Anees Bazmee : I want to entertain audiences from Ludhiana to london!

#Writer-#Director #AneesBazmee has come a long way from his first directorial film #Hulchul released in 1995 to #BhoolBhulaiyaa2 which is releasing on 20th May 2022. He started his career as a writer and then started directing films. “I always wanted to direct a film, right from the beginning. But who would have given a chance to a newcomer like me, those days. Importantly an actor can show his acting, a writer can show his work with his writing but how can a director show anything to the producer unless it’s on celluloid? His visuals are in his mind and nobody can enter his mind to gauge what’s there. Finding it was difficult to convince the producers, I took a short cut. I started writing for films”, Anees Bazmee said while interacting with our Sr editor #KeertiKadam. Incidentally he has written more than sixty scripts across varied genes in Hindi, Telugu and Marathi languages. Apart from his own directorial movies, he is credited to write movies like #MujhseShaadiKaroge, #Karz, #Andolan, #Laadla, #Andaz, #RajaBabu, #Aankhen, #SholaAurShabnam to name a few.

Anees Bazmee’s writing was appreciated by all and the spark in him was noticed by producers #LalitKapoor and #ShabnamKapoor who bestowed responsibility of directing Hulchul starring #AjayDevgn and #Kajol. Though the film did not do well commercially, Anees Bazmee’s work was appreciated by many including the insiders in the film industry. Then came Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha, starring once again Ajay Devgn and Kajol which became a runaway hit and it received four Filmfare awards nomination. This was the beginning of Anees Bazmee’s long innings in the Hindi film industry. Anees Bazmee then made about a dozen films, most of them being super hits which include Deewangee, No Entry, Singh Is King, Welcome, Ready, Mubarakan etc.  He is gearing up for his latest directorial Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 which is a horror-comedy.

It’s a franchise movie and as the Bhool Bhulaiyaa, which was a remake of Malayalam movie Manichitrathazhu, dealt with psychological thriller comedy, Anees Bazmee did not want to tread the Psychological path. “I was very sure from the beginning that I will not make this sequel same as the first instalment. In fact I was very sure of what to do and importantly what not to. So psychological aspect was a no-no as Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 is an entirely new story. Though we have retained a few aspects from the original hindi version like, Manjulika, Haveli, Rajasthani flavour, song Aami Je Tomar and title track ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa’ which is picturised completely differently. The entire cast is new and it’s a new film which has only borrowed the title. I want to stress a point that it’s not a remake or a copy. The first part received huge love from the audience and I expect that it repeats with our film too,” said Anees Bazmee. About the pressure of the franchise film he said, “Of course, there is some. Because first part was a huge success. (Laughs) Sometimes I feel that the they made a successful film just to give me stress while making the second part.”

Earlier version had #AkshayKumar and #VidyaBalan in the lead and when asked why the same actors are not in the sequel. “First and foremost, it’s not a sequel. It’s a completely new story. I wish the story allowed the actors from the first version could be incorporated but there was no scope for that which I definitely regret. Akshay Kumar is a huge star and I share a great rapport with him. I have worked with him in Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, Singh Is Kingg, Welcome, Welcome Back, Thank You etc and definitely would like to work with him again. But since this was an entirely new script and maybe Akshay being busy with different projects, new set of actors became part of this.” Mr Bazmee is handling horror genre for the first time and really excited to know the viewer’s reactions once it’s released. His filmography boasts of quite a few comedy films, so he is confident of the comedy part of the movie and says that he has worked hard to spook the audience in an entertains way.

Talking about his hit film No Entry’s sequel, Anees ji said, “Yes. I am working on it. See, every film has it’s own fate. So when it’s going to happen, will happen. I am a workaholic and wants to make films. I do not believe in over-planning because sometimes it backfires. I like to go with the flow as I believe in ‘Har picture ka ek waqt hota hai’. Sometimes a mediocre film do stupendous business and a good film gets rejected. That’s why I say that each film has it’s own fate. I can put in hard work while making a film but have no control on it’s box office collections. ‘Hard work pe bharosa rakhna chahiye’. I want to forget ‘Pagalpanti’ I did in my life a few years back, but again that’s destiny. You come to know whether your film is a hit or flop by the reception you get in the film parties.”

“I love to entertain people, make them laugh, want them to forget their problems for a while. I endorse #ManmohanDesai brand of cinema as against ‘so-called’ intellectual movies. But I have always received love within the industry and from viewers and am grateful for that. As a child I used to go to theatres with my mom. She being illiterate (education-wise) used to give non-corrupt views on films. I have learnt from that too. Frankly speaking creating comedy is a difficult job. Audiences from Ludhiana to london should be pleased with the movie. I believe that through my films maximum number of people should be happy. I want to cater to the common audience as well as elite and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 will satisfy everyone,I am sure and hoping.”

Remembering Welcome Anees Bazmee said, “Every film has it’s ‘Kundali’. I have done a lot of films with Akshay Kumar. After watching Pyar To Hona Hi Tha he expressed his desire to make a film with me. We did work on a few successful films. I was making Welcome which was purely a romantic film initially with only Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif. But we kept on improving the script and Nana Patekar, Anil Kapoor and Feroze Khan came on board and it became one of the best comedy films of the decade. In fact Nana Patekar was sceptical to do ‘mad-comedy’ but I assured him that after this role/film the children who are scared of you will come and sit in your lap. Again he is a fantastic actor and did justice to the role of Uday Shetty. There are two patterns in script writing. One is set pattern and another one flexibly going with the flow. I follow the latter pattern.”

In bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 Tabu plays an important character and that too a comic one. Talking about his equation with #Tabu, Anees ji said, “Tabu is a fantastic actor most of the directors would love to work with. Her understanding of the craft is great and she understands director’s perspective too easily. In fact we know each other for a long time and used to express our desire to work together. Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 has given that opportunity and I am glad I cast Tabu in this film. She was excited the moment she heard the script and she has taken her role a few notches higher and that is because she’s a brilliant actor who is aware of ‘what not to do’. Only #RajpalYadav is repeated from the cast of first instalment of BB. He is a dear friend and his comic timing is impeccable. Though small, his role from the original is still remembered.”

Anees Bazmee wants the local governments throughout India to support film industry in shoots. He expects cooperation from the local police too. “While shooting on a London street for one of my films, I noticed that a couple of policemen were standing at a distance. I enquired whether the permission to shoot is taken and the answer was negative. The police personnel approach us and in my mind I was preparing for pack-up before the start of the shoot. But they were so sweet and despite being aware about non-permission they assured saying, ‘If you require our help, we are standing round the corner.’ That’s the difference”, expressed Anees Bazmee. When asked whether he is satisfied with the cast, he said, “Of course. #Kiara has improved a lot as a performer. I realised this immediately after a couple of shots. She used to come well prepared for the shoot and was extremely cooperative even if the dialogues were changed on the spot. #KartikAaryan is a bundle of enthusiasm and was involved in the film right from the beginning. He used to visit my office often and we used to brainstorm a few things, of course for the betterment of the project. He is a hard working lad and has an extremely bright future.”