Sabbir Khan appears to be bursting at the seams with his passion for cinema, at least that’s what it seems to look like during this interview. “I am a first-day first-show sort of movie-goer,” says Khan,; he says he likes to form his own opinion about a film without any external influence.
His third film, Baaghi: A Rebel for Love, releases today and Khan can’t stop talking about how his cinema revolves around action and romance, two universal languages.
Venturing into Bollywood with his directorial debut Kambakkht Ishq (2009), Khan roped in Hollywood star Sylvester Stallone to pull off jaw-dropping fight sequences in the film. His second film, Heropanti (2014), marked the debut of Tiger Shroff, who he decided to work with again in Baaghi . In addition to launching Shroff, Khan’s sophomore effort also established a fraternal connection between the two. But the director maintains that he “discovered [Shroff] as an actor, and did not launch him. A director must be instinctual while casting for a film.”
Khan’s entry into Bollywood hardly comes as a surprise, considering he grew up within the realms of the Hindi film industry. His father, Noor Dewasi, was a renowned lyricist in the late ’60s and early ’70s, with his claim to fame being ‘ Aao Huzoor Tumko ’, from Kismat (1968). After a brief brush with the world of advertising, Khan entirely dedicated his time to his true calling — cinema. After initially assisting filmmakers such as Mahesh Bhatt and David Dhawan, the director worked closely with Sajid Nadiadwala’s company, Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment Pvt Ltd.
When it comes to his own films, authenticity in cinema is important to the director. And he justifies his decision to cast Shroff’s real-life guru Grandmaster Shifuji Shaurya Bhardwaj in Baaghi . Then there’s also the fact that Khan insisted that Telugu actor Sudheer Babu portray the role of a South Indian antagonist in the film. Plus, it was pertinent for him to cast an actor who would be at par with Shroff in the action-sequences.
“He brings a sense of positivity and competiveness to the film,” says Khan, praising Shroff but also rejecting the notion that the only prerequisite for performing action sequences is physical fitness. “Contrary to popular belief, action is rather difficult to execute.” Khan revealed that in preparation for Baaghi , the actors had to attend a training camp in Thailand. But the physical rigour wasn’t restricted to the male actors; Shraddha Kapoor too undertook arduous training. “She was rather gung-ho about it, and had childlike curiosity and enthusiasm,” says Khan.
However, a story will always be more important than any other aspect of a film. Baaghi ’s story lived within the director for months before materialising into a screenplay. For Khan, who’s grown up on a diet of romance and action cinema, it is a requisite to tell a tale with equal parts emotional intensity and human drama.
One can expect the same from Baaghi , says Khan, excitement shining in his eyes, as he awaits the release of his third film.
With inputs from Alakananda Chatterjee
