EXCLUSIVE: Boney Kapoor says he’s not worried about Akshay Kumar’s Prithviraj releasing a week after Ajay Devgn’s Maidaan; says “My only worry is that our film should be ready by June 3” : Bollywood News

The lockdown has resulted in the delay of several releases. Superstar Ajith’s Tamil film, Valimai, was all set to arrive in cinemas on January 13, 2022, on Pongal. However, thanks to the imposition of restrictions in several states, producer Boney Kapoor decided to postpone the release. Now that the cases have declined, the veteran filmmaker is all set to release the action entertainer in multiple languages on February 24. In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, Boney Kapoor speaks about Valimai, his other releases, including the much-awaited Maidaan, starring Ajay Devgn, and a lot more.

EXCLUSIVE: Boney Kapoor says he’s not worried about Akshay Kumar’s Prithviraj releasing a week after Ajay Devgn’s Maidaan; says “My only worry is that our film should be ready by June 3”

After facing numerous delays, Valimai will be out in cinemas on February 24. How do you feel right now?
Right now, I am feeling very elated that the film is finally being released. It’s indeed been a long wait but the world went through such a tough time that nothing could have been done.

Valimai went on floors in 2019-end and shooting had to be stopped due to the lockdown. How much of the filming was left to be shot at that point?
A substantial portion of the shoot was left to be shot. The action portions and the foreign shoot was also pending. Roughly, only 40% of the shoot was done before the lockdown was imposed in March 2020.

Has the success of the Hindi version of Pushpa motivated you to release Valimai in Hindi in a grand fashion?
I am glad Pushpa has done well. But that’s not the only reason or only motivation. Of course, that played a part. We are more bullish after the success of Pushpa. In any case, since we had made such a big-budget film, we were looking for theatrical revenue other than from the home market. The rights were pre-sold before the second wave.

Are you expecting Valimai’s Hindi version to cross the Rs. 100 crore mark like Pushpa’s Hindi dubbed version?
We are not looking at Rs. 100 crores in Hindi. We are just hoping that the film performs at the best of its ability. The film has never-before-seen-action, which is going to be its USP. At the same time, it has all the elements that satisfy the palates of the Indian audiences. It has a family angle, heroism, drama, the track of the mother, etc. Except for song and dance, it has everything. Song and dance nahi ho sakta isme because Ajith is playing a cop. So, he can’t break into a song. Zanjeer (1973) mein bhi Amitabh Bachchan koi gaana nahi gaa rahe the.

Why are Bollywood filmmakers not making such films which can blend action, drama, emotion, and thrill? Do you think our films are lacking mainstream, pan-India appeal on the whole?
Most of the Hindi films are lacking it; I won’t say that all films lack that appeal. Take Sultan (2016), for example. It had all the elements. Same with Dangal (2016) – the screenplay and the subject were fantastic. Tiger films (of Salman Khan) had the thrill and action. But other than a handful of such films, the rest of the movies focus more on the modern concept and outlook. They even focus more on competing with Hollywood, forgetting what the Indian audience wants.

The requirement, I believe is, to make a pan-India film. Someone sitting in a B or C centre as well as PVR Juhu should connect with the narrative…
Yes, and look at my films, be it Wanted (2009) or No Entry (2005) or Mr. India (1987) or Judaai (1997), they were all in that category. Our attempt was the same in Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja (1993) but unfortunately, it didn’t work.

Please tell us about your bond with Valimai’s lead, superstar Ajith…
It is a very strong bond. We get along very well. I respect him and he respects me too.

Valimai will be clashing with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Alia Bhatt-starrer Gangubai Kathiawadi…
Yes, but its genre is altogether different from ours.

Agreed, but in recent times, we have seen screen sharing issues cropping up, during the release of Sooryavanshi and Eternals, and later during the releases of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Pushpa, and ’83. Trade is fearing that a repeat of it might happen with Valimai and Gangubai Kathiawadi…
That is something the exhibitors will decide. We have put out our trailer. There’s a lot of buzz for Valimai in Hindi without even promoting it much. In fact, we have not even changed the title. Even the Hindi version is titled Valimai.

Last year, a lot of Ajith fans went berserk as they constantly asked you for an update on the film. How was that experience?
Valimai was being tracked heavily across the globe. Wahan England mein cricket ki series chal rahi thi, usme log ‘Valimai update’ ke banners leke aaye the. R Ashwin was asked about it. Even when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was campaigning in Tamil Nadu posters, people had asked him for an update on Valimai! They had put up my posters in Madurai, which were 6 feet tall. It said ‘Boney Kapoor missing’.

Mere kitne memes nikle. Ajith ke fans ne mera jeena haraam kar diya tha (laughs)! When we finally gave the update, unhone excitement mein mere acche memes bhi banaye the.

What is the screen count that is expected for Valimai’s Hindi release?
We are looking at releasing Valimai in Hindi on at least 1000 screens.

In the times of new normal, most films release on OTT in just 4 weeks. Tadap and 83 have been exceptions and it arrived on streaming giants only after 8 weeks. When will Valimai release on OTT?
We’ll decide about it after the release of the film.

Your other major release is Ajay Devgn’s sports drama, Maidaan. Due to the third wave, the release dates of a few films got changed while some haven’t. Will Maidaan still release on June 3 as scheduled?
As of now, the date is still on – June 3.

Prithviraj, starring Akshay Kumar, releases on June 10. Does that worry you?
It doesn’t worry me. My only worry is that our film should be ready by June 3 (laughs)!

What’s the latest status of the shoot or post-production of Maidaan?
The post-production is going on in full swing. We just need to take some crowd shots. For that, the crew will be travelling to Bangkok, Thailand to film the pick-up shots for the 1962 Jakarta Asian Games sequence. Then there’s a scene of the Melbourne Olympics. So, we need to show some foreign faces. We’ll also call some people from Jakarta to Bangkok. Rather than going to Indonesia, we felt flying down to Bangkok is better as we’ll find people from various nationalities and facial features there. We are showing the Asian Games…toh usme toh Asians ko toh dikhana padega.

What’s the update on the rest of your three films – Mili (starring Janhvi Kapoor), Veetla Visheshnga (the Tamil remake of Badhaai Ho), Nenjuku Needhi (the Tamil remake of Article 15)?
We’re going to release Mili in May in cinemas. I haven’t fixed the date yet but we are looking at bringing it out in May or maybe in April-end. And both Veetla Visheshnga and Nenjuku Needhi would also release in the summer months. (So in the first half of the year, all his films will be out – Valimai, Mili, Veetla Visheshnga, Nenjuku Needhi, and Maidaan).

Another interesting development is that you got into acting with Luv Ranjan’s untitled film, starring Ranbir Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor. How has been your experience?
The experience is fantastic. I have enjoyed every minute on the set. I have always been behind the camera; this time, I was in front of it. It was a very happy unit. The director is superb. I call him ‘mini K Asif’ because he’s a perfectionist. He doesn’t leave a ball. Ya toh four maaro ya six maaro – you can’t leave any ball dead. It’s a very well mounted and a big film. It’s a social film too. It has three established names – Ranbir Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia. The rest are all newcomers.

So do you count yourself as a newcomer too?
Of course. Sabse naya toh main hi hoon!

What is the title of this film? Has it been finalized?
No, it’s not yet been decided.

And does the release date of this film also remain unchanged?
Yes. It’ll be out on January 23, 2023.

What’s the status of the remakes of Comali and F2: Fun And Frustration with Arjun Kapoor?
The scripts of both films are being written. I am working on Comali with Luv Ranjan. We’ll be producing it jointly. He himself will write it and he’ll decide who should direct it. F2: Fun And Frustration will be directed by Anees Bazmee. It’ll star Arjun and two more heroes.

Reports recently also stated that No Entry Mein Entry is finally happening. It’s surely one of the most awaited sequels for many moviegoers…
I am keeping my fingers crossed about No Entry Mein Entry. I am blessed that I have made many films that have been long-awaited. Mr India, Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja, Valimai, Wanted, No Entry…all these films took time and generated tremendous excitement.

You are starting one more film with Ajith next month…
Yes, it’ll go on floors on March 9, provided the set is ready. We are putting up a huge set in Hyderabad wherein we have reacted Mount Road of Chennai. It’s a huge, sprawling set.

And will it be a mass entertainer?
Yes, of course.

You joined Instagram in 2021-end and have been uploading some excellent posts. It also seems that you are enjoying it thoroughly…
Yes, I am enjoying it but I am using it not to promote myself but to talk about me and my family’s journey. There are some nostalgic pictures I have that I have uploaded. Also, I want to capture and document the landmark moments in my career. If someone wants to know about me, toh aadhi information toh Instagram se mil jaayegi!

What do you are children have to say about your stint on Instagram…
My kids are happy. Their friends are happy too. They are all following me. In 2 months, I have got over 25,000 followers and that too organically.

You recently put up a picture of Lata Mangeshkar and Sridevi…It’s a picture not available anywhere on the internet…
Yes, and I recently uploaded a picture of my father (Surinder Kapoor) and Dilip Kumar saab too. The caption is ‘Peshawari men in conversation or intense discussions’. My father was also from Peshawar.