Director Abhishek Sharma of 'Tere Bin Laden' fame is all set to release a spin off on the original, with 'Tere Bin Laden: Dead or Alive.' With a knack for satires and the ability to mock the un-mockable, the offbeat director talks about his forthcoming film with Asian Voice.
Why do you touch topics conventional directors like to stay away from?
(Laughs) Well, maybe I'm not a conventional director. I like to touch subjects that are universal and in the current situation. Tere Bin Laden is a mockery or a satire on whatever is happening around the world right now. My day starts with the newspapers and I look into new stories. So that's my style. I really like political satires.
Don't you think putting a humorous touch on such a controversial person risky? The first movie attracted a few controversies, have people begun to oppose the second part?
No. It has not, until now. The first one did see controversies, but they died down because there is nothing offensive in the film. If you create comedy to provoke people, that's when it can become controversial. In my case, it's a mockery. It's a reflection of the society. It's just MAD magazine humour. Yes, we are making fun of people and situations, but we are not doing it to provoke anyone.
Do you expect your movie to be banned in Pakistan again?
It's a given! After Bin Laden's assassination, it's a given that they might ban the movie in Pakistan. They banned the first part also, despite which it was a huge success in Pakistan's piracy market. Almost everybody in Pakistan have watched the film, loved it, and loved that Ali Zafar has been part of a Bollywood film. Banning is just a government thing.
Ali has made a cameo in the new film. Is he your lucky mascot?
It's not about being a lucky mascot. His character in the first movie was something only he could have played, and was right for him. The very nature of the film, the structure, was soft. Only Ali could have played that character. He couldn't have played what Manish Paul has done now, which is the character of a film-maker. Ali Zafar on the other side, had played the role of a fictional role of himself. We are simply making fun of everything and everybody in this distorted world, and we are having a ball.
Was Manish Paul your first choice for the lead role?
When I write, I am never thinking about any actor, I just build the character. Manish was recommended for some other film by my producer. She knows that as a director I am very keen on new faces. So I met him and realised he can carry the whole film on his shoulders, and I offered him Tere Bin Laden: Dead or Alive as the main lead.
