The eagerly awaited Players will hit the cinemas on January 6. And besides the film’s star-studded cast – Abhishek Bachchan, Bobby Deol, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Sonam Kapoor and Bipasha Basu – director duo Abbas Alibhai Burmawalla and Mustan Alibhai Burmawalla have been busy promoting their film. In a career spanning more than 25 years, the directors have made 20 films, most of which have been adventure rides. Their latest venture too promises plenty of thrills and chills. Travelling across the country to endorse the film, the duo squeezes out time for a Q&A session…
Is it true that you initially wanted Ranbir Kapoor for Players?
Abbas (A): Not true at all!
Mustan (M): We always had Abhishek Bachchan in mind.
A: You won’t believe this, but we have been in talks with Abhishek Bachchan for eight years. We were all keen to work together but could not come up with a subject that would suit his personality till Viacom 18 approached us to remake the Hollywood hit, The Italian Job. The first actor that came to our mind was Abhishek.
M: We felt he was perfect for the part.
A: The same goes for Neil (Nitin Mukesh). He was keen to work with us and kept insisting, ‘Whenever you start a film, I would like to be part of it’. This time, we had an interesting role for him too and he readily came on board.
M: As for Bobby (Deol), he did not even ask for a narration. He considers us family. We have already done five films with him, and he was game for this one too.
What do you feel about today’s generation of actors?
A: Well, they are very professional. They have a great respect not only for their own time but also for other people’s time.
M: They are very punctual. I feel they are technically sound too. Even the actresses are aware of things outside their purview. We found Sonam Kapoor very fashion-conscious, with a good dressing sense. Ditto for Bipasha Basu.
How different is Players from The Italian Job?
A: We have seen both the 1969 and 2003 versions of The Italian Job and thoroughly enjoyed them. And though we have retained the visuals as they were in the original film, it was still a challenge to make it in Hindi.
M: And we are sure you will find Players very different from The Italian Job.
A: There are enough twists and turns to keep the viewer hooked.
Then, why add a song at the last minute?
A: What song? We have not added any new song to the film.
M: All the songs were conceptualised long ago.
You are releasing a film after a long time. Your last release Race was in 2008.
A: These things happen.
M: There are several reasons. Sometimes, the script is not ready or is not up to the mark and needs to be reworked. At times, actors’ dates are a problem and we have to postpone shooting. It’s all part of this profession.
Yet you have made 20 films in the last 25 years.
A: I wish we had made 25 films. That would have given us an average of one film a year (Laughs). I feel a director should release at least one film a year.
M: But it still feels very good to have made 20 films in 25 years. It makes us feel proud.
A: Do you know that we started our career with Gujarati films in 1986? A producer called Pravin Patel asked us to make two Gujarati films for his banner. Both films did well at the box office but we still had to struggle a lot to establish ourselves in the Hindi film industry.
M: The only two actors who supported us then were Raj Babbar and Jeetendra.
A: We made Agneekal with them.
M: We then made Khiladi with Akshay Kumar and haven’t looked back since.
Interestingly, you will have two releases in 2012, Players and Race 2.
A: Yes, Players on January 6 and Race 2 on November 30.
M: We aren’t taking anything for granted. The week after Players is released; we will begin shooting for Race 2. We have already completed a 15-day schedule of the film in Mumbai studios.
What about your role as producers? There hasn’t been another venture after Life Partner.
A: We have not given up on being producers.
M: We have roped in directors like Nishikant Kamat and Rohit Jugraj to helm projects for our banner banner. In fact, we even want our brother, Hussain Burmawalla, to debut as a director under our banner.
A: We keep pestering him (laughs). He says he will direct a film when he is ready. Earlier, he was busy editing films made by other directors. Today, he is busy editing films made by us.
M: He is always with us on the sets. I am sure he will make a good director.
You are often accused of lifting plots from Hollywood films.
A: We depend entirely on our writers. We listen to their narration. We have trusted our scriptwriters and have given their scripts our interpretation and vision.
M: Had we to watch A Kiss Before Dying then I don’t think Baazigar would have shaped out the way it had.
A: Even for Daraar, we heard the late Sachin Bhowmick’s script and were impressed. He had said he was strongly motivated by a film called Sleeping With The Enemy and thought it would make a good Hindi film. We liked the idea of a woman killing her obsessed husband.
What about Race 2?
A: Well, like Race, the plot is very intriguing. There are shades of grey to all the characters in the film.
M: That is what makes the plot interesting.
Oddly, you have been steadfastly loyal to the thriller genre and to negative characters.
A: We are known for our thrillers. The corporate house that approaches us expects us to make interesting thrillers for them.
M: We have carved a niche for ourselves in that area and we have never thought of experimenting with family drama or comedy. We are happy making edge-of-the-seat entertainers.
What is it that keeps Abbas-Mustan united?
A: Our unity (laughs)! Seriously, we have no ego hassles and we understand each other well.
M: Though we are two different individuals with different minds, we think alike.
