Beating the formula The hype and excitement around Singh Is Kinng can be attributed to its enticing title the huge stardom of Akshay Kumar and being my third film after No Entry and Welcome. But I don't let it affect my work. I believe in making a film with complete sincerity and then just letting it be. If I start analysing the fate of my previous successes, I will end up duplicating much of it as a formula and the new film will start looking like the old one. I write my films from the heart and not from the head. I never watch my old films, I like to forget everything I did earlier and start afresh. Good or bad doesn't matter - I like to bring in something new and different each time.
Two-minute narration I hit upon a story idea and promptly spoke to Akshay. As he was shooting abroad he said he would have a narration 15 days later on getting back. But hey! I was boiling over with excitement and I insisted that he listen to the story. A two -minute narration over the long-distance call is all that took Akshay to give his go-ahead to the project. He was also fired up like me. Then producer Vipul Shah stepped in and within five minutes he settled my fees and we were on. I decided to make the protagonist a Sikh because my hero was much like a Sikh - so valiant, full of life and daring. Stylist Shabina made a turban and I clicked a picture of Akshay on my mobile. When I showed it to Vipul and my friends, their response was simply overwhelming. They just loved him and I named him Happy Singh. Akshay suggested the title of the film from a slogan on the rear of a truck . Things just fell in place so nicely.
Unlimited lassi and khaana I have many Sikh friends and even my assistant director is a Sikh. I shot for Waaris years ago in Punjab. It's like I have a Karmic connection with Sikhs - they are not calculating and full of joie-de vivre. Wherever we went location hunting in Punjab, we didn't need to carry food with us - everywhere people invited us and gave us unlimited lassi and khaana. They are so hospitable.
I am not a Sikh so there were bound to be discrepancies in the film, we set it right in consultation with the community heads. They were truly delighted that I was a Muslim making a film about them.They showed their respect through their warm hugs and hearty handshakes.
The Gold Club We shot for 45 days at Gold Coast, Australia. I went there three months ahead of the shoot to hire the crew, barring my two of assistants and I - the rest of the unit were Australians. So I was Down Under for five months. The Aussies are very particular about not working on weekends, but we struck such a good rapport with them that they didn't mind making an exception for us. On the whole they are a friendly lot.
Australia is the place to get all your action scenes because they have the infrastructure. But it is very difficult to obtain the permits for action sequences. Without permission you cannot shoot and we had a sequence of Sonu Sood jumping off the 78th floor of Q 1 hotel. There are heavy-duty action scenes with Akshay riding a water- ski and then jumping into a chopper.
Everybody's Sikh except Ranvir Working with Akshay Kumar is like a picnic, he is full of life on the sets. He's one hero you can call at any time - even early in the morning - he will report to work bang on time. He plays Happy Singh, a daring, fun-loving, romantic Sikh who sings and dances. His co-star Katrina plays an NRI and she looks like a dream. She's so hard-working - she now speaks to me only in chaste Hindi!
Neha Dhupia is an important gangster of the gang and she loved popping out of the limousine and spraying bullets all over. Everybody's a Sikh in the film except Ranvir Shorey.
Part 2's I have been asked to sequelise No Entry, Welcome, Mr India and now Singh Is Kinng. I am working on concepts, the day I have an appropriate story I will start any of these sequel. As for the famous 3-film deal with Studio 18, I have decided to start with one film. It will be a romantic comedy but I haven't finalised the cast yet.
Singh... releases on August 8 and from August 10, I will be in Delhi shooting a love story starring Harman Baweja and Genelia D'Souza. Produced by Sanjay and Boney Kapoor, it is tentatively titled It's My Life.
I have worked very hard and given this industry my life and blood. So I do not get carried away by my recent success. After 32 years in films, success has come pretty late to me. But this is just the beginning, I have plenty of exciting films to write in the days to come.
As told to Deepa Karmalkar