David Dhawan has never had any place for commas or full stops in his movies, so his alpaviram after Rascal was surprising. Fortyone films down, all tickling your funny bone outrageously, the 60-year-old has now thrown up a modern-day Chashme Buddoor amid stiff upper lips. Dhawan, the undisputed monarch of rip-roaring kitsch, isn’t embarrassed about his portfolio. But now, he tells DEEBASHREE MOHANTY, he has acquired the courage to do some meaningful cinema
He calls himself the badshaah of nonsense. Pulls fast ones on himself and his movies. Makes fun of his own eccentricities and has no qualms admitting that he may have made a mistake by making some films. He also doesn’t mind admitting that he is an out-and-out emotional banda who cries like a baby when he is hurt. That’s 60-year-old David Dhawan for you — simple, straight and to the point.
“Don’t mistake me to be arrogant or abrupt. I am neither. I used to be quite a talkative person. Now, I have mellowed down. The media is responsible for that. Mujhe bejijhak controversies mein ghasita jaata hai. In this age, I want to focus on making movies, not onjhelloing these antics,” the veteran who completed his 41st film with Chashme Buddoor, tells you.
Today, he may be a calm director, but he was not so a decade back. “I had a bad temper and it would invariably come out on Salman and Govinda on the sets. They would very promptly call laly, my wife, to complain. She would take my trip at home. On a more serious note, it is laly who has been my support system after my parents and elder brother Ashok bhaisaheb passed away. I would have been a lost soul if not for her,” Dhawan who insists he is no romantic, tells you. But the Dhawans are a very close knit family. “We sleep together, eat together and watch TV together,” Dhawan, who has a plush bungalow in Juhu, says.
Born in Agartala and brought up in Kanpur where his father was manager with UCO Bank, little did Dhawan know then that he would land up in Bollywood. It was only after his elder brother Anil joined the Film & Television Institute (FTII) of India in Pune, that David Dhawan followed suit. “I had just completed my Class XII from Christ College. I had no idea what next. Bhaisaheb talked me into joining FTII. Initially, I had joined acting classes in the institute but when I saw Suresh Oberoi (my classmate) act out a scene, I knew acting mere bas ki baat nahin hai. Since I had already paid the fee, I decided to join editing classes instead. Bas, that was the beginning of all good things. I loved what I was doing,” Dhawan recalls.
He tells you that it was during the screening of Ritwik Ghatak’s Bengali film Meghe Dhaka Tara that it struck him that in filmmaking, one could make something out of nothing. “I passed out as a gold medalist in editing but I knew I wanted to become a director. I knew a lot of people who were friends with bhaisaheb but work was hard to come by. I started editing news for Bombay TV and stuck around as there were lots of good looking girls working there. I then edited a number of films, including Rajendra Kumar’s love Story, Mahesh Bhatt’s Naam and Saraansh and became the favourite editor for Rajesh Khanna and Sanjay Dutt. I owe my entry into Bollywood to Sanjay Dutt who is family now,” Dhawan tells you. He is saddened by the verdict on Sanjay Dutt but proud that Sanju has taken the right decision.
Originally Rajendra Dhawan, the hit director got his first name David due to Anglo-Indian neighbours in Agartala who used to call him by that name. “Aunty was a childless widow so she pampered me like her own. She liked calling me David and I liked it too. Also, I thought it sounded cool in Bollywood,” Dhawan says.
Strangely, the business of movies has never attracted him. “I have never let the money part hit me hard. I am concerned with making a film that I believe in and that’s all. Whether it makes Rs100 crore or fails to get even a single dime is not my concern. My friends tell me, in today’s competitive world this is a dangerous approach. But I tell them yeh piti to doosri chalegi — simple law of averages,” Dhawan tells you. This may not not add up well, but Dhawan is emphatic that he was a very good student of maths and accounts. Not exceptional in English, he tells you in a not-so-broken language.
Quite a believer in faith, Dhawan has been spending quality time with family, especially his sons Rohit and Varun. “I may have neglected them quite a bit. Whenever I get involved in a movie, I give it my 200 per cent. There was a time in the 90s when I was living out of my suitcase. That’s when laly intervened. She said ‘ab bacchon par dhyan do’ and I realised I had not seen my children grow up. I was upset. That changed me. I wanted to take a break to be there only for my sons. They needed my guidance,” he says. But then, he was going back to grown up sons.
“Aaj kal ke ladke hain... if I give my unsolicited advice to Varun, he says, ‘I know what I am doing. let me try it’. When he really needs my advice, he asks me for it. We are happy that way. I tried to be pushy but that did not work with the boys so I have stepped back. Now, we are all happy,” Dhawan, who was in the Capital for promoting Chashme Buddoor, says.
This is not this director’s first visit to Delhi, but Dhawan feels a lot has changed. He feels Delhi is growing at a rapid speed and development work is far better than in Mumbai. However, give him a choice to stay anywhere other than Mumbai and he looks at you shocked. “I have been in Mumbai for so long that the thought of shifting base gives me the shivers. But if I am forced to migrate, I would consider Kolkata or Greece. There is an old-world charm around Kolkata. It is not a place where you can expect some shanti but it is a hub of stories. Yeh kahaniyon ki nagri hai. Just observe the people and you could get your next plot for a movie or a serial. I have lots of Bangla friends. They are warm people,” he says.
When not directing a film or working on a script with his best friend Rumi Jaffery, Dhawan likes to explore new places and eateries around the world. But now the foodie in Dhawan wants to seek voluntary retirement. “Enough of junk inside me. I have realised how important health is. Now, I avoid junk food and request everyone around me to stop bringing it to my sets. In fact, even if I get the whiff of junk food, I order that artiste to keep his lunch box away,” he says, laughing. “I love Indian food and I am for ghar ka khana. Give me simple subzi and roti and I am good. One tea spoonful of ghee works big time,” he says.
In 2011, Dhawan was partying at producer Bunty Walia’s house when he collapsed. Abhishek Bachchan and Sanjay Dutt rushed him to lilavati Hospital where he was diagnosed with diabetic coma. “Health hai to wealth hai. Now I am careful about what I eat. I am on medicines but I am absolutely fit,” he says. Dhawan was very miffed at reports that Kader Khan was no more. “I was stunned. For a few minutes I became numb. I was at the studio when this rumour reached me. It didn’t occur to me then that it could be a rumour, so I rushed to his place only to find him fuming over the reports,” Dhawan recalls. For him, Kader Khan is the most versatile actor known to the industry.
“Just like you cannot have another Salman or Govinda or Sanjay Dutt, you can’t have another Kader too. I am 41 movies old and have spent time with most actors of this era, but very few come close to these veterans. They are a class apart. People say they are my trump card. Not true. I have them in my films because they are talented and good people. That is a rare mix to find in Bollywood, I am fortunate I have worked with such names,” he says. The year 2012 was a bad one for Dhawan who lost many dear ones to tragedies. But Yash Chopra’s death will always be a painful one for this director. “We may make 100 movies one day but no one can even come close to Yashji. He is the father of Indian cinema in the true sense. When Varun decided to enter filmdom, the first thing I told him was that he should seek Yashji’s blessings. My son has lost out on his death,” Dhawan says.
Confidently ensconced as No 1 comedy director, Dhawan now wants to concentrate on making meaningful cinema. Enough of masti and slapstick, he tells you. But why nowIJ “These newage directors have taught me to take risks and make meaningful cinema. This is the best phase Bollywood has seen and I want to capitalise on it. Now is the time for me to experiment with cinema. I have a couple of ideas but nothing has materialised as yet. Apart from the movie featuring Varun, to be released later this year, I am not doing any more slapstick films,” Dhawan asserts. But he is sure that Mera Naam Hero would be a fun, damdaar film.
The director who is known for his popular films like Hero No 1, Biwi No 1 and Haseena Man Jayegi is in complete awe of Anurag Basu and Rajkumar Hirani. Although Dhawan is friendly with everyone in Bollywood, these are his special buddies. “Barfi was an excellent film. It was unfortunate that it couldn’t make it to the Oscars. Kudos to Anurag Basu for making such a great film. I would love to make a film with Ranbir Kapoor some day,” he says.
Although he doesn’t like to interfere in beta Varun’s affairs, Dhawan secretly hopes that his son gets to work with Hirani and Basu. “There is so much that he will learn from them. I don’t want to cushion him from experiences. let him see the world. This goes for Rohit too,” Dhawan says. Incidentally, Rohit’s sensibilities as a director are different from his. “Rohit is dong well for himself and I am proud of him. There have been times when he has given me advice that came in handy. But I don’t do the same. ‘Woh apni galtiyon se khud sikhaega,’” he feels.
Rohit, who’s debut blockbuster Desi Boyz grossed Rs50 lakh in the first week itself, is all set to direct his second one, this time along with papa Dhawan. “He was always keen to be behind the camera. I have never forced them to take a career decision. Kal ko koi galti ho gayee then they shouldn’t blame me. They have spent so much time on the sets with me that it was natural for them to opt for this line. Bollywood parents may not want their children to enter the industry but kya karen, our children live and breathe only Bollywood,” Dhawan says.
If there is anyone apart from Rohit and Varun that David Dhawan considers family, it is none other than his favourite, Govinda. The duo has paired in 17 films and Dhawan feels their communion is like the Manmohan Desai and Amitabh Bachchan jodi. Even today, Dhawan would have loved to work with Govinda but for that there has to be a movie that suits his personality.
“I would have loved to cast Govinda for CB. I missed him a lot on the sets. There were times when I called out for him by mistake. But this was a movie for the youth. I don’t think Govinda could fit into this film. I will make a special one to suit his persona today. He may be an actor who throws tantrums on the sets but is so talented that he finishes his scenes mostly in one take. What scenes other actors would take 10 hours to enact, Govinda would do them only in 4,” Dhawan says.
He admits that Ajay Devgn and Sanjay Dutt were too old to be a part of his last film Rascals. “I have no qualms in admitting that it was a disaster. I am seldom wrong in picking up good scripts but that was the one time that I had gone miserably wrong. I made it a point to apologise to people who were waiting for a Dhawan blockbuster. There is nothing wrong in accepting your mistakes,” he says.
If Rascal bombed at the BO, Dhawan put it past him in the matter of a week. “Viacom 18 had been toying with this idea of CB remake for a long time. They had not finalised on a director but felt I could do justice to the film. I was thrilled to be asked. I was not in the thick of projects when this offer came my way. So I jumped at the opportunity. Woh pagal hi hoga who would have refused this. I am so happy that I took it up. I am happy to see what has come out of it. I hope the audience feels the same way,” Dhawan says, adding that the controversies regarding the title rights etc are misplaced.
“Sai Paranjpe is a friend. I don’t know in what context she said things about me re-making of her film. It was never my idea to begin with. The producers approached me. They had already bought the rights etc. So, I am not to blame for this remake. Rakesh Bedi and I were roommates and both friendly with Raju Bhasin. I knew about Chashme Buddoor of 1981 much before they even began shooting for it. Raju is no more among us so this is my tribute to him. CB was a delightful film then and I was happy to direct a remake. We have changed bits and parts in the film to suit today’s audience. The look and feel is different but the soul is the same,” he says, shaking off any hint of apprehension because the 1981 classic was re-released the same day.
“I want both to do wonders,” he says, asking, “why so much ado about remakes”. After all, the concept of re-makes is nothing new. “Rowdy Rathore was a remake of a south Indian film and so were many others. There was no hullabaloo about them. Why raise a ugly head when a classic is being remadeIJ Isn’t it a good thing that we are bringing films of yore to the foreIJ,” Dhawan queries.
Given a choice, Dhawan would like to re-make his own movies. “Judwaa was an excellent topic for a sequel and so was Partner. We had almost wrapped up the script for a Partner 2 when Govinda became busy. I cannot have Partner 2 without him. So the sequel was shelved. I would also like to remake Aankhen, a film close to my heart,” Dhawan tells you, adding that Hitwani has bought the rights of his musical drama Aankhen. Although he doesn’t know what the film is going to be like, Dhawan says he has no complaints. Aankhen brings alive many memories him. He did not sleep for a month at a stretch for this film. “It was all this nervous energy that worked in Aankhen’s favour,” he says.
But why comedyIJ “I have grown up watching Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Manmohan Desai’s films. I adore them and try to copy them. I always wanted to do fun films and I have done well in my space. In Bollywood, there is space for all sorts of films and no one wants to step on anyone’s toes. I have got a lot of love in this film industry. Yes there have been criticisms too, but I like to remember only the good things,” Dhawan says, asking the correspondent if the interview is for a book and not a newspaper. He laughs, saying it was really exhaustive.