Arshad Turns Director; Reveals His Casting Fundas
By SAMPURNWednesday, May 12, 2010
May 12, 2010 (Sampurn Wire): Arshad Warsi donned the role of a producer recently and though his debut production ‘Hum Tum Aur Ghost’ didn’t quite set the box office on fire, the actor has moved on. While he is busy wrapping up his acting assignments like ‘Golmaal 3′ which would be followed by ‘Dhamaal 2′, he is also sure that for his debut directorial vehicle ‘Akkad’, he would be aiming at spending as much time as possible on getting the script perfect.
Judging by the confidence in his voice, one asks Arshad the obvious question around a high failure rate that Bollywood has been suffering from year after year. After all there aren’t more than 20% films that go on to do good theatrical business at the box office every year.
"I believe the reason why we make so many bad films is because we do not concentrate on what is the most important part of a film which is, as you would have guessed it right, the script. Also, it is of paramount importance that we have right people roped in for the right roles", Arshad shares some gyaan here.
Talking about the way industry functions in the West, Arshad elaborates, "Out there in Hollywood, first a script is finalised and then an actor is decided. Yes, a big actor may eventually make his way into the film but that too happens only after due auditioning. You have to prove yourself because it’s all based on merit. On the other hand here in Bollywood, an actor like me may be suiting the role and could be almost finalised. But the moment a bigger actor shows some interest in doing the same film, the makers won’t take a second to make me vanish from the scene."
Now that he has made a start as a producer (Hum Tum Aur Ghost) as well as director (Akkad), one can expect Arshad to be remembering these facts very clearly during his casting choice.
"Of course yes, that’s the right way to make a film", reassures Arshad, "This is going to be my criteria in the films that I am doing today and would be doing tomorrow. My funda would be simple - ‘Boss, you will be in the film only if you suit the role’. I know for sure that so many good scenes also go wrong if messed by due to poor understanding of an actor. I am not going to allow that for my film."
– Rudhir Burman / Sampurn Wire
