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| Uday Chopra as Ali in Dhoom:3, which releases on December 20 |
It’s been seven years since Dhoom:2. How was it getting back into the skin — and bandana — of Ali after such a long gap?
It was surprisingly easy, actually. I think Ali has become a part of me now. The moment I wear those clothes, put on that bandana and sit on that bike, it all comes flooding back to me. I really didn’t have to do much for Part 2 or 3 because most of my work was done in the first film with all the physical training I needed to do and the characterisation. In this film, the brief pretty much was: learn your lines and show up! (Laughs) You know you are doing something that people have liked and so it was pretty much stress-free.
Considering Dhoom is such a huge franchise, wasn’t there ever any pressure?
I don’t know… actually, Ali has his own space in the franchise… he’s the comic element. Honestly, I don’t think there is any cause for nervousness or pressure in a film that has Aamir Khan as your co-star. If there is anyone who has to feel pressure about the film, I guess it has to be him! (Laughs) I was there just to have a good time.
Not only is Aamir new to the franchise, you also have a new director in the form of Vijay Krishna Acharya. How is his vision and execution of the Dhoom franchise different from that of Sanjay Gadhvi?
Victor’s (Vijay) written the first two films and a lot of what you see in Part 1 and 2 are what he brings to the Dhoom franchise. If we had to change the director, I am happy we went with Victor because he knows Dhoom as much as Sanjay Gadhvi does. Victor knows the world of Dhoom so well and in Dhoom:3, we all wanted to go beyond Dhoom:2 which, itself, was a Herculean task. The whole onus of that was on Victor because more than the first two films, Dhoom:3 is more a director’s film, something that you will realise once you watch the film. I was very comfortable with Victor because he’s the kind of director who lets you improvise on set. I could tell him: ‘Main yeh aise bol doon?’ And he would be like, ‘Of course… aur uske saath yeh bhi bol de’. It also works that he’s a great guy… you can just hang out with him for hours.
What is that special something that Aamir brings to the franchise?
Aamir is that rare actor who will pick subjects that are so novel and yet make them totally commercial. Films like Taare Zameen Par and Lagaan were such clutter-breaking subjects and yet they did massively well at the box office. All his films are prestige projects… they are talked about and lauded and praised. So when such an actor comes into a franchise like Dhoom which has been known to be a glossy popcorn kind of film, it brings an element of prestige to the franchise. The audience will come in to see the excitement, the thrills, the stunts and the fun that signify the Dhoom films and they will get a bonus in the form of Aamir Khan.
You’ve gone on record to say that Dhoom:3 will be your last acting assignment..
Let’s just say that acting isn’t something that I will be pursuing actively from now on. Acting is no longer a career for me. I have now gone behind the scenes and opened a production company in LA. I might do a role here and there just to keep the actor in me alive. If tomorrow ‘Dhoom:4’ is made and they want to recast us, I would love to be Ali again. But acting is no longer a full-fledged career for me… it will be my hobby now.
You’ve started out big in Hollywood, producing Grace of Monaco that stars Nicole Kidman and The Longest Week with Jason Bateman and Olivia Wilde. Are you enjoying this new role of producer?
Honestly, this is something I feel I was destined to do. I felt I needed to go through this phase of my life to understand films and the process of filmmaking better. I was always meant to go behind the scenes and do this. I am a creative producer who is just not bringing in money and logistics; I am bringing in a creative sense. I am not just a guy who’s funding a film… I am developing projects, facilitating the process of script writing…. This is something that I am enjoying a hell of a lot.
Is directing a film part of the plan?
I haven’t really thought about it. I have been misquoted as saying that I am planning on becoming a director in Hollywood! (Laughs) Yes, I do have the desire to do it sometime, but there’s nothing planned.
You’ve said recently that a major regret is that you couldn’t act in a film directed by your dad. Which film of his, if you had a choice, would you have wanted to be a part of?
One of his quintessential films that I’ve loved as a kid would be Kabhi Kabhie… Rishi Kapoor or Shashi Kapoor’s role. I don’t think I could have managed Mr (Amitabh) Bachchan’s role because I don’t have that intensity! Another film which I really liked… which was a non-Yash Chopra kind of film was Darr. I would have loved to play the negative role that Shah Rukh (Khan) did.
You apparently begged your brother Aditya to cast you in Jab Tak Hai Jaan, your dad’s last film…
Yes! I begged my dad and brother to give me just a passing shot…make me a part of the crowd, anything… I just wanted to be in a film where my father would say ‘action’. Unfortunately, that will never happen.
UDAY’S HOLLY HIGHS
GRACE OF MONACO
The magical and mesmerising life of screen siren Grace Kelly who became a princess is brought alive by Nicole Kidman in this Oliver Dahan biopic. Releases March 2014.
THE LONGEST WEEK
Jason Bateman and Olivia Wilde star in this romantic comedy about an affluent playboy who finally meets his match.
