EXCLUSIVE: Ali Abbas Zafar reveals old Bade Miyan Chote Miyan director David Dhawan’s reaction to the trailer of Akshay Kumar-Tiger Shroff starrer: “He told me, ‘This film will have a bumper opening because your canvas looks very international but your heroes look very desi. They are speaking in the language that Indians like’” : Bollywood News

The buzz for Bade Miyan Chote Miyan is significant not just because of the casting of Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff, and big-scale action, but also because Ali Abbas Zafar is at the helm of affairs. He’s one of the few filmmakers in today’s times who understands the pulse of the audience. It’s no surprise that he has delivered two Rs. 300 crore grossers in the past and if all goes well, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan could be the third one. At his plush office, the blockbuster filmmaker spoke exclusively with Bollywood Hungama about his upcoming Eid release and a lot more.

EXCLUSIVE: Ali Abbas Zafar reveals old Bade Miyan Chote Miyan director David Dhawan’s reaction to the trailer of Akshay Kumar-Tiger Shroff starrer: “He told me, ‘This film will have a bumper opening because your canvas looks very international but your heroes look very desi. They are speaking in the language that Indians like’”

How easy or hard was it to get three big heroes - Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff and Prithviraj Sukumaran - on board?
I always believe that the biggest strength of any film is its script. In order to get your dream cast, you need to have good material on paper. When we shared the idea with Akshay and Tiger, the kind of response and enthusiasm they showed, was like half the battle won. The responsibility then was to only do justice to the script, which we narrated to the actors. The most difficult part to cast was the villain. I was very sure that I wanted a superstar for that character who could pull it off. I was also very clear that this actor should be from a non-Hindi mainstream cinema. I have been a fan of Prithvi’s films. He knew me through my work. I called him and narrated him the part. I even gave him the script. At that time, however, he couldn’t come on board for Bade Miyan Chote Miyan as he was shooting for Salaar and one more film. He had no dates and he expressed regret about it. I asked him, ‘If you had dates, would you do it?’. He replied, ‘If I had dates, I would have closed my eyes and done this role’!

For the next 14 days, we tried to find another actor but couldn’t zero in on anyone. Then, I called him. He was sitting with Prashanth Neel sir. I told him, ‘I’ll shift the dates of Akshay sir and Tiger. You have to be there in our film’. He was taken aback. He said, ‘No, you can’t do that’. But I maintained, ‘I discussed it with Akshay sir. I want you in the film’. He got super excited. He said, ‘If a director can change the dates of the main leads for me, I want to work with him’. He was anyway in love with the material. He then worked his dates and so did we. That’s how he came on board.

I believe that his presence with Akshay sir and Tiger is a dream. He brings a completely different dynamic to the film.

Prithviraj Sukumaran is seen wearing a mask throughout the trailer. His face is not shown…
That’s a part of the script. There’s a reason why he wears a mask, which you’ll know when you see the film.

Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff have done death-defying stunts in the film. Prithviraj Sukumaran at the trailer launch even said, “To be putting these superstars through such risky stunts, part of me believes that it’s a miracle that they are alive and well today”…
Akshay sir is known for doing his live stunts. When he started his career, he was practically doing every action scene without a stunt double. Today, the dynamics have changed a lot. A lot of safety has come in for the actors. Also, when we were designing the stunts with the action team, we were very clear that we needed to show the action that Akshay sir had done and what he would be comfortable with. The same applied to Tiger. Yet, to put them in the middle of live-wired explosions, bikes, choppers etc, there’s still a risk involved. They were confident enough that they could do it successfully. There are certain shots in the film, which you’ll see and you’d exclaim, ‘Oh my God’! It is unsafe to put your lead actors in those situations. But it was a collective effort of action and safety team due to which it was safe for them to be there. No matter what you do, the safety of your actors is most important.

Moreover, I like to use VFX as a support to enhance your experience. But if you do real action, then 80% of the impact is already there. The way we have used the planes, bikes, cars, choppers, they are all real. They are not dummies. When you okay a shot, you already feel that the battle is won. Then, with VFX, you can add mountains in the backdrop to depict a colder place.

It is often said that post-pandemic, the tastes of the viewers have changed. Do you believe so and have you tweaked the script accordingly?
What has changed post-pandemic is the audience wants to see visual spectacles in theatres. The audience should see the trailer and say ‘Yeh film theatre mein dekhne ka maza aayega’. That has been our effort as well. Also, we have hardly revealed the story in the trailer. We want the audience to discover it when they see it in cinemas. We have ensured that the film will have a visual appeal with these two heroes that will definitely make you feel special when you occupy the seats in the theatre. The audience will not feel cheated; they’ll see that when we cast two action heroes, we have shown them doing crazy stunts. That’s the USP of Bade Miyan Chote Miyan.

Salman Khan tweeted the trailer and wrote positively about the film and its team. That must have been flattering…
(Smiles) He’s like an elder brother to me. He’s also close to Akshay sir. He really liked the trailer. It was very sweet of him to put that out. Yesterday, he and Arbaaz sir were at an event where they mentioned our film. He’s very fond of us. He also knows that the kind of films I make for the big screen are very clean, family entertainers. Salman sir stands by that kind of cinema. Hence, he knows that Bade Miyan Chote Miyan is meant for all kinds of audiences – kids, older people, families etc. He also knows that there would be whistle-worthy moments!

‘Bade Miyan Chote Miyan’, akki n tiger best of luck for the movie yeh bohut badi hit hogi . Loved the trailer and Ali u need to break tiger n sultan ka record with this one. Umeed hai ke Hindustan ko aap aur aap ko Hindustan Eidi dengein...@akshaykumar @iTIGERSHROFF… pic.twitter.com/bMCIGGDeOI
— Salman Khan (@BeingSalmanKhan) March 26, 2024

Indeed, and that’s what stands out in your film. You have always been a believer in mass and even the audience can sense that from the trailers and content of your films…
One of the biggest feedback I got was from David uncle – Mr David Dhawan – who made the old Bade Miyan Chote Miyan. He told me, ‘Ali, this film will have a bumper opening because your canvas looks very international, but your heroes look very desi. They are speaking in the language that Indians like’. I thanked him and replied, ‘Only a person like you can pick that up because that was ideally what I set out to achieve’. I want to make stories about Indian heroes instead of heroes that look and feel very Hollywood. The technology and world can be anything but jis tarah se woh baat karte hai aur jis cheez ki woh baat karte hai, logon ko lagna chahiye ki ‘yeh hamare jaisa hai’!

Salman Khan in his tweet stated that he wants Bade Miyan Chote Miyan to break the box-office record of Sultan (2016) and Tiger Zinda Hai (2017). A lot of expectations are riding on the film not just due to the star cast and grandeur but also because you are involved with the project. Does that put a pressure on you?
Obviously, there’s pressure on box office numbers. I also feel that it’s my responsibility since the producers blindly trusted me to mount a film like Bade Miyan Chote Miyan. I hope that I can do justice so that it can make more money than the amount spent! That’s still secondary. I want to make the best film every time I go out. Also, it needs to be an honest film that people would like. I am happy that with Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, we have achieved that. The core team, who has seen the film, say, ‘What we had set out to make, we have achieved that’.

And most importantly, it’s a very entertaining film. It’s called Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and hence, it’s not intellectual cinema (laughs). It’s meant for the heartland of India. When you come into the theatre, I promise you one thing is that the audience will get entertained.

This is the first time that you’ll face a clash at the box office as Maidaan also releases on the same day…
Even Hollywood filmmakers release their films on the same Friday; Barbie and Oppenheimer is a prime example. Even Gadar 2 and OMG 2 were released on the same day and so did Animal and Sam Bahadur. Both Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and Maidaan are meant for a different audience. It’s a great weekend and I feel Amit Sharma is a phenomenal filmmaker. Maidaan really looks good. If both films turn out well, the audience will go for both. Some might watch Maidaan first followed by Bade Miyan Chote Miyan. And a section of the audience will do vice versa. I don’t think the business will be hampered until the films deliver what are meant to deliver. I wish them all the best.

Prithviraj Sukumaran at the trailer launch of Bade Miyan Chote Miyan blurted out that it is designed as a franchise. Have you started work on the sequel yet?
The film definitely has some loose ends which need to get tied up (smiles).

What are you doing after this film?
After Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, ideally, I’d like to take a break. I want to spend time with my wife and my sixteen-month-old daughter, which I haven’t done properly. I’d like to take some time off and also write after which I’ll decide what I’d like to do next.

At one point, you had planned to make Super Soldier with Katrina Kaif and Mr India with Ranveer Singh. What’s the update on these movies?
The scripts are ready. Once Bade Miyan Chote Miyan releases, we’ll begin the conversation.

You once said that you’d love to cast Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan together. Recently, Aamir Khan said that the three Khans should unite for a film. Would you like to make a film starring Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Aamir Khn?
(Laughs) I’d love to do a film with all three of them. I have been a fan of them. For any director, to have such big stars in one film is a dream come true.

You are one of the few directors who can pull it off as you have done two-hero films right from the beginning of your career…
I love multi-starrers but for that, you need to have a very good script in hand and characters that complement each other. Let’s hope we can do that.

Also Read: Prithviraj Sukumaran speaks on taking “backseat in terms of screen time” in Bade Miyan Chote Miyan: “Rather than placing yourself first, place the film”