People, not critics, decide my film's fate: Sajid Khan

Mumbai, March 17 (IANS) Funny man-turned-director Sajid Khan doesn't mind the 'big mouth' tag. He is ready with his second film 'Housefull' and isn't really bothered about reviews as he believes people, not critics, decide a movie's fate.

'The fact is that critics don't have to tell me whether my film is good or not. It is the job of the audience and they would decide if 'Housefull' works for them,' Sajid told IANS.

'Also, one thing I can state on record is that critics may give a one-star or a five-star rating to 'Housefull', but in their hearts they would like the film for sure. The same holds good for audiences who will any way watch 'Housefull' multiple times regardless of the review ratings,' he said.

'Housefull' stars Akshay Kumar in the lead along with Riteish Deshmukh, Arjun Rampal, Deepika Padukone, Lara Dutta, Jiah Khan, Boman Irani, Chunky Pandey and Randhir Kapoor.

Sajid is known for taking digs at actors and filmmakers. A few weeks back, he even made fun of critics at an awards function. Did he think twice about it?

'What did I do wrong? I just picked on select critics who seem to be completely oblivious to what audiences want. May be most of them know what they are doing but then there are indeed some big critics who have goofed up repeatedly in the past,' the director said.

Asked to cite some instances, he said: 'I will give you an example where a critic gave three stars to both 'Aladin' and '3 Idiots'. Are you telling me that the biggest flop and hit ever are alike in the way they were created? See, there have been so many instances when such critics have given a single star to films that go on to become the biggest hits of the year while movies that get four or five stars have turned out to be flops.'

So isn't he worried about his stance regarding critics backfiring? After all, his own 'Housefull' is round the corner and a lot of money is at stake?

'Perhaps not all critics would be kind to 'Housefull', but what's the guarantee that they would have been nice with their reviews had I not spoken about them at the awards function?' he asked.

According to him, 'Housefull' promises to be one of the biggest entertainers of the year. With music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, the film is set to release April 30.