Randeep Hooda, Akshay Oberoi, and Pia Bajpiee's Laal Rang is among the cult films of India. Now, 7 years after its release, the film is getting a sequel. Laal Rang 2 went on floors recently. The first poster was released on social media on January 20 and fans couldn't keep calm.
Amid the anticipation, PeepingMoon.com spoke to Laal Rang 2's director Syed Ahmad Afzal about the sequel and reuniting with Randeep. The director, who delivered a critically acclaimed show titled Shiksha Mandal last year, opened up about how he had to come up with Laal Rang's sequel to satisfy fans and why it wasn't a forced decision. He also spoke about the current situation at the box office.
Excerpts from the interview:
Laal Rang released in 2016 and its sequel is coming 7 years later. Was it a conscious decision?
The cult of Laal Rang developed over the years. We had to respect the demands of fans who kept the film alive. People started asking us for Laal Rang 2 and it was an organic process. It was never a hasty decision. We succumbed to fans’ demands. It took a lot of time to finalise the story too as we had to make something at par with the prequel.
There’s negativity around the concept of sequels. Does it scare you?
Not at all. Laal Rang was appreciated. I have seen films dying down after a few years but our film was alive. My mother, who passed away last year, said Laal Rang will always remain relevant. That’s what kept it alive. I had promised myself that when I start working on the script, I will not take any pressure. When you make a sequel, you have to make sure that it is at par with the first film or goes beyond it. People do compare but I feel each individual film has its own destiny within the franchise. Every film in a franchise has to be treated like an individual film. You have to raise the stakes. This is the first sequel of my career but I am treating it like an individual film.
You’ve retained the cast. Was it challenging to bring yourself and them back into that space?
Randeep (Hooda) and I became very close friends after Laal Rang. We don’t share just an actor-director relationship. we became more like family. My mom was very fond of him and in fact, even on her deathbed, she remembered him. Coming up with Laal Rang 2 was a mutual decision. Subconsciously we knew that we had to do it. But it took us time. When we decided to take it forward, Randeep stepped in as the producer too. He always wanted to start his own banner and it started with a very special film.
What was the reason behind choosing this cast in Laal Rang?
If you’re making a film based in Haryana, which is the first name that comes to your mind? Randeep. I saw a spark in Akshay (Oberoi) and I knew him before Laal Rang. I knew he could play the role well. He is a good actor. He worked hard on his character as he as an individual is an urban guy. He spent time in Karnal to learn the dialect and mannerisms. Pia (Bajpayee) has a great body of work and Laal Rang was the perfect debut. She belongs to Uttar Pradesh and did a great job with the character.
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The box office is unpredictable. Do you feel Bollywood is finally breathing free air now?
People have been giving excuses for films not working due to Covid-19, the OTT boom, etc. But it is nothing like that. Our audience is benevolent and wants films to work and that’s why they are still spending money on tickets. Though in fewer numbers, people are going to theatres to watch films. In the past few years, the audience has evolved exponentially in terms of their taste. They’re exposed to global cinema and are not accepting mediocre content anymore. Even though we are evolving as filmmakers and technicians but the audience has evolved faster. They want something that excites them more. They have higher expectations and standards. We have to think out of the box and be innovative. It should be commercial but logical too. I read in an interview that our social causes have gone weak and that’s a significant reason why our stories are failing. The social purpose is directly dealing with emotions and drama. Indian audience wants emotions, somewhere we lost it in techniques. In order to beautify the frame, the drama was lost.
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