Rohit Shetty: �A good film is a good film and it works�

[Interview by Faridoon Shahryar]

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

�A good film works at the Box Office and a bad film doesn''t. It�s as simple as that,� says debonair director Rohit Shetty. With his tall-cool-n-lean look, he can pass off as a Hindi Film Hero, but he prefers to be a behind-the-scenes-man. Son, of action man of yesteryears Shetty, Junior is breathlessly looking forward to his fun unlimited � �Golmaal� this July. After a lukewarm response to his debut �Zameen� starring Abhishek Bachchan and Ajay Devgan, Rohit Shetty is back with a Neeraj Vohra written comedy with a bang-on star cast of Ajay Devgan, Arshad Warsi, Sharman Joshi, Tushshar Kapoor, Rimi Sen and Paresh Rawal. IndiaGlitz quizzes the down-to-earth and amiable Rohit Shetty for our readers all over the globe:

What hanky panky can one look forward to in �Golmaal�?

You shall come to know soon enough. But, to give you an outline, it�s a story of four guys Ajay, Arshad, Sharman and Tusshar. They are very good friends. Sharman keeps on failing so that they can retain the hostel room. But when their �badmaashi� gets caught, they are chucked out of the college. Then they get into the house of a blind man and woman as tenants and the hilarious episodes begin.

You started off with an action film like �Zameen� and now your second film is a comedy and that too written by Neeraj Vohra, the man who is riding the hit wave with �Phir Hera Pheri�

Neeraj Ji narrated the story to me one and a half years ago and I liked the script very much. I decided to experiment in the comedy genre. It was a great experience because both Neeraj ji and my self we come from a different school. It was really good working with him.

Ajay Devgan is riding the two bikes once again after �Phool Aur Kaante�. You were the assistant to Kuku Kohli then and you are the director now. What�s the idea in repeating that stunt?

We had it in our mind to present him in this manner. In �Aparahan� and �Shikhar� his last two films he had been presented in a serious manner, so we wanted to give a new look to him. And that two bike stunt has been done with keeping today�s technique in mind. Not only Ajay but even Tusshar, Sharman and Arshad are looking totally different from what they�ve looked so far.

There�s only one heroine Rimi Sen. What is she doing in this boy�s party, or men�s party rather?

Rimi is their next door neighbour and she is also in their group which you come to know later on. Initially it seems that all four are after her. And they are only friends.

You�ve repeated Ajay from your first film, then why not Abhishek, considering there�s a scope for several male leads?

It�s not like that. I am already planning something with Abhishek that I don�t want to reveal as of now. And their dates were not matching.

What were the locations you shot the film in?

Goa, Pune, Bangkok and Bombay

How many days were spent in filming?

Seventy days

You started as an assistant director at the age of 15. Who are some of the directors you assisted?

I started with Kuku Kohli ji�s �Phool Aur Kaante�. Then I assisted him in �Suhag� and �Haqeeqat�. I assisted Anees Bazmee in �Pyaar to Hona Hi Tha�. Then I did all the films coming out from Ajay�s banner like �Hindusthan Ki Kasam�, �Raju Chacha� etc.

Do you think it�s an era of comedies with �No Entry�, �Garam Masala�, �Malamaal Weekly� and now �Phir Hera Pheri� proving to be big hits at the Box Office.

I don�t think it�s true. For �Hera Pheri� came five years ago and was a big hit. At the end of the day, a good film works. �Aparahan� was not a comedy. �Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna� is not a comedy. �Krrish� has had a huge opening and it�s not really a comedy. A good film will always work. For a good film is a good film.

What are your forthcoming projects?

I am doing an action comedy for Ashtvinayak, then I am doing an out and out action film for Balaji which is a big budget film.

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