I will cry if BLUE goes wrong - Anthony D'Souza

An extract of an interview with Anthony D'Souza by Jyothi Venkatesh

Are you scared that Blue is being released in competition with All The Best and Main Aurr Mrs Khanna?

I really wish that I could say that I am not at all worried about competition and pray that more films should be released during Diwali, because I welcome competition. But the truth is that I am scared, because there are only good films and bad films and not big films and small films. Bollywood tends to be incestuous, because though we keep on bickering, at the end of the day we end up hugging one another. I wish that All The Best, Main Aurr Mrs Khanna and my own film Blue had been released one after the other separately, without cutting into each other’s throats.

Can you elucidate?

I have not shown my four year old son the promos of All The Best, because if I show him the promos of All The Best, he will like to see All The Best and not Blue.

How big is Blue according to you?

I still honestly have not realized how big is my film Blue, because at heart, I am a kid who feels that he is getting paid for blowing up cars.

Were you not scared to shoot with real sharks?

I was not at all scared to shoot with real sharks and whales because I feel that the most dangerous species on this earth is not the sharks but Man himself.

Which are the directors who you admire a lot?

Imtiaz Ali, Anurag Kahsyap and Shriram Raghavan are the directors who I admire a lot. However, if you were to ask me whether I’d be able to compete with them, all that I can say is that I would not. Instead I’d like to stick to my strength.

What is your strength as a director?

Visuals, style and flamboyance are my strengths as a director.

How did you bag the opportunity to direct your debut film?

I am a new director and had never even assisted any filmmaker before I bagged the opportunity to direct Blue. To my credit, I have only directed 75 ads and 25 music videos. I had also directed the 52 episodes of the popular TV show Ripley’s Believe It Or Not. It was thanks to John Abraham, who I had literally hounded almost for three years from the time he had made his debut with Jism, who put me in touch with producer Dhilin Mehta of Shri Ashtavinayak Films.

Why did you not cast John Abraham in your film?

When Dhilin asked me whether I wanted to cast John in my film, I told him that I did not want John because his image as a biker is still too storing after Dhoom and hence I wanted Akshay Kumar and Sanjay Dutt in my film. It was Sanjay who suggested that I cast Zayed as his brother in the film. Zayed is fabulous in my film as an actor. It is a pity that he has still not been exploited to his maximum potential.

In what way is Blue similar to Jaws?

Blue is similar to Jaws, Abyss and Deep, only as far as sea and action are concerned, not as far as it’s concept is concerned.

Would you agree that Blue lacks the emotional quotient?

Yes. Emotional quotient is lacking in Blue because it is a film which will not make you cry. It is a roller coaster ride to great entertainment. If it flops, of course it is I who will end up crying. The only person, who should be blamed if the film goes wrong, is me.

What kind of films do you want to make as a director?

I want to make films which kids of five would see, laugh and jump. I do not have the sensibility to make art films like Uski Roti, because I remember when I went to watch that film, a guy who was bored with the film started walking in the theatre from left to right almost throughout the show .

What is your ambition as a film maker?

My ambition is to make a dark romantic film, because I believe that true lovers will never have a happy ending. Romance cannot be happy by itself because two human beings can never be the same. Even a marriage can survive only when one of the two is ready to make compromises. I am married and my marriage is a success because my wife was ready to make compromises.

Do you plan to make a sequel to Blue?

Blue does have an open ending, but it is not intentional. Whether to make a sequel or not is a call which will be taken by Shri Ashtavinayak Productions who have spared no pains to make the film the costliest in the history of Indian Cinema.

Have you planned your next film?

My next venture will also be an action packed film, though it will be in an entirely different league. Besides having Sanjay Dutt, Akshay Kumar, Zayed Khan, Lara Dutta and Katrina Kaif, my next film will also have three more big stars.

Will it also be a multi star film like say Salaam E Ishq?

Spare me. I am not a sensible director like Nikhil Advani to set out to make a film like Salaam-E-Ishq.

Shall I say all the best to you while signing off now?

Please tell me All The Blue and All The Best, because I have directed Blue and not All The Best. (Chuckles)

--SAMPURN