One evening Karan Johar asked his assistants, "Which is your favourite Dharma film?" Karan Malhotra replied instantly, "Agneepath!" Two days later Karan Malhotra was sitting with his mentor discussing how they could reinvent the film.
The Agneepath remake sparked a mini fire at the box office. But Karan says the triumph hasn't sunk in yet. He's enjoying the attention nevertheless. "When my film's collections are compared to those of Bodyguard and Dabangg, I realise how big Agneepath has become. Surely, when people praise my work I experience an unimaginable high."
Revisiting any film is a tricky job. "Trying to recreate Agneepath would've been suicidal. I couldn't expect Hrithik Roshan to sit in a white suit and mouth the lines
Mr Amitabh Bachchan did. Hence, I decided to go into a completely different zone," says Karan. Karan's version of Agneepath was bigger, louder, filled with immense violence and gore. He admits he feared the audience would object to the violence but is glad that eventually the film got positive feedback. "Yes, people definitely said that there was too much violence but they also said that it was justified. Because every violent scene that you see in the film had an emotional backing," he explains. As for the loud background score and intense drama Karan claims that it was all a part of the script. Also, being a huge Hindi film buff his reference points were films by his all-time favourite directors Rajkumar Santoshi and Subhash Ghai. "I love their films," he says. Citing examples like Ram Lakhan, Pukar, Lajja, Karma and Khal-Nayak he says, "The music, the background score, the theme they have for their characters, and everything else in their films is just commendable. Their films are like the national anthem, you just want to stand up and keep clapping. I'm completely mad about them."
Everyone, except his wife Ekta and producer Karan Johar, was against remaking Agneepath. "I had sleepless nights. I thought to myself, 'What the hell am I doing? Will this film work? Will it ever be made? Am I the biggest fool on this planet to take such a huge risk with my first film?'" he confides. Luckily, KJo loved the first draft and asked Karan to immediately get cracking. Soon Hrithik Roshan was on board and then the rest of the cast. "Once I began shooting I left all fears behind and moved ahead. Or else I wouldn't have achieved what I eventually did," he says.
Directing a seasoned Hrithik Roshan could have been unnerving for a debutant. Karan rubbishes the rumours of Hrithik being vain and difficult to work with. "Hrithik can never intimidate you. He's not someone who brags. He's never hard on the director or any other technician. He's hard on himself," he says. Ask him if that takes a toll on the film and Karan denies that. "Twenty or 200 takes do not matter. What matters is the end result. Hrithik gives his opinion on the scenes because he is a sensible actor. But once he says yes to a film, he surrenders to the bigger picture. He's not an insecure actor."
Karan doesn't deny the criticism he received for the sketchy role Priyanka Chopra played in the film. Some dubbed it half-baked while others thought that the actress was wasted. "Yes, Priyanka deserved a much bigger role," he agrees. "I wish I could've given her a bigger role. It was extremely kind of her to agree to do it. She knew it was
a male-dominated film. But I wouldn't agree if someone said that the role was half-baked."
According to Karan, Agneepath would've been incomplete without the rumbustious Chikni Chameli. The raunchy item number amped up the film's promotions. "Chikni Chameli was the ribbon on the gift called Agneepath," he states. Karan claims the item song was part of the script. "Anything that has a positive impact is necessary. If you've seen and enjoyed it, then we've grabbed eyeballs. If not then we don't lose anything either. It's a win-win situation," he smiles.
He's grateful to Karan Johar for having faith in him. "I couldn't have had a more generous producer. When I was shooting the climax, I was sceptical about showing so much violence in a Dharma film. But when Karan saw it, he told me he was proud of my work. I almost had a nervous breakdown," he laughs.
Karan thinks he's incapable of pulling off the romcom genre. He prefers hardcore action dramas over mush. He confirms his next will be in the similar space as his first - that is the violent, dramatic and loud! "Yes, obviously," he laughs. "Although, love will be a stronger point this time," he adds. A violent romance from Dharma?
Can't wait.
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