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"You can't be such a big star if you are not a good actor" -Ali Abbas Zafar !
Soumita Sengupta | (July 16, 2016)
As Sultan continues its stupendous run at the box office, director Ali Abbas Zafar speaks to Soumita Sengupta about the film, Salman Khan and some deeply personal experiences before and after release
Congratulations on the success of Sultan. Were you expecting the film to set new records by the first weekend itself?
Thank you! I am really glad everyone loves the film. I think with a Salman Khan film, the numbers are bound to come in. But I also think that, with time, because he (Salman Khan) is doing interesting films starting with Bajrangi Bhaijaan, followed by Sultan, his fan base is growing. It is very clear that people are not only coming for Salman Khan but also for the kind of films he is doing now. The love he is getting at the box office is a mix of content and star power.
Going back to the beginning... was it easy to convince Salman to do the film?
He loved the script from day one. When I wrote the story, I first shared it with Adi (Aditya Chopra), who is the producer of the film and we were both certain that we would not make the film if Salman wouldn't agree. That's because there is a certain charisma and a certain vulnerability that Sultan's character has, and he is also an athlete. So, if we had to package it right, we knew Salman was the only star who could pull it off.
Adi said we should narrate the story to him and write it only if he likes it because writing usually takes a good six to eight months. I narrated the story to him in 20 minutes. You know, it is always very difficult when you take a script to a superstar because you have to write a character which either matches his stardom or goes beyond him. Yet, he heard the story for 20-25 minutes and then said, I like it, let's do it.'
I was ecstatic because that is the shortest yes' I have ever heard from any actor. He was so instinctive and responsive, and he said, I will do it after Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, and that's going to take a year to a year and a half, so you have the time to write it.'
He was 48 years old then and I started shooting the film after he had just turned 50. It makes me especially happy that, at the age of 50, he's done a role that everyone appreciates so much. It is especially gratifying that everyone is saying that it's not only a Salman Khan film but a very inspiring Salman Khan film. That makes it even more special.
So once he said yes', I travelled to all these places where wrestling is counted as a sport, like Haryana and parts of Punjab. I wanted to include that texture in the film, starting with language and ambience. I did extensive research about the sport, about real-life wrestlers, about their strengths, their problems, particularly professional problems, etc. Once I got the hang of the language, ambience and dialect, I started drafting a full-fledged script.
That took me a good six months. Then I went back to Salman and narrated it to him, and he loved it. He had a few suggestions which he wanted me to incorporate in the script because he thought they would suit him as an actor. Every script goes through this stage... when you cast an actor, you have to adapt it to the actor's style. I made all the changes and gave a narration to him and Salim Khan, who is an iconic writer and has a great legacy of work. You need someone who is senior and vouches for the fact that what you believe in is correct. That's what happened and, today, it is in front of you.
When Salim Khan first saw the film, what was his reaction?
He was very happy and it was a very beautiful reaction. When the narration was over, he stood up, applauded and he had tears in his eyes. And that was precisely the reaction I needed for the film... where you wake up from a dream... you have watched a 2-hour, 50-minute film and you are smiling but you are also moved to tears.
It is an emotional journey. It is a simple love story between a man and a woman, where sports is only the backdrop. A sport gives you a high and an aspiration but it is also an emotional film. When he (Salim Khan) walked out of the cinema, he said, What you have made is better than the script,' which gave me a lot of confidence. He just made it so special.
Whether it is Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, Gunday or Sultan, your films are never about just one person. Apart from the main lead, every other character is well-developed and very strong too.
When you are writing an author-backed film for a character like Sultan - and, sure, the film is called Sultan because it is about him... I believe the film is about Sultan's journey but also the journey of Aarfa played Anushka Sharma. Because it is a love story, you need to have a very strong actress in the film.
Second, the other characters create an ambience for the character of Sultan, your main character. They give him more weightage on screen, whether it is the friend (Anant Vidhaat), or Amit Sadh, who is the catalyst who brings him back to the arena, or Randeep Hooda, a special character in the film who makes him Sultan' again. So is the girl's father played by Kumud Mishra. So all these characters only help him go through his journey in the most honest and dignified way.
We all have people around us who help us, who support us, they either pull us down or help us to climb the ladder or tell us that we are wrong or right. You know, all those people who come out after watching the film; they have very nicely created the whole idea of what Haryana stands for or what India stands for only because of all the characters that add those nuances to the main plot.
The film goes through three different phases... the lull, the rise and then the fall. Also, the narrative is like a biopic.
That was always there in the script and Salman knew about it, and that is why he has performed all of them so beautifully. The one thing he has maintained across all those phases is his innocence. Also, arrogance is the only shade he catches but still he is always very vulnerable and very simple during the entire journey. That is why people, even when he goes wrong, root for him. They are, like, Okay, yaar issey galti ho gayi hai but iss galti ko maaf karke, let him move forward.' So all three Salman Khans were very important.
Yes, the film does have a very biopic' structure and that was the idea from day one. I used to tell Adi and Salman, let's create a character like Sherlock Holmes. I wanted to create a character that was completely fictional but so believable that when people watched the movie, they would believe it could have been a real story. I wanted to create a character that was so real that people could Google it because they wondered whether there really was a Sultan. Did he really participate in the Commonwealth Games? Did he really represent India at the Asian Games?
If you pay close attention to the narrative, you will notice that we have documented it like that, where the state championship he participated in is in a certain year, his professional journey as an international wrestler is documented in a certain year. And the most important factor was to bring a sport, which is an Indian sport, to the forefront for the Indian audience.
The only sports we play in India are cricket, football and hockey but there are many other sports that are also famous. Indians are going abroad and representing those sports. The idea was also to bring in that sport and draw a parallel between that sport and Sultan's journey, which is that no matter what happens, you have to get up and fight. Even the tagline of the film is: Wrestling is not a sport, it's about fighting what lies within.' In wrestling, you inevitably fall but you have to get up and the same thing happens in life. So all these things were seamlessly incorporated in the three phases Sultan goes through.
In the last part of the film, which has the Mixed Martial Arts shots, the wrestling shown is not something which the Indian audience is open about. Were you conscious whether the audience will accept the ring fights or not?
I think the audience will accept ring fights after Sultan. We were careful not to over-dramatise any sport, we wanted to keep it very real, whether it is wrestling or MMA. The latter has been shown as a sport; there is no villain, the guys have not been presented as villains but as sportsmen. They clearly have that spirit of sportsmanship, and whoever wins, gets the money.
Also, as a director, it was very important to show the right thing in a really possible way because the audience has already connected with Sultan emotionally, and they will root for him regardless of the sport he plays. All you are thinking is that you want this character to get up and get his izzat back. We think and hope he might win and if he wins maybe his wife will come back and maybe he will be able to open that blood bank too.
Salman Khan is being praised most for the scene where Sultan looks at himself and realises what he has become. Tell us something about shooting that scene.
He was always very charged for that scene but also very nervous. He always knew how important that scene was for Sultan's character, for him to realise how down and out his character was. The reality is what people are saying about him and that is where the phoenix starts to rise. That's where he puts himself together and says, I am not down and out, so why are people saying that I am?' But when he looks at himself, in his subconscious mind, he admits he is a loser. That comes almost at the crescendo of his emotional breakdown.
So he knew that scene was very important. But he was a little hesitant too because Salman is known for his physique and it wasn't easy for him to stand in front of that mirror when he was completely out of shape and still perform. He was struggling within himself, trying to say, You know I am not really like this.'
That's what the character demanded but he could relate to the pain and what that character was going through. I think he took that scene very personally and performed it with a lot of belief. He believed in the scene and it's one of the strongest scenes in the film. That's why I say there is a brilliant actor in him, there is a great actor in him. Just because people don't see that side of him, they think he has suddenly started acting. There's always been a great actor in him. You can't be such a big star if you are not a good actor. His connect with his audience is phenomenal and that only happens when they connect to you at a higher level, not just at face value.
Are there any scenes in particular where you got carried away by performances?
There were two scenes that made me very emotional when I watched them. One scene was with Anushka Sharma, the one where she realises she is pregnant and has to give up her career, and the most important goal, the dream of her life as she sees Sultan, her husband, celebrating, it kind of broke me emotionally. Obviously, I was not literally crying but I did get emotional when Anushka performed. It made me realise that this was the emotion I was looking for.
The second scene was the mirror scene. I usually don't sit at the monitor and am always by my cameraman's side, looking at the actors directly. When Salman performed that scene, I choked. He felt the pain too, he had tears in his eyes and almost broke down. When the shot was over, he looked at me and I looked at him and we shared a silent moment, and I knew I got what I wanted.
But then he asked, Do you want to do it again?' And I refused. So there are certain stories that require those personal moments and when that happens, it creates magic. You can't fake that. No technical team, lighting, camera work or sound design, can make you feel that emotional. Today, people are talking about that scene and it means it has stayed with them.
What is the best compliment you have received so far?
The best compliment has come on Twitter, where someone wrote, Thank you for making Sultan, it is a very inspirational film. I made a call to my brother after eight long years, because I felt I had done something wrong but I couldn't ever admit it. So I called him and apologised to him and the beauty of that call was... he just asked me to come home and said that we will have dinner together.'
If a film does that to you, and people who have watched it also connect to you, lives change. Things often go wrong but if we can admit that things went wrong and we rectify it without letting our egos get in the way, I think that is the biggest compliment. And that's what I wanted from my film too.
BOI
salman khan Ali Abbas Zafar sultan interview interview sultan boi boxofficeindia yrf's next
1 note Jul 16th, 2016
Soumita Sengupta | (July 16, 2016)
As Sultan continues its stupendous run at the box office, director Ali Abbas Zafar speaks to Soumita Sengupta about the film, Salman Khan and some deeply personal experiences before and after release
Congratulations on the success of Sultan. Were you expecting the film to set new records by the first weekend itself?
Thank you! I am really glad everyone loves the film. I think with a Salman Khan film, the numbers are bound to come in. But I also think that, with time, because he (Salman Khan) is doing interesting films starting with Bajrangi Bhaijaan, followed by Sultan, his fan base is growing. It is very clear that people are not only coming for Salman Khan but also for the kind of films he is doing now. The love he is getting at the box office is a mix of content and star power.
Going back to the beginning... was it easy to convince Salman to do the film?
He loved the script from day one. When I wrote the story, I first shared it with Adi (Aditya Chopra), who is the producer of the film and we were both certain that we would not make the film if Salman wouldn't agree. That's because there is a certain charisma and a certain vulnerability that Sultan's character has, and he is also an athlete. So, if we had to package it right, we knew Salman was the only star who could pull it off.
Adi said we should narrate the story to him and write it only if he likes it because writing usually takes a good six to eight months. I narrated the story to him in 20 minutes. You know, it is always very difficult when you take a script to a superstar because you have to write a character which either matches his stardom or goes beyond him. Yet, he heard the story for 20-25 minutes and then said, I like it, let's do it.'
I was ecstatic because that is the shortest yes' I have ever heard from any actor. He was so instinctive and responsive, and he said, I will do it after Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, and that's going to take a year to a year and a half, so you have the time to write it.'
He was 48 years old then and I started shooting the film after he had just turned 50. It makes me especially happy that, at the age of 50, he's done a role that everyone appreciates so much. It is especially gratifying that everyone is saying that it's not only a Salman Khan film but a very inspiring Salman Khan film. That makes it even more special.
So once he said yes', I travelled to all these places where wrestling is counted as a sport, like Haryana and parts of Punjab. I wanted to include that texture in the film, starting with language and ambience. I did extensive research about the sport, about real-life wrestlers, about their strengths, their problems, particularly professional problems, etc. Once I got the hang of the language, ambience and dialect, I started drafting a full-fledged script.
That took me a good six months. Then I went back to Salman and narrated it to him, and he loved it. He had a few suggestions which he wanted me to incorporate in the script because he thought they would suit him as an actor. Every script goes through this stage... when you cast an actor, you have to adapt it to the actor's style. I made all the changes and gave a narration to him and Salim Khan, who is an iconic writer and has a great legacy of work. You need someone who is senior and vouches for the fact that what you believe in is correct. That's what happened and, today, it is in front of you.
When Salim Khan first saw the film, what was his reaction?
He was very happy and it was a very beautiful reaction. When the narration was over, he stood up, applauded and he had tears in his eyes. And that was precisely the reaction I needed for the film... where you wake up from a dream... you have watched a 2-hour, 50-minute film and you are smiling but you are also moved to tears.
It is an emotional journey. It is a simple love story between a man and a woman, where sports is only the backdrop. A sport gives you a high and an aspiration but it is also an emotional film. When he (Salim Khan) walked out of the cinema, he said, What you have made is better than the script,' which gave me a lot of confidence. He just made it so special.
Whether it is Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, Gunday or Sultan, your films are never about just one person. Apart from the main lead, every other character is well-developed and very strong too.
When you are writing an author-backed film for a character like Sultan - and, sure, the film is called Sultan because it is about him... I believe the film is about Sultan's journey but also the journey of Aarfa played Anushka Sharma. Because it is a love story, you need to have a very strong actress in the film.
Second, the other characters create an ambience for the character of Sultan, your main character. They give him more weightage on screen, whether it is the friend (Anant Vidhaat), or Amit Sadh, who is the catalyst who brings him back to the arena, or Randeep Hooda, a special character in the film who makes him Sultan' again. So is the girl's father played by Kumud Mishra. So all these characters only help him go through his journey in the most honest and dignified way.
We all have people around us who help us, who support us, they either pull us down or help us to climb the ladder or tell us that we are wrong or right. You know, all those people who come out after watching the film; they have very nicely created the whole idea of what Haryana stands for or what India stands for only because of all the characters that add those nuances to the main plot.
The film goes through three different phases... the lull, the rise and then the fall. Also, the narrative is like a biopic.
That was always there in the script and Salman knew about it, and that is why he has performed all of them so beautifully. The one thing he has maintained across all those phases is his innocence. Also, arrogance is the only shade he catches but still he is always very vulnerable and very simple during the entire journey. That is why people, even when he goes wrong, root for him. They are, like, Okay, yaar issey galti ho gayi hai but iss galti ko maaf karke, let him move forward.' So all three Salman Khans were very important.
Yes, the film does have a very biopic' structure and that was the idea from day one. I used to tell Adi and Salman, let's create a character like Sherlock Holmes. I wanted to create a character that was completely fictional but so believable that when people watched the movie, they would believe it could have been a real story. I wanted to create a character that was so real that people could Google it because they wondered whether there really was a Sultan. Did he really participate in the Commonwealth Games? Did he really represent India at the Asian Games?
If you pay close attention to the narrative, you will notice that we have documented it like that, where the state championship he participated in is in a certain year, his professional journey as an international wrestler is documented in a certain year. And the most important factor was to bring a sport, which is an Indian sport, to the forefront for the Indian audience.
The only sports we play in India are cricket, football and hockey but there are many other sports that are also famous. Indians are going abroad and representing those sports. The idea was also to bring in that sport and draw a parallel between that sport and Sultan's journey, which is that no matter what happens, you have to get up and fight. Even the tagline of the film is: Wrestling is not a sport, it's about fighting what lies within.' In wrestling, you inevitably fall but you have to get up and the same thing happens in life. So all these things were seamlessly incorporated in the three phases Sultan goes through.
In the last part of the film, which has the Mixed Martial Arts shots, the wrestling shown is not something which the Indian audience is open about. Were you conscious whether the audience will accept the ring fights or not?
I think the audience will accept ring fights after Sultan. We were careful not to over-dramatise any sport, we wanted to keep it very real, whether it is wrestling or MMA. The latter has been shown as a sport; there is no villain, the guys have not been presented as villains but as sportsmen. They clearly have that spirit of sportsmanship, and whoever wins, gets the money.
Also, as a director, it was very important to show the right thing in a really possible way because the audience has already connected with Sultan emotionally, and they will root for him regardless of the sport he plays. All you are thinking is that you want this character to get up and get his izzat back. We think and hope he might win and if he wins maybe his wife will come back and maybe he will be able to open that blood bank too.
Salman Khan is being praised most for the scene where Sultan looks at himself and realises what he has become. Tell us something about shooting that scene.
He was always very charged for that scene but also very nervous. He always knew how important that scene was for Sultan's character, for him to realise how down and out his character was. The reality is what people are saying about him and that is where the phoenix starts to rise. That's where he puts himself together and says, I am not down and out, so why are people saying that I am?' But when he looks at himself, in his subconscious mind, he admits he is a loser. That comes almost at the crescendo of his emotional breakdown.
So he knew that scene was very important. But he was a little hesitant too because Salman is known for his physique and it wasn't easy for him to stand in front of that mirror when he was completely out of shape and still perform. He was struggling within himself, trying to say, You know I am not really like this.'
That's what the character demanded but he could relate to the pain and what that character was going through. I think he took that scene very personally and performed it with a lot of belief. He believed in the scene and it's one of the strongest scenes in the film. That's why I say there is a brilliant actor in him, there is a great actor in him. Just because people don't see that side of him, they think he has suddenly started acting. There's always been a great actor in him. You can't be such a big star if you are not a good actor. His connect with his audience is phenomenal and that only happens when they connect to you at a higher level, not just at face value.
Are there any scenes in particular where you got carried away by performances?
There were two scenes that made me very emotional when I watched them. One scene was with Anushka Sharma, the one where she realises she is pregnant and has to give up her career, and the most important goal, the dream of her life as she sees Sultan, her husband, celebrating, it kind of broke me emotionally. Obviously, I was not literally crying but I did get emotional when Anushka performed. It made me realise that this was the emotion I was looking for.
The second scene was the mirror scene. I usually don't sit at the monitor and am always by my cameraman's side, looking at the actors directly. When Salman performed that scene, I choked. He felt the pain too, he had tears in his eyes and almost broke down. When the shot was over, he looked at me and I looked at him and we shared a silent moment, and I knew I got what I wanted.
But then he asked, Do you want to do it again?' And I refused. So there are certain stories that require those personal moments and when that happens, it creates magic. You can't fake that. No technical team, lighting, camera work or sound design, can make you feel that emotional. Today, people are talking about that scene and it means it has stayed with them.
What is the best compliment you have received so far?
The best compliment has come on Twitter, where someone wrote, Thank you for making Sultan, it is a very inspirational film. I made a call to my brother after eight long years, because I felt I had done something wrong but I couldn't ever admit it. So I called him and apologised to him and the beauty of that call was... he just asked me to come home and said that we will have dinner together.'
If a film does that to you, and people who have watched it also connect to you, lives change. Things often go wrong but if we can admit that things went wrong and we rectify it without letting our egos get in the way, I think that is the biggest compliment. And that's what I wanted from my film too.
BOI
salman khan Ali Abbas Zafar sultan interview interview sultan boi boxofficeindia yrf's next
1 note Jul 16th, 2016
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