Get ready for Jaane Tu...sequel

Abbas Tyrewala’s Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na bestowed Genelia D’Souza with all that an actress could wish for.

But, that’s not all; he will soon be making a sequel to the teenybopper film. Giving us a peak into the film, Abbas Tyrewala says, “It starts with Jai (Imran Khan) and Aditi (Genelia D’Souza) having problems in their marriage. They are on the verge of a divorce after Jai ends up drunk and having a onenight-stand.”

This validates Genelia’s participation in the sequel and she is on cloud nine. “A film like Jaane Tu doesn’t happen every day,” says Genelia, “It fell into my lap by chance. All of us in Jaane Tu have got busy. Everyone went their way. I’ve been working round the clock on my films and endorsements. But whenever I meet Abbas or Imran, we feel the same warmth that we felt during the making of the film. It would be fun for the whole team to be reunited.”

However, Jaane Tu’s other gifted supporting players who played Imran and Genelia’s college friends haven’t found a single significant offer in Bollywood. But Genelia is past all this. “I haven’t been sitting at home waiting for the sequel to happen. Now, I have almost finished two other films: Its My Life with Harman Baweja and Life Partner opposite Fardeen Khan. Also, I’ve just begun shooting for David Dhawan’s Hook Ya Crook where I play a lawyer, which is the only prominent female character in the film.”

Abbas has said that it was a conscious decision to not make Jaane Tu’s sequel immediately because he wanted to let the characters mature in his mind. He will focus his attention on the sequel after finishing 1-800-Love, which features his wife Pakhi and John Abraham and will go on the floors next month in London.

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Can Bollywood make movies for international audiences

With three Indians winning Oscars, will Bollywood directors be keen on making films that appeal to not just Indians the world over, but international audiences as well? Also, will they consider making these films in English? We spoke to a few directors to find out.

Bhootnath director Ravi Chopra
With this win, international audiences will certainly pay more attention to Indian films. A few may even make movies in English. However, this transition will take time. I'm happy for A.R. Rahman and Resul who have made us proud.

Jaane Tu Yaa Jaane Naa director Abbas Tyrewala
I don’t think we should make films in English because we need to make movies for Indians. Films that appeal to international audiences need not be in English. Meanwhile, I'm very happy that Rahman is also composing the music for my second film.

Shoot On Sight director Jagmohan Mundhra
In my career, I have directed 36 films and 32 of them have been in English. Most of the English ones were appreciated globally because our scripts differ greatly from western ones. Their way of writing is completely different. Slumdog’s script is very well written.

Jannat producer Mukesh Bhatt
Slumdog is not an Indian film. The crew is largely English. The aim is to make a good Indian film. The aim is not to make a movie that appeals to international audiences. We must make films for the common Indian. Also, there isn’t any need to call the win, India’s win. It’s only Rahman and Resul who are Indian.

Teen Patti director Leena Yadav
Indian movies have been appreciated before. I think the real difference here is that a technician won an award. And in India we never pay any attention to technicians and other people who work behind the scenes.

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"I wouldn't wish ill for anyone" - Aamir Khan

Aamir Khan is in a joyous mood! JAANE TU… YA JAANE NA is smashing box-office records and at the rate the film is faring, it may turn out to be the biggest grosser of the year, so far. A thrilled Aamir cannot hide his happiness when we discuss the numbers. The fact is, the film has worked big time, not just in India, but also in the international markets [Overseas distributor UTV has yet another Hit to their credit].

"The response is unimaginable. Believe me, I was quite nervous before the release. I was worried about the response. But I have always believed that a sincere effort would always stand out. In this case, I would like to give full credit to Abbas [Tyrewala]. He and his team worked relentlessly to make a genuinely good film," says the soft-spoken actor/producer, who's visiting various cities to promote the film [he's in Nagpur currently].

Has he analyzed, what actually worked? "I've always maintained that the script is the star. JAANE TU… YA JAANE NA was made with utmost honesty and that translated into success," he adds. Tell him that brand 'Aamir Khan' is synonymous with quality cinema and he almost blushes, "No, no… Abbas and his team deserve the credit. I wasn't there as an actor, but Abbas made it happen. Each one, the actors included, worked hard and gave their best."

Amidst all the euphoria, Aamir's name has been dragged into a controversy. Reportedly, the Bawejas -- Harry and Harman -- have cried 'Sabotage', clearly pointing an accusing finger at Aamir. "It's childish," Aamir tells me.

Please elaborate. "I saw Harry and Harman on television. I even read their statements in the media. I've been an actor for 20 years now. I belong to a family that's been making movies for almost five decades. I am well aware of the kind of hard work that goes into making a film. Why would I try to harm anyone? Forget harming, I wouldn't wish ill for anyone, Harry and Harman included."

Aamir continues in the same breath, "I wish them [Bawejas] the best. Har aadmi mehnat karta hain. Ups and downs are part and parcel of this business, but you can't go around town pointing accusing fingers at others. I just don't understand, why am I being dragged into all this?"

The conversation veers towards his next release GHAJINI. Reportedly, the film was slated for release on October 2, but there are reports that it has been postponed to December 12, the same week as Aditya Chopra-SRK's RAB NE BANA DI JODI hits the screens. "I am unaware of their release date, but GHAJINI is not arriving on October 2. We are aiming at November-end release and that's final," he asserts.

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