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Last Updated 28.03.2024 | 10:44 PM IST
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“Himmatwala is my best film” – Sajid Khan

en Bollywood News “Himmatwala is my best film” – Sajid Khan

Sajid Khan

Two years after Housefull 2, Sajid Khan is back. The only director other than Rajkumar Hirani to have delivered three back to back major successes (Heyy Babyy, Housefull, Housefull 2) and en route to be the first to make it four in a row with Himmatwala, Sajid is on a roll. A self-confessed fan of filmmakers as diverse as Manmohan Desai, Prakash Mehra, Feroz Khan, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, K Raghavendra Rao, Narendra Bedi, Ravi Tandon and Brij, Sajid is making sure that his film is heard, seen and talked about in days to come.


What defines Sajid Khan? Being a film lover or a filmmaker?
Well, both and add one more to it - a film statistician. That's one fact that no one can take away from me. I know that which film released in which year and in what all cities. Ask me about any film that released during 50 years ago and I will tell you everything about it. That's my basic love for Hindi films. It is this very aspect that reflects in my films as well. I have to give audience enough ingredients so that they can say ki yaar mazaa aaya. In that aspect I have to be honest, something that I have been following since my TV shows days. This is the reason why their TRP used to be so high.


As a matter of fact Himmatwala is also your quickest film where you have moved on from your last film. Are you comfortable with this pace of work?
In fact I have now promised myself that I would release at least one film ever year. I am not money driven though; I don't make movies just because a lot of money is offered at me. I make films which would work at the box office. You can't plan such things though; they should come naturally to you.


Well, you did plan something different at the beginning of the film when the film's mahurat shot featuring Ajay Devgn was streamed online. You also went ahead and declared the film's release date well in advance.
This is the first time when I followed the A-grade Hollywood films model where a release date is announced before the film's shoot. The original Himmatwala had released in 1983, I wanted to bring my version exactly 30 years later and resume the celebrations. To ensure a speedy making of the film so that we were ready with the final cut soon enough, I took an online editor on board who was working with me in parallel even as I was canning shots at the Ramoji Rao studios. That made the process really fast.


However, how much of the Jeetendra starrer eventually remains in your version with Ajay Devgn?
As a matter of fact, from the day I conceptualised Himmatwala, I knew that it had to be rewritten. It is not the same film after all; it is the essence of that film. To tell you the truth, if I were to make the exact same Himmatwala then it wouldn't have worked today. I make films that would be enjoyed by the audience and then when I look back, I can say that I made something enjoyable. I try to identify ideas and scripts in my mind rather than making a film based on the cheques that have been offered to me.


Sajid Khan
So while the cheques are coming in, how much does the box office revenue matter to you? When talks have gone way beyond the 100 crore mark now, are you already thinking bigger?
See, while numbers do matter, more than that it is the likeability of a film which is most importance. If a film is not liked then it would never achieve the kind of big numbers that you mention. Let's talk about, say, a Bodyguard. A lot of people say that it is not a liked film but how can we ignore the fact that it is the fourth highest film of all times in Bollywood. This means that it is a very small community of people which perhaps didn't like the film. However, there are others who saw it again in the second, third and the fourth week as well. I expect the same for Himmatwala.


You also have an advantage of a solo release, end of Board exams as well as the last major release before IPL.
Well, all of that is good but then no matter which holiday period you release your film, if it is not good enough then it would crash from Monday; it is as simple as that. As I said, the point is that likeability is more important.


Ajay must be thrilled with the kind of confidence you are demonstrating.
Yes, of course. He is also waiting to see the audience reaction to his entry in the film. It is going to be unique again. I had designed the sequence two years ago while I was directing Housefull 2. Now when I see Himmatwala as a whole, I can say with confidence that it is my best till date.

“Himmatwala is my best film” – Sajid Khan

Watch Song Promo: Naino Mein Sapna (Himmatwala)


More Pages: Himmatwali Box Office Collection


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