�Mallika and Paresh always made fun of Rahul�- Sanjay Chhel

[Interview by Joginder Tuteja]

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Ideas can be life-changing. Sometimes all you need to open the door is just one more good idea.
Sanjay Chhel is one man who has always kept open the doors of his imagination and transformed his ideas into reality. He is a multitalented person who has been a successful writer, director and lyricist for over a decade and has already left an ineffaceable mark in the Hindi Film industry by giving away numerous hits in his long journey.
Sanjay has a unique combination of having his roots in Gujrati-Hindi theatre, popular trend setting television writing and a strong base in Indian literature. Sanjay is currently working for Percept Picture Company as a writer cum director for their upcoming cross culture comedy

It has been a long journey from Television to direction. Tell us something about your journey?

I have a background in Gujarati theatre; I have done Gujarati plays and short stories. After that I became assistant director. I had written for about 1000 episodes for more than 35 popular TV shows and talk shows like Nukkad, Filmi Chakkar, hamari Bahu Malini Iyer, Philips Top Ten etc. Gradually I started writing films. I had penned down few songs in films also. Then I became a director.

Isn�t it quite difficult for you to handle all the stuff like directing, scripting, lyrics and all?

I don�t find it difficult to handle all the stuff; on the contrary, it keeps me more engaged in film making. Everything comes in my creative arena. I enjoy it. I have this thinking that who writes the script almost directs the film in his mind. Same can be said for lyrics.

Tell us about your forthcoming film �Man Gaye Mughal-E-Azam� and why the name �Man Gaye Mughal-E-Azam�?

It�s a very contemporary comedy. It has Paresh Rawal, Mallika Sherawat, KK and Rahul Bose. I am the director, lyricist and script writer of this film. Anu Malik has given the music in this film. I am very happy the way film has taken shape. It is very different from my previous films.
When you will see the film you will come to know. I would like to say that it�s not a spoof of legend MUGHAL-E-AAZAM. But it has a strong reference of Mughal-E-Azam.

Any funny incident which you would like to share with us?

There are lots of things. Mallika is very funny on the sets. Both Mallika and Paresh always make fun of Rahul by pulling his leg. And especially she has very special way of saying �salaam� like Anaarkali when she comes on the sets. All these things are very funny. It is a total comedy. But it has a social relevance.

Why did you opt for Rahul and Mallika for this film?

I had seen their earlier film in which they were together, and I thought that they share perfect chemistry and are much suited for this film. Mallika is a very smart actress and full of life and Rahul is methodical and from different kind of cinema. The two have very opposite kind of tendency which makes it interesting to watch.

In Man Gaye Mughal e Azam, you have the greatest song of the history �pyaar kiya to darna kya�. How different is song from the classic song?

The song will be presented in a completely different format. I had written the lyrics and Anu Malik has composed it. The song 'Pyar kiya toh darna kya' is one of the greatest songs in the history of Indian films. No one can ever make such a beautiful song nor can anyone copy Madhubala or even forget her performance in the song, I don�t want to say much. You will have to see the film.
As the film is a comedy hence the song has many funny lines in it and the song is not meant to hurt anyone,

What are your another upcoming projects?

Aziz Mirza�a �Kismet Konnection� starring Shahid Kapur and Vidya Balan is my next venture. I had done the screenplay of the movie and written the dialogues for the film.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

My inspiration is simple ideas which come in my mind. I am surrounded by a lot of bad people. I have seen bad things in society. I resist all the bad things that happen to me. By writing such kind of films, there is an element of fantasy. When some one does not have a great life, they fantasize about a good life.

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