Jaat has held very well in the first week and to celebrate its box office performance, writer-director Gopichandh Malineni spoke exclusively with Bollywood Hungama about the film and a lot more.
EXCLUSIVE: Gopichandh Malineni ECSTATIC with response to Jaat: “Great to see people SCREAMING in theatres, ‘Sorry bol’; my idea for Sunny Deol was – less talking and MORE action!”; reveals that Jaat’s Telugu version to release in a couple of weeks
I am sure you must have visited cinema halls down South to check the audience feedback for your Telugu films. This time, how was it to pay a visit to theatres up North for Jaat?
We went to a theatre in Meerut. Then we went to Randeep Hooda’s turf, Haryana followed by Chandigarh. People are loving the film. It’s so great to see people screaming in cinema halls, ‘Sorry bol’! The viewers have thankfully connected very well to the film. I was also glad to see family audiences also enjoying the film.
The entire first half rests on the protagonist (Sunny Deol) demanding an apology for what was not that big a deal. Were you at any point apprehensive that such an unusual plot point might backfire?
Yes, it is very risky to hold the first half on the protagonist demanding an apology. But I had a gut feeling that it would work well because the screenplay is very racy. Moreover, we also peppered the first half with lighter moments. You can see even Sunny sir having a blast while shooting for that whole sequence! Hence, we are glad that it came out very well.
Was Sunny Deol the only choice or did you have any other actor in your mind for the lead role?
Sunny ji was the only actor in my mind (smiles). I wanted to show him in a mass-pleasing avatar. You will notice that there are fewer dialogues for Sunny sir in this film. My mantra for Sunny sir for Jaat was – less talking and more action!
Was it intentional to cast Upendra Limaye specifically for this role, more so after his successful cameo in Animal (2023)?
I wanted an interesting guy to give out the back story of the protagonist. When I saw Animal, I was impressed by Upendra Limaye. He has a superb voice and vibe. I knew very well that this was the actor I wanted and that he would take the scene to another level. I approached him. He asked me, ‘Gopi, why you are giving me just one scene?’! I persuaded him that we needed him for that one scene as it was a proper elevation for the hero before the climax. He accepted it. He shot only for 2 days; one day, he shot in the police station set and the other day, he shot in the Dhaka jail set.
Jaat has five action directors (Ram-Laxman, V Venkat, Peter Hein and ANL Arasu). This is a recent trend. Could you tell us the reason to do so?
Even in my previous film Krack (2021), I had multiple action directors. Ram-Laxman were a part of it and they choreographed action in 3 major scenes in Jaat – one in the police station, one when Somulu (Viineet Kumar Siingh) is beaten up before the interval and the climax. I have a great rapport with them. Whatever I want, they immediately understand and deliver accordingly.
But I realized that in the first half, the protagonist is fighting first at the idli stall and then at Ram Subba Reddy’s place followed by the government office and then during the interval sequence. I knew that I needed different action masters in these back-to-back action-packed sequences to bring some change. Otherwise, it would have been very repetitive.
Many felt that Jaat should have been dubbed in Telugu as it was tailor-made for that audience…
We did think about it. However, the voices of Sunny Deol and Randeep Hooda are very strong. Hence, we need voices that can do justice to them while we are dubbing the film. It took time and we are working on it. We plan to release the dubbed version in 2-3 weeks.
Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Gopichand Malineni on what one can expect in Jaat 2: “MORE action and entertainment than Jaat; also focus on Sunny Deol’s family”; CONFIRMS that his next is with Nandamuri Balakrishna: “We go on floors on NBK’s birthday”
More Pages: Jaat Box Office Collection , Jaat Movie Review
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