'I am not a fan of remakes. The Shaukeens does not have a single scene or character taken from the original.'
Abhishek Sharma, director of The Shaukeens, explains why his film is different.
Director Abhishek Sharma of Tere Bin Laden fame is looking forward to the release of his next film The Shaukeens.
A remake of the 1982 classic Shaukeen, Abhishek insists his new film is very different.
He explains his style of comedy to Rajul Hegde, and also says why he thought Mithun Chakraborty was ‘inconsequential’ in the original movie.
.jpg?w=670&h=900 "Lisa Haydon in The Shaukeens")
Image: Lisa Haydon in The Shaukeens
Your film is bound to be compared to Shaukeen.
Though it is a remake of Shaukeen, the characterisation and plot are different.
I am not a fan of remakes. There is not a single scene or character taken from the original.
The three pivotal characters in this film are deprived, but not vulgar.
The point was to give these characters a certain endearing quality. Women won’t be repulsed by them.
The Censor Boar came for the film’s screening with the mindset that they will rate it either a U/A or A. But they found it very sweet.
How is this film different from your earlier comedy film Tere Bin Laden?
I am a versatile director. Comedy is my chosen language of cinematic expression. Nothing makes me happier than to make people happy.
But I won't do anything vulgar. My comedy is observational.
I relate to the humour of Jerry Seinfeld. Comedy is a language for me and not a genre.
There are sub-genres in comedy. Like Tere Bin Laden part one is a satire. The sequel will be a farce.
The Shaukeens is a coming-of-age; it’s like a buddy film.
Image: The Shaukeens movie poster
Why
made you cast Akshay Kumar in a special role?
Akshay’s role in this film is better than Mithunda's character in the original. I am saying this in terms of writing and characterisation.
In Shaukeen, Mithunda is present throughout the film but he hardly does anything. He is inconsequential to the plot.
Akshay’s role is the major hook. He is the central premise once he comes on screen.
If you take out his character, the film will fall flat.
Did you at any point consider Mithun as part of the lead cast, one of the old men?
When I came on board, Anupam Kher and Annu Kapoor had already been signed on. Only the third slot was not clear.
Since I worked with Piyush Mishra in Tere Bin Laden part one and two, I cast him.
I love Mithunda and I hope to work with him some time.
In all your films you have characters inspired from real life. Is it a deliberate decision?
Akshay plays himself in The Shaukeens.
In Tere Bin Laden, it was Osama and in Tere Bin Laden part two, it’s Osama and Obama.
That is a kind of unique point about my film making but I don’t know whether it will continue because those scripts demanded it.
I don’t have an agenda, but it has happened in all the three films. I think it gives a better connect.
What was it like working with senior actors like Anupam Kher and Annu Kapoor?
When you direct such actors, there is a conscious effort to not direct them.
They are brilliant in envisioning what more they can bring to the scene besides what is written.
In comedy, there is always scope to learn from seniors. The thing with comedy is that it is a very actor-dominated genre, and also the toughest.
A director’s job in comedy is never to interfere with the actors.
The timing of all these actors was so crisp, I did not try to fiddle with it.
Image: Abhishek Sharma
Did you make any changes in Lisa Haydon’s character as she stepped in much later, after Nargis Fakhri opted out?
Nargis had some date issues because she was doing a Hollywood film.
I believe that the script is first and actors are supposed to play the role. Roles are not supposed to follow actors.
Lisa bought a different kind of perspective and freshness to her character.
After I watched her in Queen, I recommended her name to the producers. Everybody agreed that she was brilliant for the role.
