More Liberating To Create A World Of Mine: Director Karan Malhotra On 'Shamshera'

Unlike his previous films "Agneepath" and "Brothers", director Karan Malhotra says he has built a new world in "Shamshera", an experience that turned out to be daunting and liberating in equal measure.

Both Malhotra's debut "Agneepath" and "Brothers" were remakes of popular films, but the Ranbir Kapoor-starrer "Shamshera" had no reference point, just an idea from film's producer Aditya Chopra.

"I kept comparing my movies with the original ones. I could fall back and refer to the original ‘Agneepath’ and ‘Warriors’, the English film from which I adapted ‘Brothers’. 

"With 'Shamshera', it was a more liberating and less burdening process to create a world of mine. It was also the most daunting film for us because we had humongous sets and big crowds. We had no reference point, we had to build the world from scratch," the director told PTI in an interview here.

Headlined by Hrithik Roshan, "Agneepath" was the 2012 remake of Mukul Anand's 1990 action drama which earned its original lead star Amitabh Bachchan his first National Award. On the other hand, sports drama "Brothers", which featured Akshay Kumar and Sidharth Malhotra, was the Hindi adaptation of the 2011 American film "Warrior".

Malhotra said his previous films helped him lay the foundation of "Shamshera", a 19th century-set action film which follows the story of a warrior tribe living in the fictitious city of Kaza and their fight for independence against British rule.

"Both ‘Agneepath’ and ‘Brothers’ have been a vital part of what ‘Shamshera’ is. While ‘Agneepath’ gave me the confidence to be able to mount a film like ‘Shamshera’, ‘Brothers’ gave me an insight of what I could bring differently as a filmmaker to make ‘Shamshera’," he said.

Every film has played an important role in making Malhotra a "better technician, director and writer," he added.

"‘Shamshera’ is the biggest film that I have done so far. The world of ‘Shamshera’ is unlike ‘Agneepath’ or ‘Brothers’. It is much bigger than that."

Although he is an ardent fan of the larger-than-life cinema of the '70s and '80s such as Steven Spielberg's "Indiana Jones" franchise, the director said his upcoming film bears "no similarities" with the visuals of the films of that era.

"I have been a huge fan of filmmakers like Mukul Anand, Subhash Ghai and that is the kind of cinema I like. So, my school has not changed. I am a huge fan of films like ‘Indiana Jones’, etc. I am a sucker for larger-than-life emotions and situations.

"The world that is presented in ('Shamshera') is going to be new, in spite of it being a period film. I hope the audience will discover that this is a fresh take in this space," he added.

"Shamshera" is a period film, not a historical drama, said Malhotra. It is based on a story by Neelesh Mishra and Khila Bisht, with screenplay by Malhotra and his wife Ekta.

"It is a fictional story based in 1871. It is influenced by those times and a few historical movements that had taken place then. But otherwise, the film is completely created out of fiction."

Produced by Yash Raj Films, the movie will see Ranbir Kapoor star in the double role of Shamshera and his son, Balli.

Praising his leading man as "a fantastic actor and a brilliant listener", the director said he was confident that Ranbir Kapoor would be able to pull off the two characters.

"The reason why I wanted Ranbir in this film is because he has never done something like this before... Being a great actor starts from being a great listener. Ranbir definitely is that. He surrendered on the sets of ‘Shamshera’ and he did it brilliantly."

"Shamshera" reunites Malhotra with his "Agneepath" star Sanjay Dutt, who plays Daroga Shuddh Singh, a ruthless cop tasked by the British to rein in Shamshera’s tribe. The film also stars Vaani Kapoor, who essays the role of Sona, a dancer.

Dutt was also his first choice to play Shuddh Singh, the antagonist, he added.

“I knew he would create Shuddh Singh in a way that no other actor can, which is why I went to him. The best part is that he is not a typical villain. He has been a hero and main lead all his life. To cast him as a villain makes it unique. He is such a superlative performer that he will make you fall in love with himself, whether he is playing a hero or villain.”

Malhotra said normally, a woman doesn’t get to do much in an action-heavy film but in "Shamshera", Vaani Kapoor's Sona is a "crucial" character.

"The kind of characters Ekta and I write, they need to think and say what they feel, stand up for themselves. Vaani is the Hindi cinema heroine in today’s time. She has it all. She has the confidence of standing up with Ranbir Kapoor or Sanjay Dutt in a film. I always wanted to work with her and ‘Shamshera’ was the perfect opportunity," the director added.

Also starring Saurabh Shukla and Ashutosh Rana, “Shamshera” is slated to hit the theatres on July 22.

[With Inputs From PTI]