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AUGUST 13, 2021 | The Indian Eye 40

The producer with Bollywood superstar Sanjay rahul mittra and randeep Hooda who With Jackie Shroff,
Dutt who is also his best friend featured in his first film the veteran of Bollywood

the time when Shahrukh Khan was ruling
the film industry and films were largely be-
ing made for the NRI or urban audiences.
Coming from a small-town background my-
self, Jalandhar and Chandigarh, I wanted to
tell stories from the hinterland, stories that
would tickle the sensibilities of viewers and
probably force them to change their palate
with regards to watching films. A collabora-
tion with director Tigmanshu Dhulia, whose
maiden film ‘Haasil’ I had watched with a
lot of interest and with then lesser-known
actors then --Randeep Hooda, Jimmy
Sheirgill and Mahie Gill -- I wrapped ‘Sa-
heb Biwi aur Gangster’ in a little less than a
month in the remote Devgarh Baria in Gu-
jarat depicting it as Uttar Pradesh. It was
all done with my life’s savings and personal
loans from family and friends. The film be-
came one of the biggest hits of 2011 and was
nominated at all the major awards. Fortu- Rahul Mittra and Sunny Deol who enjoy a the producer with
nately, it succeeded in making the audienc- great friendship Suniel Shetty
es ponder over the kind of content that was
being served to them as my film was seen as With your last film ‘Torbaaz’ being pre- acting chops. are we going to see you more
clutter-breaking disruptive content. miered on netflix, do we see more of you on on the silver screen?
It is quite creditable to have achieved the OTT space? As an actor I have three films releasing
your aim in the very first film. now that you Though Covid-19 cast its shadow on the later this year and next year (2022). These
have made so many feature films in such a entire humanity and I too faced its brunt films are ‘Holy Cow’, ‘Love Hackers’ and
short span of time, what is your criteria for twice, professionally last year was great for ‘Band of Maharajas’; also I am soon going
making a film? me as I was able to assign ‘Torbaaz’ to Net- for the shoot of Jio’s show ‘Inspector Avi-
Anything that tickles my sensibilities flix which was profitable both in terms of nash’ with Randeep Hooda where I’m play-
and possesses a germ of marketing in its financial consideration and exposure as I ing the role of a politician.
one liner is generally how I decide about was able to add fresh audiences to my work. What is your mantra for life?
a film, followed of course by a well-written Currently, I am working on some inter- In the end, only two things matter -- the
script. Compelling content is of foremost esting subjects, the development work on lives you have touched and the choices you
importance for me and marrying it to the which is going on in full swing. have made. With regards to both, I think,
box-office success is my endeavour. Of late, we have seen you showing your I’ve done fairly alright!

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