'I had to make a sequel to Don' (From Asian Image)

'I had to make a sequel to Don'

2:13pm Friday 16th December 2011 in Bollywood By Asian Image reporter

Farhan Akhtar is one of the top young directors in Bollywood. Here he reveals a litle more about his forthcoming release Don 2.

Tell us something about Don 2.

I was guilty of saying that I won’t probably make a sequel to Don, but my obsession with the character got the better of me. With amazing help and support and almost a sharing of vision with Ritesh (Sidhwani, producer) and Shah Rukh and rest of the team, I could not help but make Don 2.

Who is the ‘King’ of Don 2: The King is Back?

Undoubtedly, Shah Rukh Khan.

Did you consult your father and writer Javed Akhtar on the script of Don 2?.

Whatever film I write, I give it to him to read. I want him to give his feedback on the screenplay and dialogue. He is somebody who is extremely experienced, somebody who is very good with the art and craft of writing; and fortunately I have this kind of access to him. It makes sense for me to use him and I use him to get feedback on not only this, but every script.

When you were making Don: The Chase Begins Again, you consulted Salim Khan (who wrote the screenplay for Amitabh Bachchan’s Don in 1978). Did you do the same this time too?.

I had gone to him to request him to give permission to make the film. I thought it was important that people who worked on the earlier film be happy with the remake we had made. So I met him regarding that, not the screenplay or such things. He was very, very kind and completely wished us all the best for the remake. Hopefully that applies to the sequel as well.

Did you ever think of another actor for Don, had Shah Rukh said ‘no’ to you?.

I don’t even want to think about that. When I started out to make the film, I wanted Shah Rukh to play the character and he loved the part. Beyond that, I stopped thinking about any other actor as I got the person I wanted for my film.

Social networking sites are flooding comments since Don 2 trailer was put on Youtube. What is the best compliment you have got so far?.

The best compliment I have got about the film so far is ‘Thank You for making Don 2’…that’s the sweetest thing one can say with minimum words.

Why did Don 2 take so long in the making (five years)?.

Well, it was a challenging but extremely satisfying journey. I was guilty of declaring that I won’t make a sequel for Don 2, but once I spoke to Ritesh Sidhwani and Shah Rukh Khan, I could conceive it.

Why have you decided to make the film in 3D?

The film is not shot with the 3D camera. But when we saw that there is a possibility to make it in 3D, we gave it a shot.

The people at Reliance made a demo and it looked very good. Technology has advanced a great deal; it is great to watch the film in 3D.

So who is Farhan the actor's favourite actor?

I like many actors. All actors have their own strengths.

But I do enjoy watching Hrithik Roshan, Aamir Khan and Ajay Devgn purely for the fact that when you see their body of work and the body of work of most other actors, you notice that these guys bring something new to the table by way of a story or character.

I love the way Ajay keeps reinventing himself as an actor. I would hate to watch the same kind of performance over and over again.

An actor must keep challenging himself if he wishes to have a really long innings.

Even as a filmmaker, I believe in mixing genres.

A film must be entertaining. When I say entertaining, I don't mean that you should only make people laugh. You can enthrall them with drama or comedy. There should be a sense of variety in storytelling and performance.

Don 2 (tba) is due for UK release on December 23.