EXCLUSIVE: Vashu Bhagnani talks about casting Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff in Bade Miyan Chote Miyan; reveals why their recent poor track record doesn’t bother him: “Shah Rukh Khan se bada koi example nahin hai. Bechare ki 5-7 saalon se ek bhi picture nahin chali thi. And look how he bounced back”

One of the biggest producers of Bollywood, Vashu Bhagnani, has been continuously making films since 1996 and has worked with some of the biggest of the actors and technicians. At present, he’s gearing up for the release of the highly-awaited action entertainer, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan. Last year, he presented the highly acclaimed Mission Raniganj (2023) and in the peak of the pandemic, he took the risk and shot Bellbottom (2021) abroad. Bollywood Hungama exclusively spoke to the ever-smiling producer about these aspects and a lot more at his sea-facing office.

How hard or easy was it to get two major actors, Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff, for Bade Miyan Chote Miyan? Definitely, it was hard. It’s not easy to pull off a casting coup of this sort. What went in our favour is that hamara title bahut bada tha – Bade Miyan Chote Miyan. Secondly, we got a reputed director on board – Ali Abbas Zafar. Moreover, we have a deep bond with Akshay. He’s like a family. Also, Jackky (Jackky Bhagnani) is very close to Tiger Shroff. Toh, trust mein picture chalu ho gayi and in the process, it became bigger and better. Everyone knew that a film with such a title would be grand. But when these three greats came together, the film’s hype went many notches higher.

Judwaa 2 (2017) was a remake of the original Judwaa (1998). You made Coolie No 1 (2020), which was again a remake of the 1995 version. With Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, what made you change the storyline while keeping the title of the 1998 comic caper? I earlier made Coolie No 1 with David ji (David Dhawan), who’s a fantastic director and is like my brother. If we had planned Bade Miyan Chote Miyan as a comic caper, toh definitely main unse hi banata. My family and I were discussing how to go about it and we decided to go larger-than-life with this title. That’s how we decided to approach Ali. The plan was made to make an action comedy. Aisi film banana ke liye hum remake nahin kar sakte the. Because the earlier Bade Miyan Chote Miyan was comedy-action.

Also, you have a talented commercial director on board… Absolutely. Ali toh bahut zabardast director hai but in this film, he’s the best! I always try to work with the best people. So, when I make comedy, I sign David ji kyunki comedy mein unse best koi nahin hai. Similarly, Ali is the best when it comes to action.

He deserves to be celebrated more, looking at his box office achievements… Yes, and also he’s a very good person. I didn’t know him that well. He was in touch with my son. When I used to see his earlier works like Gunday (2014), Sultan (2016) and Tiger Zinda Hai (2019), I used to always think that ‘kitna accha director hai yeh’. I never imagined I’d work with him because action is not my forte. But things fell in place and I feel lucky to have someone like him on board for Bade Miyan Chote Miyan.

You also got a great actor, Prithviraj Sukumaran, for the role of the antagonist… I feel God has been with this film. It was not easy to get such casting and mount the film on such a huge scale. By God’s grace, we succeeded. This film also has travelled a lot – Scotland, UK, UAE, Jordan and India. And besides the actors and director, the rest of the team was equally fantastic.

You recently shot in Jordan where the authorities gave your film a red carpet welcome. In the past, even the makers of Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Dunki (2023) were given a similar reception in Saudi Arabia. This has not happened before. As someone who’s making films for more than 25 years, how do you look at this change of outlook towards Indian filmmakers?

For that, we have to salute our Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. Ever since he became the PM, we have been getting such a reception across the world. It’s a great thing and we should thank Modi ji for it.

How important is the subsidy factor while making films today? That’s a business policy. Even in Hollywood, before work starts on a film, the makers check which country in the world has a tax credit facility. Ultimately, there are a lot of factors involved in a shooting and one looks for the best option. What we managed to do in Jordan, we couldn’t have done it anywhere else in the world. And we didn’t get any tax cut in that country.

Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff’s last few films haven’t worked well. Does that put pressure on you? It all depends from film to film. And they are both brilliant actors. Koi fark hi nahin padta. And Shah Rukh Khan se bada koi example nahin hai. Bechare ki 5-7 saalon se ek bhi picture nahin chali thi. And look how he bounced back in 2023. All his three films – Pathaan, Jawan and Dunki – were super-duper hits.

It’s not the fault of the actors. It’s the timing, how the film has shaped up and whether the film has acceptance – these factors matter more. In the case of Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, the title itself is so big. Then, even the actors are big and the same applies to the director. The action is grand and the music is also in sync.

Usually action films nowadays don’t have too many but your film seems to be an exception… The songs have been added as per the screenplay requirement. It’s not like we have 4-5 songs in the film just for the heck of it. Again, the director is brilliant and a commercial guy. He knows the pulse of the public – kab action daalna hai, kab comedy daalna hai, kab dialoguebaazi karni hai, kab music daalna hai. He has conceptualized the film in such a way that you’ll find the narrative flawless. And in the trailer, you’ll see what level of action has been achieved!

Will Bade Miyan Chote Miyan be released in IMAX? Yes, it will.

What are your views on Bade Miyan Chote Miyan clashing with Maidaan? Everyone will want that no film should be released alongside theirs. Nevertheless, unki bahut achhi picture hai. Hamari bhi bahut acchi picture hai. Thankfully, Akshay and Ajay are very good friends. Boney and I are also very good friends; we go back nearly 25 years. Unki koi majboori rahi hogi. shayad unko zabardasti aana pad raha hai yeh date pe. Aur hum unko mana nahin kar paaye; after all, there are financial reasons.

Also, both are Eid releases. During festivals, our theatres can release two films. Of course, it’s a different matter ki kiski film kitni chalegi. But I am sure both will get a good mileage.

Often, during clashes, we have seen distributors of both films fighting over screens… That happens. Had they not come on Eid, we might have got 500 screens more. But nowadays, the scenario is such that 500 screens kam bhi milein, toh bhi business kam nahin hota hai. I remember there was a film, Barfi (2012), which released in just 720 screens. And it did such wonderful business. Log tab bolte the, ‘Itna business toh 2000 screens mein bhi nahin hota (for some films)’. Hence, the business is not proportional to the number of screens you get. It’s the perception. Even if you release your film in 2000 screens, you can still get an opening of Rs. 50 crores. The capacity of 5000 screens is almost Rs. 100 crores, which never happens. Hence, screen kam hoga toh business kam hoga aisa hai hi nahin. It’s all a myth.

Moreover, whoever wants to watch the film will do so. If you want to see Maidaan and it’s not playing around you, you’ll drive down 2 km away to catch the flick and you’ll do the same with our film. When viewers are excited to see a film, they’ll go for it, come what may.

A lot was said about Bollywood when some major films flopped in 2022. But 2023 proved that Bollywood is back. Your thoughts? I have been in this business for more than 25 years. Maine bahut baar andhera dekha hai, ujala dekha hai aur baarish dekhi hai. Yeh sab (cynics) barsaati mendak hai. Public se bada koi hero nahin hai. If they are interested, they’ll watch the film. It all depends on the mood. Right now, sabka mood accha hai. Now, everyone wants to go out of their homes and enjoy life. No wonder that not just theatre but even flights, restaurants and outstation hotels are full.

The first big film to be released after the second wave was your production, Bellbottom (2021). It is said that it would have done better business if theatres in Maharashtra were open… Yes, but when cinemas were shut here, what could we do? At that time, there was a lot of fear. The thought at that time was – hum picture dekhein ya apni jaan bachayein?

Also, Bellbottom was one of the first films in the world to be shot after the pandemic in 2020. It was a huge step at that time… Indeed, and kya picture bani hai. Aaj bhi log yaad karte hai when I took 270 people from India. We got the UK visa in this very building (where his office is located). We were there for almost 2 months and we finished it without any hassle. It was a time when everyone was stuck in their homes. I wonder how they even reached the airport! At the same time, we followed all the protocols.

It was an example that work should not stop… Somebody had to take the initiative. Kisi ko toh himmat dikhani thi.

The opening credits of Bellbottom mention that you gave the story idea… Yes; after all, I have made nearly 50 films. Uske baad idea hi de sakte hai (smiles).

Do you have any plans to write scripts in future? Script likhne ki zarurat nahin padti hai. You just need an idea; that’s how it all begins. A script is 50, 100 or even 200 pages long. It takes a lot of time to read or narrate it. But the idea is just 2 pages long. Once the idea is locked, the writing team takes it forward and prepares the screenplay and dialogues.

Your 2023 film, Mission Raniganj, was loved. Many feel saddened that it didn’t work at the box office… Such things happen. 2 weeks after the film’s release, the Uttarakhand tunnel collapse took place. If the film had been released during that time, it would have had more footfalls.

Nevertheless, the film turned out to be great. The director did a fine job. Akshay Kumar ne kya kaam kiya hai. Kar sardarji bana hai (smiles).

Some studios and distributors are now offering buy-one-get-free (BOGO) offers to attract viewers to cinemas. Some in the industry feel that this is an unhealthy practice. What are your views? Nothing is wrong. It’s all part of a marketing strategy. It tempts the consumer. For example, a shopkeeper might price his shirt, worth Rs. 200, for Rs. 100 and offer a 50% discount! Or he might actually price the shirt at Rs. 100 and then offer a discount. At the end of the day, it’s all done to increase the business. Theatrical business, meanwhile, depends on what kind of film you are offering. Honestly speaking, there are many films that will do bigger business if their tickets are sold for Rs. 100. Then, even the final number will be impressive. For such films, BOGO is a great strategy. Hence, it depends from film to film. It’s a distribution and production call. If this offer helps a film collect Rs. 100 crores, it won’t matter to the makers ki ticket Rs. 100 mein becha ya Rs. 90 mein ya Rs. 10 mein.

Your next film is Mere Husband Ki Biwi, starring Arjun Kapoor, Bhumi Pednekar and Rakul Preet Singh. Which other films are being produced by Pooja Entertainment? We have 3-4 films in the pipeline. We’ll take them to the floors soon. Mere Husband Ki Biwi is almost ready. We plan to release it in the next 4-5 months.

Any plans for Bade Miyan Chote Miyan 2? Sochna toh padega hi! I can’t talk about it right now. Once the film releases on April 11 (if Eid falls on that day), I’ll talk to you about it on April 12. Because there’s something in the film jo aapko dikhega aur fir hum baat karenge.

Also Read: Tiger Shroff calls Bade Miyan Chote Miyan co-star Akshay Kumar ‘original action hero’: “Our very own Tom Cruise”

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