‘I believe that now its railway is even more. See, people are the same. People’s life constraints, its importance is the same. Then the class divide (rich and poor), about which the film is made or this is the new India, about which the film is made, is the same. Yes, as time goes by, things change but you can relativize the original value. When we watch movies 15-20 years old, even if something touches our heart, it may not happen in a year and a half that our emotions and thinking change completely. Certainly people are going through different difficulties today, but the emotions are the same. ‘
Last year, you went on to become warrior by fighting Kovid himself. How difficult was that round? And how do you look at the overall last year?
‘Yes, it was very difficult. Until you pass, you do not know it. The tension, emotionally, mentally, how it affects you and your family, it was known to me when it lasted. However, I admit that my last year was also a good year with Kovid as I got to learn a lot about myself. When there is a sudden problem in front of you, then you learn in it. I had difficulty when I got Kovid. However, I had very mild symptoms. I recovered quickly because of doctors, my family and my own. After that I shot an entire film ‘Bhoot Police’, so my recovery was good, Touchwood. The energy to work also came back and the fun started coming as you got out of fighting the Kovid in a positive way. It was a very different year. Everyone felt the ups and downs, physically, mentally and financially. I was also one of them but I agree that I have come back by winning with life, not by defeating Kovid, so it was very important for me to look at the positive side of the year instead of negative. ‘
How is the year considered from the perspective of the film industry? Because the industry has also had a difficult year, on the one hand the theaters remain closed and on the other hand all kinds of allegations continue. Do you think it hurt the industry?
‘Look, we are funky. Our job is to entertain people. We did that job through OTT when the theaters were closed and now that the theaters have opened, you can see that Roohi’s collections have also gone well. I believe that whoever is our audience or who are our fans, they know and believe that we deserve them, for entertainment and we have taken up the task of life that we can connect with them, our work reaches the audience. For this, positivity has to be maintained because people are giving us love. Movies have been liked on OTT, Ruhi has gone on in theaters, and even more films are coming, so I agree that the audience that was attached is still there today. His love is with us. During the shooting of Bhoot Police, I have come to visit India and whether Dharamshala or Jaisalmer, people got lots of love, blessings. It was clear from the interactions with the people that they want entertainment, they are waiting for our films, then I would like to focus on it so that I can entertain people with my work. ‘
Along with your film, ‘Mumbai Saga’ has also been released. Do you think the audience is ready to watch two films in the current environment?
‘We announced the release date of our film, after that the date of another film has been announced, so we cannot argue with them. They must have done it according to their thinking. I believe that today the industry is going through a phase where people should be able to support each other. When such things happen, there seems to be a bit of ridicule but they will have their own reasons. We cannot pick up the phone every time and ask, brother, why did you do this? We respected the theater. We waited a year to bring this film to theaters. The day we announced the date, then a film has come, so it is okay. He is a big film, we hope both films play. Our job is to hand over our film theater and see which film people like. It may be that both are liked because both are different films.
In this film, you are playing a typical Jat character for the first time. What special preparation had to be done for him?
‘When I signed this film, Dibakar Sir (Director Dibakar Banerjee) wrote in the contract that I have to prepare for three months with him. The film was shot for only 40 days but the preparations were 90 days. Dibakar sir used to come to my house every day and work on my accent. He wanted me to speak like a Jat in Delhi. He also hired a select coach for me. He used to teach me New Pepper every day, he used to talk only with the accent of Jat. Pinky is a suspended policeman, so we went to Delhi and met X police officers as well. Met people, learned to fire a gun. Go to Mahipalpur and roam around every night to understand where Pinky comes from, so much deep preparation was done.
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