'Gunday' is inspired by 'Kaala Patthar' and 'Deewar': Ali Abbas

Mumbai: Director Ali Abbas Zafar says 'Gunday' was the last script that late Yash Chopra heard and the upcoming film is somewhere inspired by the legendary filmmaker's two top grossers - 'Kaala Patthar' and 'Deewar'.

The film is based in Kolkata during the unsettled times of the 70s and deals with the inseparable life of Bikram and Bala (Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor), who grow from being small time, inconsequential coal thieves, to becoming the most powerful black marketing mafia men.

Produced by Aditya Chopra, 'Gunday' is slated to release worldwide on February 14.

"It is a special film for all four of us. This was the last script great Yash Chopra heard. He loved the script and believed in it. It is somewhere in lot of what inspired by his films 'Kaala Patthar'...'Deewar', it is set in the time when he was making films," Ali told reporters.

"We hope we can do justice to it. We want to dedicate the film to him. For us, every film is a journey... We had a great time making it," the director added.

The promos of the film reminds one of Amitabh Bachchan and Shatrughan Sinha in 'Kaala Patthar'.

On this, Ali says, "It's a big compliment for all of us. The whole film is set in Kolkata... It starts in 1971 after the war. One of the reasons of the war was lot of illegal immigration happening in the country from Bangladesh.

"The backdrop is the most important thing in a story. In 1970s and 80s black marketing was a huge thing and coal was a major part of black marketing. That is why I chose to have the backdrop of coal," he added.

But Ali insists the film has a larger issue than just coal. Considering the last film that released under YRF banner was 'Dhoom 3' and is doing phenomenal business, there are huge expectations from the next.

"Any director would want the film to do well. There is a lot of pressure that builds on and we hope the film entertains you," he added.