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Diganta Guha
Known to make sensible
comedies, it was his directorial
debut Bheja Fry that
brought director Sagar Ballary to
the limelight and now he is ready
with his latest venture Hum Tum
Shabana that hits the theatres on
September 23. PostScript caught up
with the filmmaker for a chat.
Excerpts:
You have given two hits in Bheja
Fry and Bheja Fry 2. Do you feel
the pressure now that Hum Tum
Shabana is slated to release
soon?
Obviously the pressure is
mounting, but I am not letting it
get to me. With Bheja Fry 2 expectations
were very high as I had to
recreate the Bheja Fry magic and
improve upon it. Besides, a lot of
money was at stake. So, there was
more pressure. For Hum Tum
Shabana I was much more relaxed.
In fact, with Kachcha Limboo and
Hum Tum Shabana I am trying to
move away from Bheja Fry.
But you are still known as the
Bheja Fry director, isn’t it?
Well, I am really lucky on this
front that I am identified with
such a film. I enjoy the tag. But as I
said before I am trying to move
away from that. Hum Tum Shabana
is a full-fledged masala entertainer.
It’s total madness. But it’s
not an illogical comedy. It has a
certain sensibility to it. I have consciously
moved away from the
kind of films I have made in the
past. The casting is unusual too,
with Tusshar (Kapoor) and Shreyas
(Talpade) on board. I am very
happy with the end product and
so are my producers.
Tell us more about the film.
It’s a romantic comedy. The first
half is about this beauty pageant.
But the second half gets into the
niches of greedy underworld.
There are five songs in the film
and lots of interesting sequences.
And yes there is an item song . We
have used crazy camera angles.
There is a certain sensuality about
the film. I have not held myself
back in Hum Tum Shabana. I have
delved into a subject which I have
never explored before. The film
has lovely music composed by
Sachin-Jigar. And the songs are
already a hit. It’s a charming film,
nonetheless.
Tell us something about how
Tusshar came on board.
Tusshar and I were discussing
another film that didn’t work out.
And then the script of Hum Tum
Shabana came across. I asked
Tusshar if he would like to do it
and he complied. We have become
very good friends. It was a delight
working with him. Tusshar needs
good directors. I remember him in
Khakee. Look at his performance in
the film because there was Raj
Kumar Santoshi who used
Tusshar’s talents to the hilt.
‘One day I want to
make a tear jerker’
Tusshar responds well to the
director’s requirements.
And what about Shreyas and
Minissha?
Shreyas is a master performer.
He is tremendously gifted and has
great energy level. He is always
active on the sets even when he is
through with his scenes. He is
always there to give suggestions.
In Golmaal he was loud and garish
because the script demanded so.
He would surprise many with this
film. In Hum Tum Shabana he takes
his talent to a different level.
Minissha has improved a lot with
time. She is very sincere and hard
working. The way she has transformed
her image from a simple
girl in Yahaan to the sex bomb in
Kidnap. I remember while we were
shooting for Hum Tum Shabana,
people were singing Mausam awesome
from Kidnap. And look at
Bachna Ae Haseeno. She stood her
ground despite the presence of big
stars.
How do you see the future of
comedies?
It’s a great time to make good
Tollywood is opting for more and more unusual onscreen pairing p4 & p5
Director Sagar
Ballary wants
to move away
from Bheja Fry
with his latest
offering Hum
Tum Shabana
films. And comedies will always
be there. There’s so much of stress
in our lives that we all want to
watch fun films. They work as a
stress buster. And comedies will
make people forget all their worries.
Who are your favourite comedians?
My favourite comedians are
Charlie Chaplin, Kishore Kumar
and Vinay Pathak. Yes, I am placing
Vinay in this category. He has a
lot of energy and has all the qualities
of a great comedian.
Will you ever make an action
film?
Why not? I want to try out different
genres. I have a film on bank
robbery and another comedy lined
up. But no matter which genre I
venture into, my films will always
have a comic touch. However, one
day I want to make a tear jerker.
Friday September 2, 2011
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