We could quite well have walked into a nightclub. A bunch of foreigners are executing some amazing steps on the dance floor and the atmosphere is electric. You also spot Akshay Kumar learning steps he will be performing along with Sonakshi Sinha.
Next, the actress arrives on the sets and starts rehearsing with Kumar. It takes them but two minutes to get the moves down pat and the dance sequence wraps in just one take.
Kumar looks around and is pleased to spot a handful of journalists and he greets them warmly. “Aa gaye tum log,” he smiles.
Then we meet journalist-turned-producer Ashwin Varde, who breaks into his signature smile. He invites us to join Kumar in the actor’s suite. Varde, who has turned producer with this film, is not one bit nervous. “Picture achchi bani hai yaar. Ab kyun tension lene ka, product dhansu hai.”
Prod him a little and he adds, “We had bought the rights to Pokkiri Raja because we
liked certain elements in that film. We have used those elements in this film, structurally. Other than that, everything else is different. The screenplay is completely different. The character of Boss (played by Mammooty in Pokkiri Raja) is far more colourful and exciting. Also, the action is unique. There’s a certain edginess and thrill to the action, which is not over-the-top. It’s gritty and raw.”
Kumar interjects, “I enjoyed watching Pokkiri Raja and immediately gave the go-ahead to Ashwin. I had faith in Ashwin and Tony and I knew they would make a good product. Unlike in the South version, where Mammooty arrives pretty late on the screen, my character in Boss makes an early entry.”
Since the rest of the film has already been shot, you wonder whether the song that is being picturised in the discotheque of a suburban five-star hotel is an afterthought. Kumar vehemently denies this. He claims his busy schedule did not permit him to shoot the song earlier.
“It is definitely not an item number. It was part of the script because it comes at a very integral point in the film. The reason we shot it last was because we wanted a song that was worthy of the situation it comes in. We went through a lot of options and they were all very good. But this one – Party all night – was worth the wait. It is easily the best club number I have heard in recent times. That’s exactly why we are making sure justice is done to it in the way it is shot. Sumit Dutt, who is directing the song, has done a phenomenal job,” beams Varde.
Anthony D’Souza, who is fondly called ‘Tony’, joins us. He says Varde did not come
across as a first-time producer to him. “For the others, he’s the producer of this film but to me, he is the creative producer. His inputs while we were writing and also shooting were commendable. Now that post-production of the film is underway, I can confidently say that Boss will be among the top three grossers of the year.”
Well, to rank among the top grossers of the year, a film must have smashing music. And, at the risk of sounding repetitive, D’Souza claims the album of Boss will also be among the top three albums of the year.
Kumar, who has been silently listening to these superlatives, agrees with D’Souza. “When I am back from Bangkok, I will make you listen to the song and you will have to agree with Anthony.”
Varde smiles and begins to shares his journey from being a journalist to a film producer. “When you’re a journalist, you see things from only one perspective. Becoming a producer makes you aware of the realities of filmmaking. My background as a journalist helped me take an objective view of my work. I also understand that this is a business and films cannot be made for personal gratification. A lot of money is at stake and you have to make sure you don’t let your investors down –the studios and the audience. If you’re clear about that, you can’t go wrong.”
D’Souza chips in, to share his journey of the making of Boss. “It’s been a dream journey. Also, Ashwin is a gem of a person and Akshay is always fun to work with.”
Now it’s time to shoot the song and we’re back on the sets. Kumar and Sinha are practicing the dance steps and Varde tells us the song will be shot in Bangkok. “Two days here and two days in Bangkok,” he reveals.
After giving the shots, the lead pair is back at the monitor. They’re happy with the take. “The audience believes in entertainment and they’re going to get everything they want from an Akshay Kumar movie,” claims Kumar. Budding talent Shiv Pandit also joins the conversation. For him, sharing the screen with Kumar is one of the highlights of his career.
While we are chit-chatting, Sumit Dutt, who was directing the song, was talking to choreographer Raju Khan. According to Dutt and Khan, they have done all they can to make this club number into the biggest club song ever. Honey Singh, whose song this is, is more than happy with the way the number has been shot.
When we quiz him about the Bangkok schedule, where the song will be completed, he replies, “It will be an outdoor shoot with a mammoth crowd. It is the first all-out dance number Akshay has done in years. This is his return to hardcore dancing.”
We totally agree!
(Produced by Viacom18, Cape of Good Films and Ashwin Varde Productions, Boss is directed by Anthony D’Souza and is all set to hit the screens in October)
