Lasyapriya Sundaram (BOMBAY TIMES; December 27, 2018)

Filmmaker Rohit Shetty is considered among the most successful directors in Bollywood. In the recent past, his films have hit the bull’s eye at the box office. He is all set to unleash the Ranveer Singh and Sara Ali Khan-starrer, Simmba this week, which, in his own words, is a ‘Rohit Shetty film’, but also deals with a serious issue. In a freewheeling chat with BT, the director spoke about why he chose Ranveer among the newer crop of actors to play the lead in his film, and why he believes that spontaneity doesn’t always work on the set. Excerpts...

The title of your upcoming film, Simmba, reminds us of the popular animated film, The Lion King. The film’s poster is high on Bollywood kitsch. Does it have comic book elements to it as well?
It’s not a direct reference. My chief assistant director (AD) came up with the title. We wanted to come up with a name that would connect with Singham directly. We wondered what Singham’s son would be called, and during that process, we came up with the name, Simmba. The first 45 minutes is a typical Rohit Shetty film and then, it takes a serious turn. It is a massy film, but the issue we are addressing had to be dealt with seriousness.

You have worked with Ajay Devgn and Shah Rukh Khan in the past. And now, when it came to casting an actor from the current crop, what was your reason for choosing Ranveer Singh? You paired him up with Sara Ali Khan, who is fresh on the block ...
While Singham stands for morality, ethics and honesty, Simmba is the opposite. If this story didn’t take a different path, this film would have been about yet another honest cop fighting the system. He is essentially an anti-hero, but nevertheless loveable. I wanted to bring the two brands, Singham and Simmba, together and create a universe of their own. The sutradhar of the film is Ajay Devgn. It’s an action film, and men will lap it up, but Simmba caters to women as well. Ranveer brings a lot of energy on screen, and he has added a lot to the film. Also, nobody from the younger lot of actors has played a hard-core cop. Talking about Sara, we were thinking of casting a new girl and when she got to know about it, she texted me saying that she wants to do the film. But she was already shooting for Kedarnath and I was worried that my film will release before her debut movie.

But then, Abhishek Kapoor (Kedarnath’s director) called me and said that if I wanted to cast her, I should go ahead with it. He also said that I should see what they have shot for Kedarnath. I told him that I will finish Simmba in five months and I didn’t want to take the credit for launching her, as he had already taken on that responsibility. When I met her, she was down to earth and I could see that she had a hunger in her to work.

Considering the fact that Sara has bagged her second film even before the release of her debut, might have triggered talks about nepotism. However, the rave reviews that she garnered for Kedarnathputs the nepotism debate to rest. Isn’t it?
Nepotism is nothing but a spicy article. Why wouldn’t any father help his son or daughter? In fact, if he doesn’t do so, he might have to deal with being called a bad father. Also, all-star kids have not managed to be successful. Till this day, Saif Ali Khan or Amrita Singh have not called me. Amrita ji came on the set for two days and that too, on my insistence. Sara is fighting her own battle.

Be it Golmaal or the Singham franchise,or for that matter Chennai Express— all your films are out-and-out commercial entertainers. Your films cater to a particular segment of the audience...
There is segregation when you talk about the kind of audience who come to watch my films. That’s what makes me successful. When I start writing a script and shooting it, all I keep in my mind is my audience. The people who come to watch my films are the family audience. If I were trying to prove a point, I would not have been here. There are people who will dislike what I do, but I know that there is an audience that loves my cinema. So, you have to come to terms with the fact that a certain section of the audience might not love your films. One can only hope that they like your films at some point. I deal with the problems of the middle class and that’s why my films are termed massy. I can’t solve their problems, but at least, I can entertain them. What I find hypocritical is, when someone curses in English, it is considered cool and not massy. However, when the same curses are in Hindi, the ‘massy’ tag is promptly added. I don’t fear my film being a flop, but I do fear losing the audience that loves my cinema.

In an interview to BT, Ranveer said that you told him,“Tu apne mann se character bana, tu galat jaayega toh main bataoonga.” So, do you give your actors a certain sense of creative freedom on the set and create space for spontaneity?
I am very particular about how I want an actor to perform. The kind of films I make, it is very easy for actors to go overboard as far as comedy is concerned. From being lovable, they can easily become irritating if I don’t give them a certain frame to work within. So, in that sense, I control them. Also, my team of ADs is very strong because many of them are actors as well. Even the spot boy on my set will know the number of scenes that are going to be shot on a particular day and how many shots each scene has required. Everybody is on the same page and that’s why I can make a film in four-and-a-half or five months.

Does that also keep the budget under control?
Not in my case (laughs!). I grew up watching films made on a large scale, I want people to experience the same high that I did as a kid. I want the middle-class guy who spends 10% of his salary to watch films to have a good time.