Farhan Akhtar tells Priyanka Joshi that he is most comfortable when he is behind the camera.
Having a father like Javed Akhtar at home is indeed very handy. After writing Don2’s script, I left it with him to get his views first hand,” says Farhan Akhtar. With family approvals in his pocket, the actor, director, producer, scriptwriter, singer, lyricist, and, when he tires of that, 37-year-old Akhtar who moonlights as a TV host too, went ahead to direct Don2, sequel to his 2006 action thriller Don — The Chase Begins. In an interview given while travelling between film promotions prior to the release of Don2, Akhtar elaborates why he felt the need for the sequel. “I never ended Don thinking it needs a sequel but the audience and trade feedback made me rethink. Everyone wanted to see what happened after Don escaped. So I thought here’s my chance to write a new script with characters that were totally established among the audience,” he says. Akhtar emphasises Don2 has no similarity whatsoever to the first part.
Akhtar and his co-producer Ritesh Sidhwani’s Excel Entertainment, along with Reliance Mediaworks, ensured that Don2 got an opening that would capture the holiday cheer. The film released with over 3,000 prints in India and in over 100 overseas markets. According to the estimates of Bollywood trade analyst Taran Adarsh, Don 2 managed to bring in Rs 48.39 crore net in its opening weekend.
Made with a budget of about Rs 75 crore, Akhtar has already recovered about Rs 37 crore by selling the film’s satellite rights to Zee TV. Following the film’s release over the Christmas weekend, Akhtar, who like many other stars has discovered his panache for microblogging site Twitter, promptly tweeted, “Thank you all. Our film has taken a super start and your support has everything to do with it. Thanks for the incredible feedback on the film.” An estimated 500 prints of the movie were released in 3D, a first for Akhtar. So did he take the cue from Shah Rukh Khan’s Ra.One? He agrees and claims that Indian cinema needs to understand the commercial and cultural importance of the new format and bring it to audiences. “I didn’t shoot the film in 3D but I saw what the format did for Ra.One. It’s an experience and a half. Reliance MediaWorks came to me with Don2’s trailer in 3D format and what I saw was phenomenal.” So, is he encouraged to shoot a film in 3D? “I am sure we can produce a movie in 3D but the main question is to find a 3D-ready script. The next film that I would like to direct would be a comedy or a drama, since I have never explored these genres,” he lists.
We remind him that he has also never worked with newcomers, always choosing to work with established stars. “True, but when I write my scripts, I imagine the possible stars who fit into them. Like there could be no one who could take on Don’s role except Shah Rukh. If I have a script that will be best filled with fresh faces, why not? For now, I have nothing in my script bank,” he lets on.
It’s been a decade now since his directorial debut Dil Chahta Hai hit the screen, and he says, “I will always be a director first.” Quickly he adds, “Acting, singing, writing — all are great but my comfort zone is when I am behind the camera, shooting frames.”
Ask him about his performance in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, where he proved his mark alongside established actors, and he responds with a shrug, “The scripts that have come my way have been different from the typical Bollywood fare and I am no conventional hero either.” Akhtar says that he spends good time analysing the script before taking the proverbial leap. “I am in no hurry to get anywhere. I never really set any goal,” he adds.
Akhtar, like many other leading stars in Bollywood, has chosen to work on one project a year. With films like Luck By Chance and Kartik Calling Kartik under his belt, Akhtar proves that he has never portrayed himself in ‘conventional roles.’ Akhtar is set to play the role of legendary sprinter Milkha Singh. “It’s an incredible story of the triumph of the human spirit. There’s a lot about him that people still don’t know,” he says. This is his first film for an outside production house and Akhtar is determined to make the character come alive on screen. Earlier he met the athelete and it was reported that the actor would take lessons from lyricist Gulzar to speak fluent Punjabi, a subtle nuance demanded by the character. But before he begins Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Akhtar is ready to spend the next two months with his family doing nothing. “I need these breaks between projects to relax and begin afresh,” he signs off, promising that he would be on Twitter if we need more detail.