“I am doing special guest appearance in Tere Bin Laden 3” – Ali Zafar

By Nikhil Ramsubramaniam -

March 9, 2013 - 11:20 AM IST

The talented Ali Zafar has a USP that not many others have- he can sing and act with equal ease. After making an impressive debut in Tere Bin Laden and following it up with likeable acts in films like Mere Brother Ki Dulhan and London, Paris, New York, Ali is now gearing up for his next big release Chashme Baddoor. Bollywood Hungama's Nikhil Ramsubramaniam caught up with the actor at a suburban hotel where he was in a rather relaxed mood, giving interviews and simultaneously strumming the guitar and humming old Kishore Kumar classics. Read on...

“I am doing special guest appearance in Tere Bin Laden 3” – Ali Zafar

Chashme Baddoor is of course a remake of the cult classic which released way back in 1981. How much of the film is retained from the original?

The soul remains the same, the plot remains the same, the basic characters remain the same. But its all treated and layered in a modern fashion. The characters speak today's lingo, the pacing of the film is also much faster as audience these days have a very short attention span.

You play the character played by Farooque Sheikh in the original. What was your first reaction when you were offered this role? Were you a fan of the film?

Honestly, I hadn't seen Chashme Baddoor till I was offered this one. I thoroughly enjoyed the film and I was excited to be a part of remake of the film. I was also excited to work with David Dhawan. So I readily agreed.

How has been the experience working with the 'Sultan of Comedies' David Dhawan?

It's been a wonderful experience. He is just like a child.

Does it bother you that his last few films haven't really worked at the B.O.?

It happens with everybody yaar. Sometimes some films don't work, that doesn't mean you take away from what a person has achieved over the years. With this film he didn't want to go the same route that he went with Rascals. He has brought in a totally fresh approach.

The one thing that is evident from the promos is the male bonding between Siddharth, Divyendu and yourself...talk us about working with these 2 boys?

It was a very good experience. Both Sid and Divyendu are very talented. I gotto learn a lot from them. I didn't know them before, the 3 of us in fact met for the first time directly on set. In the day time we would shoot and in the evening we would chill out by the beaches in Goa.

Not much is known about your heroine Taapsee Pannu....how was she as a co-star?

This is her first Hindi film but she has done many films down South. She is very professional, punctual and decent girl...very easy to work with. She has 3 boys wooing her in the first film itself...now that's some luck!

You are a talented singer as well. Do we get to hear you singing a few songs in the film as well?

I've sung around 3 songs in the film. Sajid-Wajid have composed some fantastic songs. They are great guys to work with. The first song that I have sung is 'Dhichkiyaoon Dhoom Dhoom' which is a duet with Shreya and me; then there is another fun song that I have sung called 'Andha Ghoda Race Mein Dauda' and finally I've also sung the reprise version of the title track.

How was it working with veteran actors like Rishi Kapoor and Anupam Kher?

I was so excited the first day I was shooting with Rishi sir. We were shooting a song sequence. I've been watching him all my life dance and never thought I'd get to act and dance with him one day. He is very supportive and loving and what amazes me is he is so excited and gung ho about his character even after having done so many films. He wanted to get the correct look for his character so got tattoos done etc. That shows his dedication towards his craft. Anupam Kher saab is so funny that I would crack up during his scenes.

Tell us something about your forthcoming projects Aman Ki Asha and Kill Dil...

Aman Ki Asha is a comedy about a Pakistani boy (Aman) and an Indian girl (Asha). It's a remake of a Spanish film and Yami Gautam plays my co-star. It's directed by E. Niwas and is written and produced by Neeraj Pandey. I've begun shooting for the film in London earlier this month. I start Shaad Ali's Kill Dil in September. It's full on action flick with a bit of romance as well. I am looking forward to this one as action is a genre I haven't done yet.

Finally what's the status of the sequel to Tere Bin Laden? Are you a part of it?

Yes the sequel is definitely happening and it's called Tere Bin Laden 3.
However, when Abhishek Sharma narrated the script to me there was a certain part that I was more interested in doing and I shared that with Abhishek and he agreed. So I now am doing a special guest appearance in the film.