even earlier times. I used to do video cassette business, so I have seen this industry since childhood. Technically I have been in the film business since childhood and I used to give video cassettes to big film makers and directors, so there are ups and downs. Today there is a lot of competition, but the platform is also a lot. Today there is so much work on OTT. Earlier there were not so many options. Things have become very streamlined in corporate culture. Otherwise, film making is business. It takes money and everyone wants that if you put a hundred rupees, then two hundred should come back. No one makes a film to give a message. I think we should think about the budget. Those who are big stalwarts of the industry, they will have to sit and think about the price. There has to be a control over the budget. Like, I’ve always made cinema with content, so even if a couple of films haven’t worked, we’ve got our money back. I got accolades for Indu Sarkar, but for me that film is also a huge hit, because we made it in just 6 and a half crores. Then, we sold his satellite, sold the audio and we were at a profit.
What do you consider to be the reason for the kind of negativity that is being seen about the industry these days?
I cannot tell the reason, but social media is a very big medium in itself. If you are praised there, then bad things are also heard. It’s a double-edged sword that you can’t do anything with. Yes, it is definitely that the culture that is canceled, or if something happens, it does make a difference. You need box office. I talked to many theater owners, exhibitors, everyone says that as soon as there is a boycott or something, it is financially hurt.
How did the idea of casting Tamannaah as Babli in the film come about?
Seeing Tamanna’s body language, I felt that this is my bubbly, it will suit the character. Though I had not seen many of his films, except Baahubali, I am glad Tamannaah said that I have re-launched it. This film will prove to be a milestone for him. When you watch the film, you will know how much Tamannaah has evolved as an actor. I believe Babli Bouncer will be a game changer film for Tamannaah just as it was a fashion game changer for Priyanka Chopra and Kangana Ranaut.
Source: navbharattimes.indiatimes.com
: Language Inputs
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