‘Nothing Can Keep Akshay Down’

‘Mohanlal
and
Akshay
are
two
actors
who
trust
me
implicitly.’

Priyadarshan
reunites
with
Akshay
Kumar
after
14
years,
for
their
new
horror
comedy,

Bhoot
Bangla.

The
director
and
actor
have
worked
on

Hera
Pheri,
Garam
Masala,
Bhool
Bhulaiyaa,
De
Dana
Dan
and

Khatta
Meetha.

“I
had
introduced
the
horror-comedy
genre
with

Bhool
Bhulaiyaa
17
years
ago,”
Priyadarshan
reminds

Subhash
K
Jha.

You
are
back
with

Bhoot
Bangla
with
Akshay
and
your
favourite
actors?

Yes,
Akshay
and
I
are
getting
together
after
14
years.

My
other
favourite
actors
like
Asrani
and
Rajpal
Yadav
are
in
it
too.

At
this
stage
of
the
project,
I
can
only
guarantee
the
audience
a
laugh
riot.

That’s
what
you
are
known
for.

Yes,
in
the
Hindi
belt.
In
the
south,
I’ve
done
the
other
kind
of
cinema.
The
serious
kind.

Have
you
seen
the
old

Bhoot
Bungla
with
Mehmood?

No,
I
haven’t.
Why
should
I?

My
film
has
nothing
to
do
with
that
old

Bhoot
Bungla.
I
don’t
know
what
that
is
about.

What
is
your
film
about?

Ah,
it’s
a
new
experiment
in
the
comedy-horror
genre.

If
you
remember,
I
had
introduced
the
horror-comedy
genre
with

Bhool
Bhulaiyaa
17
years
ago.

Yes,
and
everyone,
including
the
makers
of

Stree,
is
inspired
by
it?

(Laughs)
I
am
not
saying
anything,
you
are.
I
don’t
look
over
my
shoulder
at
what
the
others
are
doing.

In
fact,
I
don’t
even
look
at
my
own
films.

Once
I
finish
making
it,
I
move
on.

That’s
why
I
never
did
a
sequel
to

Hera
Pheri.

Why
should
I
do
the
same
thing
when
there
are
so
many
stories
to
tell?

Akshay
and
you
had
last
collaborated
on

Khatta
Meetha
in
2010.
He
is
currently
going
through
a
lean
phase.
Does
that
bother
you?

Who
hasn’t
gone
through
a
lean
phase
in
his
career?

I
have.
Haven’t
you?

I
have
seen
so
many
ups
and
downs,
but
I
am
still
here.

I
know
there
are
people
who
want
me
to
retire.

I
am
sure
many
people
would
love
to
see
you
retire.
But
why
should
we?

As
long
as
I
have
fire
in
my
belly
to
make
films,
I
will
continue
to
do
so.

Of
course,
I’ve
made
bad
films.
And
they’ve
failed.

But
I
have
also
made
superhit
films
in
Tamil,
Telugu,
Malayalam
and
Hindi.

People
watch
my
old
comedies
when
they
want
to
cheer
up.

Have
you
noticed
any
changes
in
Akshay
Kumar
since
you
last
worked
with
him?

He
is
still
the
same.
We
are
like
two
children
with
a
new
toy.

Akshay
has
the
indomitable
spirit
of
a
true
hero.
Nothing
can
keep
him
down.

Both
of
us
are
very
excited
about
getting
together
again.

It
is
like
old
times
again.
Mohanlal
and
Akshay
are
two
actors
who
trust
me
implicitly.

Would
you
believe
that
Mohanlal
doesn’t
even
ask
for
a
script?
He
just
says
yes
when
I
offer
him
a
film.

When
it
comes
to
Mohanlal
and
Akshay,
my
responsibility
multiplies
because
of
their
trust
in
me.

What
is

Bhoot
Bangla
about?

You
want
me
to
tell
you
the
whole
story?

I
can’t
do
that.
But
yes,
I
will
tell
you
this:
It
will
be
a
new
phase
in
the
horror-comedy
space.

Bhoot
Bungla
is
based
on
mythology
and
black
magic.

It
is
inspired
by
our
Vedas
and
even
the
Mahabharata.
But
black
magic
is
the
dominant
theme.

It
is
a
fun
film.

My
audience,
which
has
leaned
on
me
for
entertainment
for
42
years,
won’t
be
disappointed.
This
is
the
kind
of
cinema
audiences
want
me
to
make.

What
about
the
cinema
that
you
want
to
make,
like

Kancheevaram?

There
are
two
Priyadarshans:
The
one
who
makes
the
cinema
he
believes
in,
like
the
recent
anthology
of
M
T
Vasudevan
Nair’s
stories



Manorathangal.

And
the
other
Priyadarshan,
who
makes
films
the
audiences
want.

I
am
equally
proud
of
both.

Bhoot
Bungla
gives
me
the
leverage
and
courage
to
make
the
other
kind
of
films.

But
Subhash,
do
you
know
what
makes
me
happy?

Tell
me.

To
stay
relevant
as
an
artiste.

When
Ekta
Kapoor
came
forward
to
produce

Bhoot
Bungla,
she
offered
me
a
huge
amount
of
remuneration,
saying
I
deserved
no
less.

It’s
not
the
money
that
made
me
happy.

It
was
the
thought
behind
it.

How
is
your
rapport
with
Ekta
Kapoor?

Wonderful.
She
is
a
fighter,
like
you
and
me.