Director Duo Raj & D.K Interview: A Gentleman is a spectacle rooted in logic!

After Happy Ending , directors Raj & D.K. are coming up with their new film ‘ A Gentleman ’, starring Sidharth Malhotra and Jacqueline Fernandez . The film, which is high on action, romance and comedy, is all set to enter cinemas on 25th August. But before A Gentleman hits screens, BollywoodMDB Reporter, Mohnish Singh, catches up with the duo in a swanky Mumbai hotel to talk about his movie, his first foray into digital space and how do they see the change in the Central Board Of Film Certification’s office. Excerpts…

Q. Where did the idea of making A Gentleman originate?

A. We had an idea. We wanted to make an action comedy film like the good old days but the one that fits the current sensibilities. We didn’t want to make a trivial film that makes people feel stupid. So we made sure that there is enough intelligence in it. Even if we shoot for an action sequence in the film and it might look spectacular, it follows the ground rules and does not defy the laws of Physics. So you get the coolness and slickness, but nothing over the top. A Gentleman is a spectacle rooted in logic. So, we are giving a spectacle with logic not without logic.

Q. A Gentleman has everything from action to romance and comedy. How difficult or easy was it for both of you to blend all these things together and make a film like this?

A. It would have been very tough if we were doing Shor In The City. But we picked an idea that is about an original action comedy with a double role. It has all the original stuff. People will guess if they are twins are just lookalikes. So that template takes all these things into one. All the comedy, dance and songs naturally came in. And there are some promotional songs as well, that have received a good response.

Q. Sidharth is playing a double role in the film, but the title is based only on one character. Why so?

A. Because there is only one gentleman! That’s where we thought let’s call it A Gentleman, instead of plural Gentlemen. Only one of them is a gentleman, and who is that…you will have to watch the film to find out.

Q. 2017 hasn’t been a great year for Bollywood. Big films are being rejected. So where do you think the industry is going wrong?

A. It’s content, we suppose. We think there are more wise men that will have wiser answers to this question. How we are qualified to talk about the industry and the box office, we don’t know. We just sit at home and write cool scripts, thinking about making a certain kind of a film. We don’t think that whether two heroes films or drama or sports films are working at the box office nowadays. We just write a whacky or a unique film and hope to make it nicely. The only thing we do think about is that no matter how much money is spent, producers should make the money.

Q. This is the most commercial film of your career thus far. Do you feel any kind of pressure mounting on you before the release of the film?

A. To begin with, A Gentleman is made on a very controlled budget. Going by action films’ standards, it is not as expensive as it may look by its trailers. From the beginning, we were very clear that we wanted to make a film on a controlled budget but the film should look great and expensive. And it should bring back the buck.

Q. Central Board Of Certification has a new chairman now. What are your hopes from him?

A. We don’t know much about the new person who has come onboard. So, I don’t know what the results are going to be. But with a new person coming in, there is a hope, there is an excitement that a change has come and the new committee will be better than the older committee.

Surprisingly, ours was the last film certified by the older committee. That was the last day when his (Pahlaj Nihalani) ouster was announced. But since our screening was fixed in advance, so we went and got it done. Surprisingly, all the six people who saw the film were quite amicable. We had a very practical and reasonable conversation. There were some minor mutes and changes which they suggested and we complied.

If I had gone with Go Goa Gone today, I don’t know what would have happened. They would have said ‘We aren’t releasing it.’ But in this film, they asked for just three small changes, which were kind of expected.

Q. The digital medium has exploded phenomenally in last few years. Do you plan to make something for the digital space as well?

A. We are actually doing a web-series for Amazon. It’s a show called The Family Man. We are just casting now. We will be getting into pre-production soon. That’s a show we are pretty excited about. This is the first time when we are doing a long-format because everybody is watching long-formats nowadays. We really wanted to do that. We are producing it ourselves.