Showing posts with label Mahesh Manjrekar interview. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mahesh Manjrekar interview. Show all posts
Star power is not the problem, dependence on it is-Mahesh Manjrekar
9:37 AM
Debarati S Sen (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 11, 2026)
Actor-director Mahesh Manjrekar believes Hindi cinema is in the middle of a reset, driven by audiences who now expect more than surface-level spectacle. Drawing from a career that spans films like Vaastav and extensive work in regional cinema, he says the shift was bound to happen.
Content over spectacle
“Cinema is in a phase of correction. For years, scale was mistaken for substance,” he observes. Today’s viewers, he adds, are no longer satisfied with visual grandeur alone. “They want emotion with spectacle, not spectacle without emotion. A film must have a heartbeat before it has fireworks,” he adds.
Referring to Vaastav, he points out that what endures is sincerity. “Truth travels. Even today, the films that stay are the ones rooted in human conflict,” he says.
The star system debate
Manjrekar does not dismiss the importance of stars but questions the industry’s reliance on them. “Star power is not the problem. Dependence on it is,” he says, noting that memorable stars emerge from well-written characters. When writing falters, audiences turn to familiar faces for assurance. He contrasts this with regional cinema, where storytelling often takes precedence. “The industry doesn’t limit diverse narratives, fear does,” he remarks.
Theatre vs screen
On whether theatre-trained actors get their due, he admits a gap still exists. “Cinema today often casts for visibility before ability. However, with the rise of digital platforms, performance-driven casting is gaining ground. Respect for craft always returns. It may take time, but authenticity cannot be sidelined forever,” he says.
The audiences have convinced themselves that Marathi films are not worth watching-Mahesh Manjrekar
8:26 AM
Mihir Bhanage (BOMBAY TIMES; July 31, 2022)
The South v/s Hindi films debate has been prominent in many industry-related conversations of late. However, there’s been no discussion about the impact it has had on smaller, regional industries. On Friday, speaking at an event in Pune, filmmaker Mahesh Manjrekar minced no words as he called out the audience for their biased attitude towards Marathi films. While addressing a question about his film’s story and setting, Manjrekar also spoke about how he hoped that the Marathi audience would start coming to theatres to watch films.
“It’s not that good films aren’t made in Marathi. But where are the viewers? You are entitled to an opinion, but to create that opinion, at least watch the film once. The audiences have convinced themselves that Marathi films are not worth watching and that’s extremely sad especially when makers are trying their best to give different experiences to viewers,” he said, adding, “But they will watch films like KGF. I am not downplaying the success of the KGF franchise; the makers did a splendid job of creating a buzz around it and they raked in the money. The Kannada industry was struggling, but today, Kannada films are being released across the country because of the success of KGF. Can’t we do the same with Marathi cinema? That’s really something to think about. Marathi films have good content, but no viewers. And the cycle continues.”
Manjrekar has been vocal about various concerns of the industry. In the past, the lack of promotion of Marathi films was looked at as a primary reason behind the lesser reach. When asked about the same, the filmmaker said, “I don’t think that’s a concern anymore. A decent Marathi film spends close to Rs. 2 crore on film promotions. This includes on-ground events, collaborations, press conferences etc. Despite all this, the box-office returns are abysmal. Until that improves, there’s nothing that can be done.”
I lost my bladder as a result of my ignorance-Mahesh Manjrekar
8:22 AM
Sugandha Rawal (HINDUSTAN TIMES; February 4, 2022)
It took actor-filmmaker Mahesh Manjrekar four years to discover the true cause of his overactive bladder — high-grade bladder cancer. “I had been treating it for a long time, thinking it was an age-related issue,” recalls Manjrekar on World Cancer Day, adding, “After about four years of torture, when I passed blood in my urine, I had my tests done and found out that I had high-grade bladder cancer.”
Manjrekar, who continued directing Antim: The Final Truth (2021) after his diagnosis and even during treatment, emphasises on the importance of early detection in the fight against the disease. He shares, “After the age of 40, I would advise people to have regular checkups. Not to treat any disease, but to check on your well-being. I lost my bladder as a result of my ignorance.”
The 63-year-old reveals that he underwent over 11 hours of surgery to remove lymph nodes, and adds that he never lost hope even once during the ordeal. “One can die from malaria or dengue too. So, why do we presume that (one will die) once you get cancer and lose all hope? I treated it like any other disease,” shares Manjrekar.
He feels one should maintain distance from people who grieve about the diagnosis of cancer and shares, “People who come to sympathise with you, tell them to go home.”
He continues, “Family and friends should be extremely supportive and not come home and cry ki ‘kya hua, kaise hua’.”
The multi-award winning filmmaker, who is cancer-free now, says he no longer takes his health for granted. “Once bitten, twice shy. A yearly checkup, tests, and a PET scan would simply help you in the long run,” Manjrekar ends.
If Antim works, I will approach Salman Khan with bolder content and different subjects-Mahesh Manjrekar
8:15 AM
Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; November 18, 2021)
After a gap of over 10 years, Mahesh Manjrekar returned to directing Hindi films. The actor-filmmaker, who has a string of projects lined up in Marathi and Hindi, stepped in to helm Antim: The Final Truth, a remake of the Marathi film Mulshi Pattern (2018) that featured him in a pivotal role. In a chat with BT, Mahesh talks about how he convinced Salman Khan to break the mould, why he feels Aayush Sharma has Sanjay Dutt-like qualities and more. Excerpts:
Mahesh, you shot Antim: The Final Truth during a very challenging phase of your life — it was at the time when you were battling cancer. At what stage of the shoot did you discover your health condition?
For two years, I was actually getting myself treated for a condition, an overactive bladder. But when I underwent a cystoscopy, I was anticipating that it might turn out to be cancer. I knew that I would have to undergo chemotherapy and surgery, post which I would need a few months to recuperate. In my case, the chemotherapy didn’t affect me much. I needed three months to recuperate post-surgery, so I wrapped up most of the work on the film. We didn’t want anyone to know that I had been diagnosed with cancer, but a few days post my surgery, the word spread.
It was out of the blue that I had some sort of an attack, which triggered extensive treatment. I had to take a gap in the shoot for treatment. I had to let Salman and Aayush know that I was diagnosed with cancer. Salman advised me to go abroad and get it treated, but I decided to get myself treated here. Salman was very concerned, but when he saw that I was okay with the treatment, he came around it, too.
Antim: The Final Truth is the remake of Mulshi Pattern, in which you had featured. What drew you to direct the Hindi remake?
Around five years ago, I acted in Mulshi Pattern, directed by my friend Pravin Tarde. Pravin was to direct the remake, but then, he moved out of the project. Eventually, Salman offered me the film. I agreed, but on the condition that I would write it, too. Even when I was working in Mulshi Pattern, I had a different perspective on the story. I had to hold myself back from expressing my opinions to Pravin at that time because he was the director, and it had to be his vision. So, this time, when the film came to me, I first spoke to Pravin and then took on the film. I wrote the movie with my take on it and started shooting.
How different was your take on the story from what was seen in Mulshi Pattern?
The story revolves around a young gangster and a cop who is against the gangsters and wants to wipe them out of the scene. The officer wants law and order to prevail, and then there are powers that try to stop him. The film builds on the clash between Salman and Aayush, two ideologically opposite individuals. The cop’s role in the original movie was not all that long. However, when I thought about the clash in the new version, I felt that the cop’s role needed to be longer. The approach to the narrative was also going to be realistic because I don’t make fantasies. I spoke to Salman and he agreed on a few of the pointers that I suggested. One of them was that I wanted the action to be raw and real, which meant no one would hang from cables, no flying in the air kind of action and nothing unreal. It had to be more of hand-to-hand, regular action. The characters look like they belong to Maharashtra. Aayush’s introduction scene is a high-power scene in which he is wearing a ganji in Govinda style. Salman was a bit concerned about it, but he agreed when I told him why it was necessary to have him look that way.
While Salman is playing a police officer, his role in this film seems to be fairly different from the parts he has done before. Did you specifically focus on bringing out a persona of Salman’s that the audience has not seen before?
I had to tell Salman upfront that what he was doing to himself was pushing him into a professional graveyard. It happens when an actor gets stuck in the rut of trying to serve what the audience wants. I told him that we should try and do something different. The thing with fans is that they love an actor in a role, but if they see him do it too often and for too long, then they start getting irritated. An actor feels forced to do what their fans like. When we decided to make this film in a realistic space, I had to ensure that we didn’t lose track.
I’ve seen that in our films, actors want to enact their lines. When the script says ‘angry’, actors want to shout, whereas I feel that emphasising or shouting does not underline the anger a character is feeling. I made him underplay the lines.
Aayush’s debut film was an all-out romantic film. Did you have to convince him to step out of his comfort zone?
In Aayush, I had seen a kind of fire in his eyes, although he has an innocent face, which is a deadly combination. When Aayush and I started working together, I told him to be honest to the genre. I had seen a kind of restlessness in Sanjay Dutt’s eyes back in the day; I see the same thing in Aayush today. I had advised Aayush to stay as close to the original film as possible to get the tone of his character right. I asked him to follow my instructions to the T, and he did. What you see in the trailer is not even a percentage of what that boy has delivered. In reality, I had seen characters like what Aayush has played in this film when I used to do theatre in Pune. Aayush has tremendous screen presence and control. I refrained from giving him anything typical — song, dance, romance. No tropes of commercial films, and he has come out shining.
What made you bring about this change in Salman and Aayush?
Today, I have evolved as a director, but I am also scared when I see how brilliant and prepared the younger directors are. I feel like I need to be better prepared to compete with them. World cinema has come into our living rooms. There is a new kind of audience thanks to multiplexes and other avenues. Today, actors like Salman and Shah Rukh Khan have to do something different to evolve. Aamir Khan, for instance, has evolved with a careful choice of characters. Tere Naam is one of those rare Salman films where you see how deeply he can immerse himself into a character. He has done something out of the box previously, he just needs to do it more now. With Antim, Salman and Aayush are tapping into a lesser-known territory. If this film works, I will approach him with bolder content and different subjects. I hope people accept the film because then Salman will believe that people are ready to accept him in a new avatar.
I didn’t want any Salman giri in Antim-Mahesh Manjrekar
8:25 AM
Stating that his sensibilities don’t align with masala films of Bollywood, director Mahesh Manjrekar discusses making Khan-led Antim raw and gritty
Uma Ramasubramanian (MID-DAY; November 16, 2021)
It’s surprising, and might we add refreshing, when Mahesh Manjrekar opens the conversation with: “I didn’t want any Salman-giri in the film, or what people typically expect from him.” This, when many filmmakers in Bollywood are happy to sell their movies on a singular factor — Salman Khan. But Manjrekar had envisioned Antim: The Final Truth as a gritty and honest film.
“I wanted [Salman to play] a regular cop who wants to do his duty, but is handicapped due to the forces above him. I wanted that helplessness in him, and Salman brought that on [screen].”
While Manjrekar has long been friends with the actor, the actioner — an adaptation of the Marathi hit, Mulshi Pattern (2018) — marks his first directorial venture featuring Khan. “[On the set], it was the director-actor relationship. I was not there to butter him up by saying ‘Yeh badiya hai’. I was his friend who’d tell him the right [from] the wrong. I was honest with him all along.”
The filmmaker adds that he agreed to helm the film on a condition. “I told Salman that I will write the film. That was my first victory. After I wrote it, there were some apprehensions about selling a movie that didn’t have a heroine opposite Salman. So, I included a heroine’s part and two songs. Later, Salman decided that he didn’t want a heroine or the song. That was my second victory.”
Manjrekar, the mind behind Vaastav (1999) and Astitva (2000), says his sensibilities don’t align with the masala films of Hindi cinema. “I try to make good cinema. That’s why I have not done [too many] Hindi films because people here know [how to make] commercial cinema. Today, people want to see content. If there is a star with it, that’s a bonus.”
It was Salman Khan's idea to give the Antim character a turban-Mahesh Manjrekar
8:24 AM
Antim director discusses creating a distinct look for Khan to set it apart from his previous cop roles
Uma Ramasubramanian (MID-DAY; November 2, 2021)
How do you make Salman Khan’s role distinct from the plethora of cop characters he has played on screen before? That was Mahesh Manjrekar’s foremost concern when he started giving shape to Antim: The Final Truth that sees the superstar as a morally upright police officer. “He has played a cop in so many films — the Dabangg series, Wanted [2009], Garv [2004] and Radhe. So, Salman and I sat down to discuss how to make this character different. It was his idea to give the character a turban. Salman decided to grow his beard; he was [against the idea of] wearing a fake beard because it restricts one’s facial movements and affects the performance. He took a lot of trouble to do justice to the role,” says the director, evidently pleased with his leading man’s commitment to the project.
The actioner, an adaptation of Marathi hit Mulshi Pattern (2018), sees Aayush Sharma as a gangster whose criminal activities catch the attention of Khan’s cop. Manjrekar developed the cop as an all-white character, an antithesis to Sharma’s grey role. “He is an honest inspector who places duty above everything else.”
The director will remember the shoot of Antim for personal reasons — he was diagnosed with bladder cancer during filming, and underwent surgery in August. “I was being treated for overactive bladder for the past one-and-a-half years. [But earlier this year], I started bleeding. Before the doctors could tell me, I knew I had cancer,” says the filmmaker, who continued shooting as he underwent four rounds of chemotherapy.
“I couldn’t have waited till after the operation to finish the film. I had a three-month window before the surgery, where I had to undergo the chemo. I don’t know if it was my willpower, but I felt fine shooting the film [at the time].”
I could have saved my bladder if I started treatment for cancer one and a half years ago-Mahesh Manjrekar
8:02 AM
Titas Chowdhury (HINDUSTAN TIMES; November 1, 2021)
What seemed to be a benign condition turned out to be bladder cancer for director Mahesh Manjrekar. And in August this year, he underwent a surgery. He tells us, “I was undergoing treatment for overactive bladder for one and a half years. But one day, during the shoot of Antim: The Final Truth, I started bleeding. So, I had to get it checked. Turned out I had cancer all the while. I could have saved my bladder if I started treatment for cancer one and a half years ago.”
The actor-filmmaker went through four rounds of chemotherapy for three months, as the shoot for Antim: The Final Truth continued. “Salman (Khan; actor) insisted that I go abroad and get the treatment done. But, I trusted our doctors here. I wasn’t too affected by chemo and thought that I might as well finish the film. I anyway needed three months to recuperate after the surgery,” he shares.
He, however, chose to keep his illness hidden from the public eye. Talking about it, the 63-year-old says, “I had instructed everyone around me to not talk about it. So many people get cancer. I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. It could also have appeared as if I’m asking for sympathy.”
As for the film, Manjrekar, along with the team, was all set for its digital release. But it was at that point that the announcement to reopen cinemas came about. “We thought that if the film releases digitally, everybody will be safe, because there will be nothing to lose. It wasn’t one of those films for which we weren’t getting buyers. It’s a big-budget film, but the money involved isn’t humongous. But Salman took a stand and said that it should release in theatres,” says the filmmaker.
We are planning to release Antim on Diwali-Mahesh Manjrekar
8:11 AM
Convinced that Antim is meant for big-screen experience, director Manjrekar hopes Maharashtra theatres reopen by October as he eyes festival outing for Salman-starrer
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; September 24, 2021)
The idea of Antim: The Final Truth playing out on a laptop screen is inconceivable to director Mahesh Manjrekar. He is of the firm opinion that the actioner, which sees Salman Khan in his element as a no-nonsense honest cop who locks horns with Aayush Sharma’s gangster, can only be done justice to on the big screen.
The director reveals he is eyeing a festival release, as he says, “Antim is a film meant for the theatres. If cinemas open in Maharashtra by October — and it’s high time they did — we are planning to release Antim on Diwali. It is a film that [is targeted at the] Maharashtra territory.”
The original material — the Marathi hit, Mulshi Pattern (2018) — had found favour among the single-screen audience, and Manjrekar says his adaptation too is designed for the masses. “We are not thinking of releasing it on OTT platforms right now. The middle-class and lower-middle class audiences make films super hits by going to the theatres. This movie represents them, so I know it will do well in cinemas.”
While movie halls have reopened across several states, the Maharashtra government appears to be wary of the move. This hasn’t gone down well with a section of the film fraternity. “I feel silly when I see crowded trains, buses, and marketplaces. Why are theatres continuing to remain shut? There are so many daily-wage earners whose livelihood depends on cinema, not to mention the staff at the theatres. If this goes on for long, the single-screen cinemas will have to close down,” rues, Manjrekar, before adding emphatically for effect, “I will stage a dharna if theatres are not opened soon.”
The movie, also starring Pragya Jaiswal, marks the director’s first collaboration with Khan. “I told Salman, ‘Don’t act, just let go’. He has become the character. Aayush too has done an exceptional job. When Salman approached me to direct the film, I was as excited about it as I was when I helmed Vaastav [1999].”
It was wonderful to be in the same frame as Saiee in Dabangg 3. I felt proud and emotional-Mahesh Manjrekar
7:49 AM
Manjrekar on sharing frame with daughter Saiee in Salman’s Dabangg 3
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; July 18, 2019)
While his character as an alcoholic and father to Sonakshi Sinha’s Rajjo was written off in Dabangg, Mahesh Manjrekar will return to Salman Khan’s franchise yet again in the upcoming third instalment, part of which is a prequel to the first edition. The actor confirms to mid-day that this offering will see him share screen space with his daughter, Saiee, who features as a young Chulbul Pandey’s love interest.With Dabangg 3 chronicling Chulbul’s journey to becoming a cop, Manjrekar too will slip into a young avatar.
The actor, who is currently filming for the offering in Phaltan, tells mid-day, “I reprise my role of Haria. It’s a cameo which is there to establish Chulbul’s journey. I had one scene with Saiee and Salman, and it was wonderful to be in the same frame as my daughter. I felt proud and emotional.”
The development comes after Manjrekar featured in a Marathi venture with his youngest daughter, Gauri Ingawale. “This year, I have acted with both my daughters. There were reports that my elder daughter Ashwami was in Dabangg 3, but she is a chef, and never wanted to be an actor. She assisted me for a while on Viruddh (2005). She would have been a fantastic director, but she never wanted to be in films. Saiee has always wanted to be an actress.”
Manjrekar’s son, Satya, 24, also harbours acting aspirations. “But he has to learn the ropes of the profession.”
Gauri, meanwhile, is pursuing a bachelors degree in dance. “She’s the best actress in the world. I have just directed her in the Marathi film, Pandhrun, which will release in Diwali. It’s a period film set in the ’60s. She plays a 16-year-old child widow.”
It was during a reality show in Satara that Manjrekar first saw Gauri, and decided to take her under his wing as her guardian. “I saw great promise in her. I don’t know if she is a better dancer or actor. Her parents are there, and she visits them during her holidays. I told them that she had a great future, and she wouldn’t be able to have that if she continued to stay in Satara. Since then, she has been with us.”
Khan’s producer-brother Arbaaz also returns as Makkhanchand Pandey in Dabangg 3, which is being helmed by Prabhudheva.
Salman Khan to launch Mahesh Manjrekar's daughter Ashwami
8:02 AM
Filmmaker on his kids’ B’wood plans, another collaboration with the actor, why he is more low-key than his peers and his next, an ode to The Godfather
Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 24, 2018)
While Mahesh Manjrekar has featured in several Salman Khan-starrers, including Ready, Jai Ho, Bodyguard and the two Dabangg films, his long-time friendship with the 52-year-old actor transcends the screen. The filmmaker has been among the first responders every time Salman hit a low, while the actor took his son, Satya Manjrekar, under his wings early on. Now, he is working on launching Mahesh’s daughter, Ashwami.
The National Award-winning filmmaker confirms the news, saying, “Yes, Salman is launching my daughter. It will happen in some time. We’ll cross the bridge when we get to it.” He describes his friend as the “most warm-hearted person in the industry,” adding, “We have always bonded well. Salman is the most rooted person I have come across, a complete middle-class man in his head. He knows that I am not in awe of him, and that makes our bond special.”
The duo was to reunite for the Hindi remake of Mahesh’s 2010 Marathi directorial, Shikshanacha Aaicha Gho, with him as the director, and Salman as producer. But Mahesh reveals that the project is on hold for now. “For the lead, Salman wanted Govinda, who had apprehensions about the role, so things didn’t work out,” he reveals, addressing the film’s similarity to the Irrfan Khan-starrer Hindi Medium. “Our remake was planned much before Hindi Medium released. We will make it in the future as this subject is close to my heart. I honestly think our education system sucks,” he asserts.
Mahesh is gearing up for the release of his next, Bhai: Vyakti Ki Valli, the biopic of renowned Marathi writer-humourist P L Deshpande, structured as a two-film franchise with both films releasing 45 days apart. He acknowledges the risks of splitting a film in two but explains that when they started shooting, they realised it is not possible to capture Deshpande’s life in two hours, hence the decision to make it in two parts. “I don’t really think about numbers while making a film. The films will release in succession as I don’t want my audience to forget the world of this man. I have faith in their love for P L Deshpande and confident that they would like the film,” he maintains, adding that Deshpande is known for his wit, so obviously his film has a lot of humour. “But its real USP is that the protagonist is not a larger-than-life person,” he points out, adding that he hopes film writers won’t make a mess of the biopic genre. “We are 20 years behind Hollywood and slowly getting out of the hero-heroine-villain-vamp templates. We have realised that there are many good stories to be told.”
He may have delivered some acclaimed titles as a director in Bollywood, but he remains a low-key name. Mahesh attributes it to a lack of a good PR. “I prefer my films to do the talking and I am proud of my work,” he states, acknowledging that the industry thrives on box office numbers. “I don’t have the figures to make headlines. I am happy to direct the films I love, and I would want to be remembered for my films and not the numbers.”
Mahesh, whose 2000 Tabu-starrer Astitva won a National Award for Best Feature Film, believes that his Marathi directorial Natsamrat, featuring Nana Patekar, and Kakshparsh, with Sachin Khedekar, also deserved the prestigious prize. “But the jury don’t seem to like me. If not the film, Nana definitely deserved to win,” he avers.
True to his low-key form, Mahesh informs that he recently wrapped up his next Hindi film, which is on the lines of The Godfather. “It was a dream to direct this film since early 2000s. I finally got it out of my system. It is a big film with prominent stars and it is an ode to Godfather,” he says, refusing to divulge more.
I was told that I could make it to the Mumbai team but I left cricket in a fit of anger-Mahesh Manjrekar
8:13 AM
Mahesh Manjrekar talks about playing coach of acricket team in Netflix’s Selection Day
Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; December 22, 2018)
Mahesh Manjrekar makes his digital debut in the upcoming Netflix show, Selection Day, based on Booker Prize winner Aravind Adiga’s 2016 novel by the same name. Produced by Anil Kapoor, the show revolves around two brothers who are raised by their father to be star cricket players. Manjrekar plays a cricket coach in the drama that has Ratna Pathak Shah, Rajesh Tailang, Yash Dholye and Mohammad Samad as co-stars.
The filmmaker-actor says, “For a change, I am happy to be on the set as an actor only. I am not a method actor. I do what the director tells me. I don’t think too much about every move I have to make on the set.” referring to a director as the conductor of an orchestra where 10 violinists do as they please, he adds, “In such a scenario, they will create noise, not music. Similarly, the director has to contend with different types of actors, and try to make a good film.”
Selection Day, he says, took him back to his roots. “I was a good cricketer. I was told that I could make it to the Mumbai team; playing in the Ranji trophy is a big thing. But I left the game in a fit of anger. I was a rebel and my coach Ramakant Achrekar would only make me bowl, that too with an old ball. He never allowed me to bat. No one could question him. It was the guru-shishya parampara. Irritated, I left the game forever. But then, I was not like his legendary student Sachin Tendulkar, [who was] possessed by the game.”
Manjrekar has not modelled his character on any real- life coach. “The 11 players in the team are the best. What can I teach them at that level? I only have to instill confidence and channelize their emotions.”
He says he would often play cricket on the set, much to the chagrin of the director. “I still love playing cricket,” he says, simply.
Salman Khan is my best friend-Mahesh Manjrekar on hosting the Marathi Bigg Boss
8:10 AM
Chaya Unnikrishnan (DNA; April 9, 2018)
Mahesh Manjrekar, who has acted with Salman Khan in several films including Wanted, Dabangg and Ready, is happy that the superstar has got bail. “I was praying for him and I’m glad he is out. In any case, it was a bailable offence,” says Mahesh. He adds that he doesn’t have many friends in Bollywood apart from Salman.
What about Sanjay Dutt with whom he has done films like Vaastav and Hathyar? “Sanjay is a co-actor, not a friend. We shared a professional relationship, but with Salman it’s not a professional relationship; we are friends first. He is my best friend. After I signed the contract to host Marathi Bigg Boss, I called him and told him about it. He was happy and said ‘Just go all out’. He was confident about me hosting the show,” answers Mahesh.
The filmmaker looks at his stint as a workshop! He states, “It will be challenging because the show isn’t scripted. I’ve to react spontaneously to whatever is happening in the house — support the contestants, share their emotions and correct them when they are wrong. They will also get to see my temper.”
“It will be like a catharsis. It will help me as a person and as an actor. After all, we learn a lot from others’ experience,” he elaborates. What kind of a host will he be? “I have seen Salman (Khan) and he has his original patent style. But I have my own — my humour is deadpan. My approach will also be different, I can’t get predictable,” he says.
What about the controversial aspect of the show? “That will depend on the contestants and what they are doing. In any case, I don’t think it will be as loud as it is in Hindi. Also, who doesn’t like controversies? For the last couple of days, people were glued to TV to see what is happening with Salman’s bail? It’s human tendency,” Mahesh shrugs.
Ask him about his Bollywood comeback film with Vidyut Jammwal and Shruti Haasan and the director clams up. “I will talk about it when the time is right,” he says tersely. What happened to the Hindi remake of his Marathi film De Dhakka with Sanjay? He says, “That’s why I don’t want to talk about the film before it happens. Sanjay got busy with Bhoomi and other things... even I got busy with my acting and other projects,” he signs off.
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