“It’s not so much of an action thriller as a mind games flick,” says Suniel Shetty of Koyelaanchal due for release on May 9. He’s been touring the length and breadth of the country to promote his film and exhaustion is an understatement. “I don’t want to let the producers down. Vinodji (Khanna) and I are the only known faces in this film and the rest, though supremely good, are not known. He (Vinod) is busy with the elections and campaigning so that leaves only me!”
It’s a late evening chat but Suniel is passionate about the coal mafia issue dealt with in the movie directed by Ashu Trikha and gets talking instantly. “We shot in Jharkhand and even today if you step into these coal-rich areas such as Jharia or Ranchi, you see toxic smoke and fire running for kilometers. We were told that they are abandoned coal mines. The miners get an approval for ‘N’ number of trucks of sand to quash the coal fire after mining. But they put in only a fraction of sand in it thereafter. And people are living dangerously close, only feet away from these mines. The locals feel that the government has turned mafia after nationalisation whereas the government wants to break their stronghold,” he says.
Koyelaanchal is the story of how upright IAS officer Nisheeth Kumar (Suniel) takes on the might of local coal mafioso Saryu Bhan Singh (Vinod Khanna) and turns his own game against him. “I was spurred on by the response to my film Red Alert: The War Within . It didn’t do well commercially but that was because it did not get the right kind of release. But the response it got internationally and at film fests inspired me to take on work which persuades people to think about alternate realities.
“Koyelaanchal is not an arthouse film. It just deals with a burning issue of our country. Coal theft has direct implications on inflation,” he says. “We haven’t glammed up the film either. There is one song where we have had men dress up as women because that’s what happens in these regions.” Suniel is hoping his film boosts the morale of IAS officers in the country and propels them to action. “ Singham and Dabanng did it for police officers. I hope IAS officers get strength by watching our film.”
Suniel says that he is looking at striking a balance between good work and living life king size. “I have made some mistakes like signing films with anyone who came with an emotional appeal. I never had the backing of a Yash Chopra or a Karan Johar but I’ve given hits. I tried my hand at production, which took three years of my life and didn’t succeed. It took me a year to clear up that mess. After that, I had a serious migraine problem for a year. Homeopathy cured it and now I am back in business. I believe in aging gracefully. So I wish to do only age-appropriate roles,” says the 53-year-old.
Suniel’s daughter Athiya is poised to enter films with Salman’s first solo production Hero , a remake of Subhash Ghai’s eponymous 1983 film. She is cast opposite Sooraj Pancholi. “Salman hadn’t even met Athiya before she reported for the shoot. Sometimes, it seems like he is launching his own child. He talks about how strongly he will promote this film. Athiya is excited and working hard and all I have told her is to value two things: each one’s time and the producer’s money. Also, never fear Fridays.”
