Shamitabh was Big B's b'day present, it's a tribute to his baritone voice: R Balki

Noted adman and director R Balki was in Chennai last week to promote his Shamitabh, starring Amitabh Bachchan, Dhanush and Akshara Haasan. In an exclusive interview to Firstpost, Balki opens up on various factors related to Shamitabh, especially director’s southern comfort. Q. It is your hat-trick film with Amitabh Bachchan - Cheeni Kum, Paa and now Shamitabh. All my films in one way or the other happened because of Amitji. Take for example Shamitabh, on my way to his house for his 69th birthday; I forgot to buy a present as I did not have a clue what to gift him. So when I met him I whispered the one-line story of Shamitabh as an idea. Being an ad filmmaker, I can narrate one-line concepts and ideas easily. Mr. Bachchan liked it and agreed to do the film. Q. However other than Bachchan all your artist and technicians – Dhanush, Akshara (daughter of Kamal Haasan making her acting debut), music director Ilayaraja, cameraman PC Sriram are from Tamil cinema? Why ? What’s wrong? They are all Indians first. Dhanush is one of the best artist currently among the new generation of actors. After Ranjhanaa, Dhanush has become a rage and he looks very fresh and North Indian audiences liked him. I have watched all his Tamil films and like his work. Akshara is half Tamilian, half Maharashtrian and it is her first film. In fact I met Akshara accidentally outside an editing suite and did not know she was Kamal Haasan’s daughter, but thought she was ideal for the role. [caption id=“attachment_2080907” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Sachin Gokhale/Firstpost[/caption] Q. But your preference for Ilayaraja and PC Sreeram in all your films has baffled the Bollywood industry. Any reason why you do all your films with them? My question is why not? And so far the combination has worked. Ilayaraja sir knows everything about music and is the real maestro. He has done a lot of experimentation in Shamitabh, especially in the background scores. And PC Sreeram is one of the best cinematographers in India. Yes in a way I can only have thoughts; it can only get a voice on screen through the work of these three artistes (Big-B,Ilayaraja, Sreeram). Q. Are you fascinated with Tamil cinema ? Yes, I make no bones about it, I love watching Tamil films. I grew up in Bangalore, though originally my family is from Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu. In the 80’s I grew up watching Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan and Ilayaraja musicals, since then I have been hooked to Tamil cinema. Actually it’s Ilayaraja’s music that inspired me to get into cinema and the reason I always want him to compose for my films. Q. The rumour mill in Tamil cinema is that the story of Shamitabh is based on the real life story of 1980’s Tamil romantic hero popularly called ‘Mike’ Mohan, a Kannadiga by birth for whom Surendra, a Tamil dubbing artist was his voice . Surendra’s voice made him a craze but due to ego problems they fell out and Mohan lost his stardom. Please comment. My story is completely imaginary and has nothing to do with what you are saying. Shamitabh in fact is an ode to the Bachchan baritone. All that I can say is that the film is about clash of egos in show world, and what it leads to. Q. So far both your films and the one directed by your wife Gauri Shinde (English Vinglish) and produced by you have met with critical acclaim and box-office success. How did it happen? I believe commercial success of a film is as important as its critical impact . In fact at home I and Gauri discuss more about films than anything else. What matters most is to make a film on a budget, so that Return on Investment (ROI) is assured. The film I make has to be profitable to all right holders and I also believe to reach across to today’s audiences, the film has to be promoted aggressively as a product.