Interviews

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Thursday March 15, 06:00 PM
By Prithwish Ganguly

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Bollywood fans, rejoice -- acclaimed, young director Farhan Akhtar is planning a sequel to his gangster film "Don", which was a box office hit.

Akhtar's 2006 film was a slick remake of 1978 hit "Don", which starred iconic Amitabh Bachchan and told the story of a gangster whose death is kept a secret by police as they try to infiltrate his gang with a look-a-like country bumpkin.

The film was panned by some critics but moviegoers, both in India and overseas, loved it.

Akhtar's version, which followed an almost identical plot and used a very similar soundtrack, featured better chase sequences, high-tech gadgets, exotic locations and different ending. It also starred heart-throb Shah Rukh Khan.

Thirty-year-old critically acclaimed Akhtar received rave reviews for "Dil Chahta Hai" in 2001, his debut film about three energetic youths and how their various relationships change them.

His second film "Lakshya" saw him break away from the Bollywood formula of anti-Pakistan jingoistic war films with a more balanced story of an Indian offensive against Pakistan-based infiltrators in disputed Kashmir.

Akhtar is the son of India's top lyricist Javed Akhtar, who is also a poet, scriptwriter and an acclaimed screenplay writer. He is the grandson of the eminent Urdu poet Jan Nisar Akhtar.

Q: Your film "Don" was loved by the fans. Do you have any plans of making a sequel to it?

A: "I do intend to make a sequel at some point in time. I do have a couple of ideas in my mind but as of now I have not given it a very serious thought. I wish to do it but when and what my cast will be like, I have not thought about it."

Q: You worked with Shah Rukh Khan in Don. How was that?

A: "Working with him (Khan) was a great experience. He is really open to ideas and comes ahead to give his input as well. He interacts with everyone. The most important part is you can communicate with him very easily."

Q: Your debut film "Dil Chahta Hai" not only received rave reviews but also bagged lot of awards and was selected by one critic as the year's best film. It must have been a special experience?

A: "First films are always fantastic. I enjoyed every moment that I worked with my cast and crew. It was so wonderful. The film also did well, which was a great feeling."

Q: Your father is a genius when it comes to lyrics, script and screenplay. Your grandfather was a poet. What did your family think when you entered Bollywood?

A: "I was 15 or 16 and since then I wanted to make movies. I did not think about the lineage nor do I do now. They are great in their own right and I know I have a very long way to go."

Q: I have read that you spent about two years after leaving college at your family home watching two movies a day?

A: "I always felt that I wanted to do something with films. I studied film appreciation. Those years were the time I educated myself and defined my sensibilities for films and cinema."

Q: What would Farhan Akhtar have been if not a director?

A: "Well, I don't know. If I was not a director, then I think I would definitely be associated with films. I could maybe become a director of photography. I love films and cannot deny myself the pleasure of enjoying it."