People ask me why another film against corruption I say why not – Anil Sharma

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

Canada: Oye! Times readers Get FREE $30 to spend on Amazon, Walmart…
USA: Oye! Times readers Get FREE $30 to spend on Amazon, Walmart…Singh Saab The Great is director Anil Sharma's plaintive and dramatic cry against corruption. Says the veteran filmmaker, "People ask me, why another film against corruption. I say, why not? Cinema is my instrument of expression. What is happening all around us should be of immense concern to every artiste."

Anil Sharma's 2002 film Gadar: Ek Prem Katha was a historic hit. It was released on the same Friday as Ashutosh Gowarikar's Lagaan. Gadar actually made far bigger profits than Lagaan.

Says Anil fondly, "My film Gadar had made Rs. 200 crores 12 years ago when the concept of the 100-crore club was unknown. Today again the film trade is talking about the Rs. 200-crore club, and I am happy. If you ask me would Singh Saab The Great be another Gadar, the answer is, I don't know. Yeh Gadar hogi ya nahin, lekin isski qadar (respect) zaroor hogi. I have kept Singh Saab The Great within a budget of Rs 30-32 crores. I didn't want to make a 90-crore budgeted film. It's not my vision that has grown smaller. I've created the same canvas as my big films, without going over-budget."

Anil looks back fondly at his long association with the Deol family. "I worked with Dharamji in a number of films. Then I've been doing films with Bobby and Sunny Saab. My association with the family is not reliant on the success of the films I do with them."

Ask Anil to compare papa Dharam with son Sunny, and the director observes, "Dharamji is from the old school. According to me he is one of the four enduring superstars of Hindi cinema along with Dilip Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan and Rajesh Khanna. He is very natural on screen. He just does what the director asks him. Sunny Saab gets into the skin of his characters. He is a very thoughtful actor and goes much deeper into his character than Dharamji."

Article written by staff at Bollywood Hungama. Read more