‘It’s not necessary that only superstars can give you blockbusters.’

IMAGE: Madhuri Dixit and Anil Kapoor in Pukar.

Rajkumar Santoshi stayed home for eight years before he made Gandhi Godse: Ek Yudh.

It may not have done well at the box office, but the director feels every film need not be a blockbuster.

He tells Rediff.com Contributor Mohnish Singh, “If I make a film and invest Rs 25 crore in it, and if it makes a profit of Rs 40 crore, I am happy.”

You have a very different way of looking at things. Did you ever pay any price for being so open with your thoughts?

I was home for eight years (laughs).

When you ask me why I took a sabbatical, that’s because my thoughts and opinions are not welcomed.

People are not ready to invest money in my films.

They wanted me to bring in superstars like Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan.

This film had a small budget, and I was like, ‘I want to do this at any cost.’

I had to sell a few things for it.

I had the support of some good technicians like (A R) Rahman and Sreekar Prasad.

Gandhi Godse is a film that will ignite the right kind of fire amongst the youth.

This will prove that you can make a good film with Chinmay Mandlekar and Deepak Antani, given that it has a good story and a good team.

It’s not necessary that only superstars can give you blockbusters, and it’s not necessary that it should be a blockbuster.

If I make a film and invest Rs 25 crore in it, and if it makes a profit of Rs 40 crore, I am happy.

I made a film called Pukar. Someone said it was a dry film as it was the story of a para commando officer.

I asked the distributor on purpose, ‘Should we take Johnny Lever?’

He was like, ‘Yeah, this is a great idea.’

When he left, I felt how insane can one be?

If Johnny Lever is a para commando officer, where do you stand? If Rajpal Yadav was a para commando officer, and if he is doing comedy (in a serious role), where do you stand?

I am the only film-maker who has worked with animals, with the air force, the police, and trade unions and I study their lives.

I learned this from my guru, Govind Nihalani. I assisted him on Ardh Satya and it’s regarded as one of the greatest cult movies of all time.

We made a film on the air force which was named Vijeta. They have given us a certificate for its authenticity.

 

IMAGE: Chinmay Mandlekar and Deepak Antani in Gandhi Godse Ek Yudh.

Most of the films in your filmography have attained cult status. How does it feel?

Hearing these words is success to me.

The next time I meet you, I will make sure to bring a donation box so that I can make better films in future.

Pay me if you liked Damini so much (laughs).

Did I entertain you with Andaz Apna Apna? Drop a Rs 500 note in the box (laughs).



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