Congratulations! Bajrangi Bhaijaan is huge and becoming bigger by the minute…
Thank you so much. A lot of people have been telling me that they loved it more the second time. I am actually surprised by the repeat audience. There are some who are going twice in the same day… I am not talking about crazy Salman Khan fans… but people like you and me who go and watch films because we like them. The reason why the figures are going the way they are is because people are going back again and again.
It’s a given that a Salman Khan Id release will start with a bang at the box office. But at any point, before the release, did you think it would become so big so soon?
Nothing can really prepare you for something like this. What really has had the maximum impact on me has been the Monday figures. For a Monday (Rs 27.05 crore) to be equal to a Friday (Rs 27.25 crore) is unprecedented. It happens once in a while with small films that open very small and then positive word-of-mouth really builds up and Monday becomes equal to Friday. But for a giant opening of (Rs) 27 crore to come back with exactly the same figures on a non-holiday Monday is what has given me confidence that this film is in for a really long run.
If you have to see from the point of view of trade, Monday is the decider. For a film, more than a 50 per cent drop from a Friday to a Monday is considered a straight flop. For any film, Monday is the true test… if the film drops less than 50 per cent from Friday to Monday, then you know it’s going steady. But with Bajrangi… there is no drop.
It’s really surprising to see you talk box-office figures because when we had spoken after the release of Ek Tha Tiger, you were pretty clueless…
(Laughs) Oh yes, I was! During Tiger, I did begin to understand bits of it. But over the last three days, I have been totally perplexed by all those figures that have been thrown at me and I have just started to understand them. So this gyan I am giving you is pretty newly acquired (laughs).
There have been various aspects of the film that have struck a chord, but what’s been the most consistent feedback that’s come your way?
I am really overwhelmed by how people are reacting to what is the core issue of the film… of course they are enjoying the story and finding the characters endearing… but what they have liked the most is what we had set out to make the film about — the celebration of the common culture that India and Pakistan share. Through this film, we have wanted to say that ‘Asaalam Waleikum’ and ‘Jai Shri Ram’ are not about religion… it’s just part of our culture. That people are taking this message back is what I am really enjoying. People from different religions are clapping and cheering through the very scenes that we had feared could be contentious.
I am also happy that the film has moved so many people. The first thing that I am told by anyone who has watched the film is: ‘You made us cry’. I didn’t expect people to be bawling at the end! (Laughs) I am seeing people walking out of the theatre with moist eyes and blowing their noses. At one of the first screenings, there was a six-year-old who just didn’t stop crying even after the film ended. And we were like: ‘Why are you crying, Saira? Harshaali (Malhotra who plays Munni/Shahida) is here… Salman is here’… but she couldn’t tell us what had overwhelmed her so much. This kind of response is what I am getting from the adults too and it’s surprising because the film ends on a happy note and yet they are crying. I have got videos from London showing people crying. Men have come up to me to say: ‘You should be ashamed of yourself… you made us cry!’ (Laughs)
How apprehensive were you given that you were walking a tightrope of religious beliefs…
I was very apprehensive. There was a knot in my stomach that kept telling me that I was getting into stuff that could truly become contentious. I wasn’t making a small film that I could hide in a corner with and people would forget about it… this was a film coming in with so much hype and with such a huge superstar. We live in such intolerant times where the words ‘ban’ and ‘fatwa’ are used so freely. I have lived my life in a very secular way and I approached the film from my gut… I didn’t over-analyse it… I didn’t want to get into the ramifications of this and that. I did what I felt was correct to me and that’s the way I went. And I am so happy that the film and what it stands for have been accepted with open arms. No one has told me: ‘You hurt us… you overstepped your limits…’ even at the humour at the cost of religion that happens in the film. It’s so heartening to see that people still have that goodness in them.
Were you afraid of comparisons with PK that also addresses religious dogma?
No, PK (directed by Rajkumar Hirani and starring Aamir Khan) never crossed my mind. That had a completely different issue being dealt with in a completely different way. I wasn’t really thinking of PK when I was making the film… I had, in fact, already started shooting my film when PK released… it never sat heavy on my mind.
Salman has always played variations of the superstar he is and Bajrangi Bhaijaan is being singled out for praise because we take back Pavan/ Bajrangi and not Salman. That must surely make you feel good…
Absolutely! I was hoping that people would recognise that. I feel that more than any other star, Salman’s films are approached with a lot of preconceived notions. There is foundation for it also because there has been repetition of a certain stereotype perpetuated in his films. I was apprehensive whether his fans would be open enough to see him doing something that isn’t in-your-face. And honestly, I feel that more than others, superstars are in a position to take on roles like this.
While I was shooting, I was very happy with what Salman was doing… he himself was pitching the character just right… it’s not that I was trying to keep him as Bajrangi... and he was becoming Salman… he had become the character on his own. Till the end, he portrayed the character exactly how we had wanted him to approach Bajrangi. I thought for a superstar like him, it was a courageous role to do. I constantly keep saying that the more popular our superstars become, the safer they begin to play. And contrary to that, I truly believe that our superstars are in a position to take on different roles. I am so glad Salman has done that.
Today, the film looks like it will be Salman’s biggest hit ever, but when we started out, it wasn’t a ‘safe’ option at all. I am happy he put his weight behind it and that’s what gave it a wide release.
Parts of the film, especially the climax, has been accused of being emotionally manipulative…
Honestly, I don’t understand it when reviewers of Indian films use this term ‘emotionally manipulative’. Critics often accuse us of using every trick in the book to draw out emotion… that’s what I, as a filmmaker, am there for in the first place. The purpose of a film is to arouse emotion. Filmmaking is all about manipulation. I think it’s a much-abused term used by our reviewers. The moment I put background score, it means I am resorting to manipulation? News channels are using background music today! If by manipulation, they mean that I used every skill of my craft to draw an emotion out of my viewer, then yes I have done that and gladly so.
I know that while reviewing new-age European cinema, the term ‘emotional manipulation’ is used a lot but you can’t view our Indian cinema through the same prism. You have to judge films for what they are and what their intent is. I am making a Salman Khan film… I have to reach out to millions that also includes the rickshaw-puller in Meerut. I have to do all I can to create an emotional impact. You can’t be elitist when you judge a film like this.
Some other reviews have spoken about how the film shows ‘naive’ politics. In a country where politics in mainstream cinema has been taboo for years, here comes a film that has a huge political agenda and backdrop. Those who are saying that I show naive politics, I would like to extend an invitation to please call me on their shows and have a discussion on subcontinent politics and then we shall see who is naive about it.
Of course I recognise the fact that Bajrangi… is a utopian film, I am not saying it’s the real world. I know for a fact that Pakistani civilians can’t storm a border check-post in Kashmir and break down the gates… they will be shot! This is the celebration of an idea… the celebration of ‘why can’t we be like this?’ If they want me to deal with it in a real manner, then they can watch my next film Phantom (Saif Ali Khan-Katrina Kaif) which is a very serious take on subcontinent politics.
Everyone has just loved Harshaali. Where did you find this pocket-sized dynamite of talent?
She came through this very extensive set of auditions we did across the country and even outside. About 1,000 girls auditioned for the role because it’s the most important part in the film. I had told (casting agent) Mukesh Chhabra that if we don’t get the correct Munni we wouldn’t be able to realise the full potential of this film. Harshaali is from Delhi and she was one of the 10 girls brought down to Bombay for a workshop. We made them react to situations and the camera and Harshaali stood out not only because she looked like an angel, but also because she had that drive which is very rare for a six-year-old. She wanted to do this film… she was excited to be on set. She wasn’t a kid who we had to coax and cajole to act.
For a director, working with a six-year-old is the most challenging bit, but with Harshaali it’s been the most joyful part of the process of making Bajrangi.... She really created magic on set… I don’t think there has been a more talented child star since Jugal Hansraj in Masoom. She’s growing with each show… everyone wants to know: ‘Who’s this girl? Who’s this girl?’ I am so happy because that little girl worked so hard.
What would you like to ask Kabir Khan about Bajrangi Bhaijaan? Tell t2@abp.in
