Filmmaker Mohit Suri's Malang is raking in the moolah at the box-office since its release on February 7. Starring Anil Kapoor, Disha Patani, Aditya Roy Kapur and Kunal Kemmu, the romantic action thriller film is produced by Luv Ranjan, Ankur Garg, Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar and Jay Shewakramani. Claiming that he has fulfilled the experience with which he embarked on the journey of Malang, Mohit pointed out in an exclusive interview with PeepingMoon.com that he did not cast actors which were the most bankable stars but he did take them because they were best suited for the parts.
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Excerpts from the interview:
Malang has been well appreciated by the audience and the critics alike. How are you taking the film’s response?
With our country, the best part is that we have all kinds of people and everyone has their own vision and opinions. I would just say that the experience I went on to make, I have fulfilled it. The audience had never seen Aditya Roy Kapur in an action film, so I wanted to break his Aashiqui image and I think I managed to do that. With Kunal, I worked in Kalyug and with Malang, he breaks past his usual comic actor persona. Anil Sir stands out at as an unconventional tall character, far away from his usual father-like roles recently. With Disha too, she has done something new with the climax lying in her hands rather than her romantic dramas.
The film is a gritty dark thriller. Considering that a sizeable population might or might not like the film, were you apprehensive about making it?
See, that is commerce and I am not the right person to answer it. I made Murder 2, which dealt with mutilation and Kalyug was a dark bizarre film with pornography angle. Even Ek Villain 2 was a dark film with killings. So it is not a challenge for me as I come from Vishesh films but it is a concern for the producers. So I love that Ankur Garg, Luv Ranjan, and Bhushan Kumar believed in me and let me make a film that I wanted. In fact, I did not cast the actors who were the most bankable stars, I just made a film that I meant to.
You have seen Aditya and Kunal work in films like Aashiqui 2 and Kalyug. But their roles in Malang are quite different from what they have played earlier. What made you pick them for this film?
In the beginning, we were all nervous as did not know how to make this film. Everyone was trying to come out of their comfort zones, especially the actors. But soon, it turned into having fun on the sets and everyone was trying to stage scenes. No actor was coming on sets with a feeling, ‘Oh, I have already done this.’ For instance, Anil Sir pushed his barrier by playing someone who is doing substance abuse. But he still tried to take tips from films like Wolf of Wall Street despite being in showbiz for more than 30 years.
With Kunal’s character, you have dealt with the age-old notion of masculinity. What made you do so?
It is rather amazing that some critics felt that it was an easy trope to use. But it is rather interesting to note that most men who are psychopaths or kill/hurt people are impotent and thus, they take it out their anger that way rather than seeking help. I don’t like conventional straight-jacket villains and Kunal is one of the best actors I have worked with. Hence, I picked him. There’s a thin line when it comes to such roles and it could have got funny with people hooting when he comes on screen. But he managed to play his part rather tactfully.
The film stirred a controversy when Goa CM claimed that the film showed the state as a drug haven. What do you have to say about that?
I love shooting in Goa and have shot 8 films there. For Malang, I shot in the state because it boasts of huge foreign population and backpackers. So, I connected with the pulse of the film. I have spent my childhood in Goa over Christmas and New Year holidays. But, I totally support the decision to screen the scripts.
We heard you are making Ek Villain 2 with Aditya and John Abraham. Tell us more about the film and the female lead.
I always want to work with Sidharth and Ritesh. But this is a new story with new characters. Since it has references to older characters, it would be difficult to retain the original cast. Me and Ekta Kapoor want to make a bad guy/anti-hero universe and then would bring them all together. For now, I cannot divulge more details.
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