Salman has his way, brings more action in Bodyguard

By Bollywood Hungama News Network -

August 2, 2011 - 4:40 AM IST

Salman knows how to have his way. Those who have seen the original Malayalam version of Salman's Bodyguard would vouch for the fact that it was a film with a strong emotional base to it. Ditto for the Tamil version which again had romance at the core of it. However for the Hindi version, there was a clear mandate for the team to make action as an integral part of the film. Though there was action in small doses in the regional versions, Salman was very clear that Bodyguard had to be abound with numerous action sequences so that his fan base isn't disappointed.

"Post Wanted and Dabangg, Salman knows his bearings quite well. He has constantly reinvented himself and in the current phase of his career he understands that 'masala' is in. This is the reason why even in a family entertainer like Ready, there were a few action sequences included though they were more in a lighter vein. However in Bodyguard, the core of which is an emotional romantic drama, there are quite a few hardcore action sequences included as well to make it a 'masala' affair", says a source attached to the film's writing team.

This made sense as well since the film's title pretty much gives an impression of an action flick. Since Salman plays Kareena's bodyguard in the film, audience are bound to expect a few stylised sequences that would involve their hero bashing up dozens of goons in one go.

"That has been taken care of", continues the source, "Salman loved the core idea of the movie a lot and this was the reason why he wanted to do the film in the first place. However, he was sure that there would be certain changes required in the script. He put forth his demand to the film's writer-director Siddique who was more than keen to comply."

"Yes, I did bring in changes in the film", confirms Siddique who holds a record for directing the same subject four times (in Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi and even Telugu), "In Malayalam, the character was very humour based and it was played to perfection by Dileep. He is not a macho hero so the role of a boy next door suited him well. In Tamil the character is more romantic and hence Vijay came into picture who is a romantic hero. Now since Salman has a macho image, it was but natural that the Hindi version became much more action oriented."

Salman has his way, brings more action in Bodyguard

On questioned whether as a writer he could readily approve of all the changes to cater to a superstar's image, Siddique said, "I have to satisfy audience and not myself. If audience across the country want to see Salman in a certain image then so be it. Why should I refuse to budge from my spot? We all want to make a popular film at the end of the day, isn't it?"

Right Siddique!