You are an ace with comedies. But weren’t you nervous of picking up a cult film like Gol Maal?
No, not really. I knew the ‘so called intellectuals’ would thrash me saying ‘how could you remake a Hrishida film?’ But I was prepared for that. For me, what matters is that I’ve just taken the gist out of such a great film and made it into my own. I am happy the audiences have lapped it up.
Is adding expensive sequences in your films your creative chaap?
You can say so. My film has to be larger-than-life. I could’ve made Gol Maal frame to frame. Critics would have badgered me then, as they have badgered me now after Bol Bachchan. But my audience loves seeing me pump large amounts of money into action and sets. And it works. I’m not saying that films made within a budget are wrong. But when audiences come to see my film with their families, I guess they are spending at least 10 per cent of their monthly income. I don’t want to cheat them.
How did Chennai Express with Shah Rukh Khan come about?
It just happened. I’ve heard stories like, ‘Oh, Rohit Shetty is so smart’ and ‘Now he’s got into the SRK camp.’ The truth is, I spoke to SRK because he loved Golmaal 3. Those days, I was planning Angoor for UTV and I thought SRK would be ideal for it. SRK asked me to write the film and come to him. We wrote Angoor but then I got greedy. I thought that if SRK and I were coming together, Angoor would be too small and simple a film. I thought let me spend more time and make something larger and bigger. We had this script called Chennai Express with us since Golmaal Returns. We revisited it keeping SRK in mind. When I was driving to SRK’s place with the script, I was like ‘he’ll kick me out’. I had planted the idea of Angoor in his mind and now I was going with Chennai Express. I told him, ‘You’re too big for an Angoor’ and spoke to him about Chennai...He said, ‘If you think it’s a better subject, let’s do that.’ Now he’s even producing Chennai...
Chennai Express is your first directorial without buddy Ajay Devgn. Why?
This is another controversy made up by the media. Ajay and I laugh at such stories. After Singham and Bol Bachchan, Chennai Express came along. After Singham, I cannot see Ajay in a small character. We want to do something huge. I am often asked what Ajay thinks about me working with SRK and whether we have had a fight. Well, we are close friends. We are planning to work together after Chennai Express. Presently, I’m writing the script and it will be produced by Ajay Devgn.
You have also signed up with Karan Johar.
(Laughs) Karan Johar messaged me that he wanted to meet me. I respect his dad (the late Yash Johar) a lot. Yashji was a great man, a great producer. I discussed the way I make my films, my style of working with Karan and he had no problems.
Will the film with Dharma bring together Ajay and SRK?
Yes, there were reports that SRK and Ajay would be doing it. It’s quite funny because I don’t know what we are making as yet. We just know that it is a typical commercial film. We don’t even know the story!
You always end up surpassing your last film in terms of money and success. Is the pressure more each time?
No. There’s never been any pressure on me. Only two things can happen on a Friday. Either your film does well or it doesn’t. I don’t go for holidays or celebrate my success because I know nothing is permanent. I don’t let it get to me — like I am India’s top director with too many hits. If that happens, I might lose the connect with my audience. The day I go wrong, they will run away from me. I want to be like an assistant director all my life.
Why aren’t you producing your own films?
I don’t mind doing that. But a producer’s job is finance control. I can’t handle money. I have devised a system, where I come with my own team and we make a film for the producer. We do a lot of production too but I don’t keep accounts. Now I keep a share in the profits — if the producer earns so do I, otherwise no. There is a risk there but that’s the way I work. But if I were to be a producer, my company would go bankrupt.
Considering the position you have reached, directors usually give their assistants a chance…
I go out and help my assistants, like one of my chief assistants Ashish Mohan is making a film with Akshay Kumar titled Khiladi 786. I’m designing the action for his film. I’m there whenever he needs me. I have an open-door policy with my assistants.
How do you deal with critics who call your cinema mindless?
Earlier, I used to get angry. But God has given me so much. Now it doesn’t make any sense cribbing about them. Tomorrow, if a Ramesh Sippy, Priyadarshan, David Dhawan, Subhash Ghai or a Javed Akhtar tells me that you went wrong there, I will listen. But who are these a**holes? They are nothing!
Don’t you think these people are qualified and entitled to opinions?
Just because they have seen a lot of films doesn’t mean they know cinema. I’d rather respect my lightman who has given 30 years of blood and sweat to the industry. He’s more important to me than a lady or a guy sitting on a chair and writing about cinema. If they care about films, tell them to shoot in 43 degrees Celsius and give something to the industry. Then I will respect their comments. Secondly, they should do a course in film criticism. If you don’t like the film, it’s okay but use the right words. You don’t have to make fun or get personal. You can say Rohit Shetty’s direction was bad, the actors were bad, it’s an average film or it’s a poor film. Many filmmakers lick their a** because they believe the stars given by critics in reviews are important. But I care a damn. I’ve drawn a line. They write bad about me as a director, I have no issues. But the day they humiliate me, they’ll have a tough time.
