Sajid Nadiadwala: The story of Tiger's Baaghi came from me

Sajid Nadiadwala opens up about his upcoming films, buddy Salman Khan and why he won't direct a film any time soon.
He admits that till last year he'd played safe with big ticket entertainers. Then, since Tamasha was delayed by a year-and-a-half because of Ranbir Kapoor's other commitments, Imtiaz Ali shared Highway with him, little expecting Sajid Nadiadwala to show any interest in the low-budget film.Sajid surprised him by green-lighting the project based on a page-and-a-half story and Imtiaz's track record.
READ: Sajid Nadiadwala provides additional security for ‘Baaghi’
He then launched newcomers Tiger Shroff and Kriti Sanon in Heropanti. Both gambles paid off, taking his banner a notch higher and giving him the confidence to back Vishal Bhardwaj's most ambitious film, Rangoon.
The Second World War love story which rolls in October, is in the news for its casting coup. "We signed Shahid (Kapoor) five years ago and have been trying to put together a film for him. The Hindi remake of Magadheera will take time as it has to be on par with the Telugu original," he says. Sajid also has a two-film deal with Saif Ali Khan and both actors wanted to work with Vishal again. "With Kangana Ranaut joining the cast, I'm looking forward to Rangoon for Vishal's art of storytelling. I don't know if Haider would have worked as well if made by someone else," he muses.
ALSO READ: Shraddha Kapoor and Tiger Shroff begin shooting for ‘Baaghi’
Before that he'll have two releases—Saif- Katrina Kaif's spy thriller, Phantom and Ranbir-Deepika Padukone's Tamasha. Saif's recent flops don't bother him. I'm going with Kabir Khan's vision. If Phantom works, great, if not, we'll redouble our efforts," he smiles, also shrugging off RK's latest debacle, Bombay Velvet, pointing out that since his first film, Ranbir's been challenging himself with something different. "When you play safe, the chances of success are 99 per cent, but when you succeed despite the odds, it's a different kind of high," he asserts.
But Sajid draws the line at clashing with Bajirao Mastani or Dilwale and has brought Tamasha's release forward to November. "We're one family and there are 52 weeks in a year. We can find a clear window though it's getting harder now. I burnt my fingers earlier, I won't risk it again," he says. Quiz him on his next directorial and he admits he's wary of stepping out of his comfort zone because he doesn't think he's capable of directing a good film. "Kick happened because of Salman Khan. Thank God I didn't disappoint the trade and his fans. Izzat bach gayi. Salman has a brilliant idea but he's busy and so am I. I don't know when the Devil will be back," he admits.
Salman and Sajid's friendship is the stuff movie lore is made of. Ask him to tell you something about his buddy and he retorts, "I could have in the '90s when he was misunderstood. Now, he's an open book and his biggest kick, the Being Human foundation, has taken off despite all the critics and gone beyond his stardom. We never talk about our dosti, but one word from him and it's a commitment for me."
Interestingly, Salman scripted a film, Baaghi: A Rebel For Love in 1990. Twenty-five years later, the story of Tiger Shroff's second film, Baaghi, co-starring Shraddha Kapoor, came from Sajid who has scripted Ritesh Deshmukh's hit Marathi film, Lai Bhari.
So, what's the most rebellious thing that he's ever done? "To become a movie producer. My mother's family wanted me to join the IAS," he quips.
or latest Bollywood updates follow us on Twitter >>> @TOIEntertain
For the latest in Bollywood news, like us on Facebook >>> TOIEntertain
For more interesting Bollywood news and pictures follow us on Pinterest>>> timesofindia
WATCH: Salman Khan shows ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ teaser to Sajid Nadiadwala, Aditya Chopra