Rohan Sippy: �I hope I can always work with Abhishek�

[Interview by Faridoon Shahryar]

Friday, June 16, 2006

A prodigal son does his colossal father proud. Yes, that�s the story of Indian Cinema�s giant Ramesh Sippy whose son Rohan Sippy is reckoned as one of the hottest directors after the innovative treatment he meted out to his Abhishek Bachchan � Priyanka Chopra starrer �Bluffmaster� that did well at the Box Office. His debut vehicle �Kuch Na Kaho� (Abhishek - Aishwarya) may have failed to create an impact, but that didn�t stop him from experimenting with the format of the storyline in his next. He recently turned a producer with Milan Luthria�s acclaimed �Taxi No. 9 2 11�. And as the �Bluffmaster� is ready for its world premiere on Star Plus this Sunday (18th June), IndiaGlitz gets into a freewheeling interview with the whizkid director with an unconventional sense of humor and a handle bar moustache resembling Australian fast bowler Merve Hughes:

How did the idea for �Bluffmaster� germinate?

It was something that happened suddenly. Abhishek came out of the blue and told me that �Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna� has been delayed by four months and we can shoot a quickie during that time. It was an overnight notice. We raced forward. Luckily we got to shoot Mumbai in monsoon. It was also a great experience working with Nana, Boman, Priyanka and Riteish.

The selection of music score was unconventional

I decided to put music I love. We recorded only one new song that was �Right Here Right Now�. Apart from that all the songs were versions that I liked. As for Abhishek�s numbers, then both of us have similar taste in music. In fact it turned out to be the icing on the cake. Vishal-Shekhar did a great job of compiling the whole music.

You even appeared in one of the promotional videos

(Laughs) Abhishek asked me to be a part of the video.

There were different versions regarding its fate at the Box Office. While some analysts say that it did reasonably well others say it didn�t do too well

Reports that I have is that it�s a very good success. It was an economically made film. In the �Sabse Favorite Kaun� contest organized by Star Gold, �Bluffmaster� was rated as the fourth most popular film of the year beating some of the big films.

�Bluffmaster� is an intelligently written film

Full credit goes to writer Sridhar Raghavan. He is a very talented writer who understands that the audience today is very intelligent.

What about Taxi No 9 2 11? You turned a producer with this unusual film that did well at the Box Office

Taxi was an unusual film and it ran very well. It�s great that audience wants to see new things.

What about your next directorial venture?

Sridhar is writing it for me and I�ve spoken to Abhishek to star in it.

Your first film �Kuch Na Kaho� didn�t do well but with �Bluffmaster� you are being reckoned as the next big thing. Your thoughts on this evolution

With each film you learn something. The day I start my next film I�ll be nervous and I�ll learn new things. And then these are very exciting times as people are ready for films with different forms of expression.

Karan Johar says he has to have Shahrukh Khan in all his films. Do you intend to having Abhishek in everything that you do?

I have a very good rapport with Abhishek and I hope I can always work with him. But it doesn�t eliminate the possibility of working with other actors.

Your thoughts about your father Ramesh Sippy

He is my film school. I look up to him as someone who is a complete technician. My basic appeal of filmmaking comes from him.

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