"B2B was my most fun-filled shooting experience after Hyderabad Blues" - Nagesh Kukunoor 
By IndiaFM News Bureau, December 27, 2007 - 14:28 IST
While everyone is now talking about the changing phase of Bollywood, one director decided to swim against the tide with his very first film
Hyderabad Blues and that too almost a decade back. We are talking about the talented, creative and maverick actor-director Nagesh Kukunoor
who gave us meaningful cinema be it Rockford, Teen Deewarein, Iqbal or his last release Dor. In an exclusive chat with IndiaFM,
Nagesh talks about his forthcoming romantic comedy Bombay to Bangkok,
which is due for release early next year, and his experiences of shooting in one of the world’s favorite tourist destinations.
From the hilly areas of Himachal and the sand dunes of Rajasthan you are transporting viewers to exotic Bangkok in your next release,
Bombay to Bangkok… What’s the film about?
It’s a wacky romantic comedy about an Indian guy falling in love with a Thai woman. After Iqbal and Dor, I wanted to try something
different and chanced upon this script of a love story between an Indian guy and a white woman. However, I felt that the whole ‘Indian guy- white
woman’ love angle has been done to death, so why not change it to a love story between an Indian guy and an oriental (Thai) woman.
The whole ‘Indian guy- white woman’ love angle has been done to death, so why not change it to a
love story between an Indian guy and a Thai woman
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Why the title, Bombay to Bangkok? Is the film based on a journey from Bombay to Bangkok?
No, the journey part is hardly there as Shreyas’s character is that of a petty thief who escapes from Bombay and in the very next scene he is shown in
Bangkok. So, it’s more of the happenings in Bombay and Bangkok per se than the journey angle. Moreover, you need something catchy in the title, if
I had said India to Thailand it sounds very plain and boring, Bombay to Bangkok on the other hand sounds a lot more fun.
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You need something catchy in the title, if I had said India to Thailand it sounds very plain and
boring, Bombay to Bangkok on the other hand sounds a lot more fun.
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This is your third film with Shreyas. Do you feel he has evolved as an actor with every film?
Well I have known Shreyas for a while now ever since we did Iqbal. He has been doing a lot of different stuff be it in theatre, T.V. or films. He did show
his comic side in Dor so when I wrote the script of Bombay to Bangkok; I felt I could exploit this goofy, comic side of his for the character. He
has all the trappings of a fine actor as he showed it with his fine performance in one of his first films Iqbal.
This is one of the first Bollywood films starring a Thai actress Lina, a little bit on how you zeroed in on her…
We went through an exhaustive casting process in Bangkok. We saw a lot of models, actresses etc, but the biggest problem obviously was the
language. However as all long and careful searches lead to, we ended up finding Lina who plays a girl working in a massage parlour in the film. Lina is
a terrific actress and the fact that she knew English made it much easier for me to direct her.
Who else stars in the film? Is Naseerudin Shah seen in the movie?
Yes, Naseer has a nice, fun character and it was great re-uniting with him after Iqbal. The other two actors who have an important role are Vijay
Maurya, (a stage actor from Bombay) who plays a crazy character and Manmeet Singh who plays a Thai Sardar. It was not easy as Manmeet had to
learn Thai which is not the easiest language and then mix it with his own Sardar traits.
This film also has the ‘naach-gaana’ that is usually missing from your films… How was the experience with regards to music and
choreography/
There aren’t a lot of ‘naach- gaana’ but yes there is one song which is still more than any of my other films. I always said that I will shoot the typical
Bollywood (lip-sync) dance number if the opportunity came and in this film it has been my most amazing learning experience. I have a new-found
respect for all the songs shot in Bollywood, as its one of the most difficult things to do. I had a great time working with the choreographer and Lina
on all the dance steps. If I could, I would do it again.
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I always said that I will shoot the typical Bollywood (lip-sync) dance number if the opportunity
came and in this film it has been my most amazing learning experience.
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Is there a lot of Thai language used in the film?
There is a fair amount of Thai used in the film but it’s used creatively well and doesn’t interfere with the narrative of the film.
Most actors, filmmakers usually say the clichéd line that “My film is different’ whereas your tagline goes one step further stating ‘Same Same but
different’… what does that mean?
The phrase ‘Same Same but different’ is very popular in Thailand among the locals who keep saying ‘Same Same’. It also suggests that Love is the
same everywhere irrespective of culture yet its different because of the differences in the language of the two protagonists.
How was the experience shooting in Bangkok? Was language a major problem?
The first week of shooting in Bangkok was really difficult. For a country, which thrives on tourism, it was amazing that they couldn’t speak English
but once we got a hang of it with the assistant directors and crew, it was smooth. In fact, this has been my most fun-filled shooting experience after
Hyderabad Blues. Thai people have a very interesting culture and you have to be very specific with your instructions.
Bangkok as a city is known for its wild night life among the many things, did you guys explore the city and were there any interesting incidents?
Bangkok is known for its massage parlours, which are a major tourist attraction. I wanted to depict this in the film and hence you have Shreyas’s
character falling in love with a massage parlour girl (Lina). There is a small journey part in the film too where we got to shoot in many different parts of
Thailand and explore the culture, food etc. so it was good fun.
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Bangkok is known for its massage parlours, which are a major tourist attraction. I wanted to depict
this in the film and hence you have Shreyas’s character falling in love with a massage parlour girl (Lina).
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Which are some of your favorite holiday destinations?
I love Thailand and the whole of South East Asia because of the people, the weather, and above all the food
You are back with Subhash Ghai’ Mukta Arts after Iqbal, How has the experience been?
It's been terrific. What you want from your producers is a steady and easy access to monetary resources, no interference in the work and I got all this
and more. So it has been great the second time round with Subhashji.
Like Subhashji, you also seem to make a cameo in most of your films, so would you also be seen in Bombay to Bangkok?
No, not in this film. I have never shied away from acting if the script demands, however in this case there wasn’t any specific role for me in the script.
Moreover, the shoot itself was so hectic that there was no way I could have taken on these two roles. We shot for nearly 16 hours every day for
around 37 days. However, I do have a small role in my next film, Aashayein.
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Don’t make any new year resolutions because you will break them and I believe you don’t need
any time or space to make any resolutions.
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Why do you think viewers should go and watch Bombay to Bangkok?
Well if you wanna have some fun, a good laugh and come out with a smile then you should check out Bombay to Bangkok. It will be an
enjoyable and fun-filled experience
What are your future projects?
After Bombay to Bangkok, I have Aashayein with John Abraham, which is complete and should be out in April. Post that there is
Tasveer with Akshay Kumar.
With Christmas round the corner, what do you wish from Santa?
I wish he gives me a hit film…what else (laughs)
Lastly, any New Year message to your fans at IndiaFM.com?
Don’t make any new year resolutions because you will break them and I believe you don’t need any time or space to make any resolutions.
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Nagesh Kukunoor's 'Bombay To Bangkok'
