It’s a sensitive portrayal of a man’s journey-Anil Sharma

By Bollywood Hungama -

January 1, 2009 - 12:00 AM IST

Anil Sharma of Shweta International has many films to his credit - from Suhaag to Hogi Pyar Ki Jeet, Aashiq and the recent Madhoshi. After dabbling in various genres he has taken a plunge in the 'in' kind of films with Time Pass, awaiting its release on June 3, Anil Sharma speaks exclusively to IndiaFM about this new venture.

What interested you about the script that you decided to produce it?
Suhaag was a very family oriented picture, then I made Hogi Pyaar Ki Jeet, which was a comedy with revenge as its theme, and Madhoshi was a thriller. For youth we had not made any film. When I heard this subject, I liked it and I felt that I should try this as well.

Why was the film stuck in censors for so long?
Censors viewed this movie as a very negative film; they thought that it is vulgar and obscene and it portrays women as a commodity and also that it might re-ignite the communal disharmony because of the riots shown in it. So we decided to go the Delhi Tribunal, when they saw the film they passed the film with jus 1-2 minor cuts. They thought that it's a very sensitive portrayal of a young man's journey from lust to love.

How much has the film suffered due to this delayed release?
It has suffered in the sense that a lot of months were wasted, in terms of time frame it has suffered, in content however not many changes have been done, so there hasn't been any major loss.

Why did you title the film 'Time Pass'?
All the guy wants to do is have a good time with the girl; he is not in love with her. So that's why we titled the film 'Time Pass'. Only in the end he realises that whatever impression he had of the girl was out of the kind of clothes she used to wear, her way of meeting was very modern, so he used to think that she is a very fast girl, only when he spends one night with her does he realise that she is very traditional. And that's when the transition in him takes place.

All your previous films had established cast, why debutants in this one?
Because if I make one of the stars a college going boy, I think I would be cheating the public. I wanted somebody that would represent the youth of today, and the boy who is cast is a very popular on television. And Mona is exactly the kind of girl we wanted for this role, who more than beautiful had to look hot and sexy. So the combination was perfect.

So what is the 'Time Pass' quotient of the film?
I think there should be a lot of fun because first of all the look is very youthful and it's not a dramatic film, its not a heavy film, it's about day to day things. So the youngsters who come to watch the film will definitely identify with it.

How did you spot Mona Chopra?
We had auditioned quite a few girls, infact we had even gone to Delhi to audition a few people. We had short listed a few, and we were going to go ahead, but suddenly someone informed her and she happened to drop in and this was just a couple of days before we started shooting, other girls were up to the mark but Mona was just the kind of girl we wanted for this character.

How well have they delivered?
Arjun is a very good actor and he has a very bright future. Mona is very comfortable with the camera, for a first film she has done a very good job and nowadays the kind of roles the girl are required to do, I think she will outclass all of them.

For music you have signed a debutant again, how happy are you with the album?
I am very happy with the music as debutant he has done a very good job. He has made some very good numbers that compliment the film. There are different kind of numbers in the album there is a peppy number; there is a tapoori number and there is a very sensuous song. Before this even in Madhoshi I had given break to Roop Kumar Rathod as a music director.

What are your expectations from the film?
My expectations from the film are quite good. The teenagers will relate to it and will come in.

What is your next project?
Next I am on to a film called Faasi, which is a very different film. It's about capital punishment- whether it should be or it should not be. It's about three characters, one a terrorist who is convicted; other is a jailor who is on a pro-capital punishment and the third is a journalist who is associated with a human rights organization, against capital punishment. We have already shot one schedule, with Suniel Shetty playing the jailor, Rahul Dev as the terrorist and Kay Kay Menon as the journalist.