MUSAFIR is not a bubblegum flick. I can't make the mushy-mushy love stories. That's not me,” Sanjay Gupta tells me, as we sit down to watch the songs and scenes of MUSAFIR, which is being showcased at the IIFA Awards in Singapore.
The songs and portions of the film screened on the occasion do confirm the fact that Gupta has made a dark film. “It is dark. And yes, every character in the movie is negative,” he affirms. However, he denies that he has rehashed a Hollywood flick this time around. “It's not a copy,” he protests.
MUSAFIR has an impressive cast - Sanjay Dutt [who presents the film], Anil Kapoor, Aditya Pancholi, Mahesh Manjrekar and Sameera Reddy. If Gupta chose L.A. to narrate the story of KAANTE, he has chosen Goa this time around. “The drama unfolds in Goa. That's the landscape. But I haven't opted for beaches, but the dry and barren look of the place,” he divulges.
MUSAFIR teams Sanjay Dutt and Anil Kapoor together for the first time. “I guess, it was destiny [for not working earlier]. But it was fun working with Anil in MUSAFIR,” Sanju says.
Anil seconds that, “It was great working in the film, great working with Sanju. I learnt a lot from him. I had attempted similar roles in the 1990s, before I switched over to the HAMARA DIL AAPKE PAAS HAI and HUM AAPKE DIL MEIN REHTE HAIN kind of roles. But when Gupta offered me this role, I decided to take it up instantaneously.”
Sanju plays a mafia yet again in this flick. “But it's different this time around. Billa [Sanju's character in MUSAFIR] is an eccentric. He's a weird guy. He's unpredictable. He's mad. I haven't portrayed a role like this before,” Sanju states.
Sanju has immense faith in Gupta's abilities. “He dares to be different. He goes against the tide. His films are stylish and can be compared to any Hollywood film. In Bollywood, people try to play safe, but Gupta loves to swim against the tide,” he declares.
Four songs from the film were screened on the occasion and at least two of them - 'Tez Dhaar' [rendered and filmed on Sanjay Dutt] and 'Ishq Kabhi Kariyo Na' [filmed on Sameera Reddy] - are sure to prove chartbusters.
