Writer-director Vijay Krishna Acharya opens up on his journey with the series
Filmmaker Vijay Krishna Acharya, who has written and directed the Dhoom series, reveals that he and Aditya Chopra, the producer of the film, were pleasantly surprised with the audience reaction towards the film.
On the 16th anniversary of the film, Viktor, as he is called in the industry, says, “We were confident at the script stage that the film was an entertainer, a film which was not taking itself too seriously and perhaps that is what struck a chord with the audience. The only person who foresaw the possibility of a sequel was Aditya. He wrote me a mail before the release and said, ‘do think about a sequel.”
Viktor’s idea to have a villain with morality was unusual because one always roots for the villain to win. He says, “Dhoom is more in an anti-hero world rather than a villain in the traditional sense. In the first film, the anti-hero is a rebel. Even though he is a thief, his persona is essentially a rebellious one. There is something about youth and bikes and energy, none of which was a planned thing — it just seemed to come organically and instinctively.”
He adds, “The hero is the anti-hero and he is always stepping away from the world of conventional wisdom and rules. He exists outside of it even though he is very much a part of the fabric of society, like Kabir in Dhoom and Sahir in Dhoom 3.
Ask him if directing a franchise film is a pleasure or pressure point because of the soaring expectations. He says, “Filmmaking is a healthy and sometimes unhealthy combination of pleasure and pressure. An almost symbiotic existence which like all things dangerous has a unique attraction and thrill.
So, yes, it will always be a pleasure but I’m also aware that it will get tougher with each film to reinvent or rediscover the genre.”