David Dhawan’s two sons — Varun and Rohit — are ready to follow in their father’s footsteps. While Varun makes his debut as an actor in Karan Johar’s Student Of The Year that goes on the floors on August 16, Rohit is putting the finishing touches to his first directorial, Desi Boyz, which releases on November 25. Eros International’s dramedy brings Akshay Kumar and John Abraham together, almost seven years after their last film, Priyadarshan’s Garam Masala (2005).
Quiz Rohit on how he managed to cast them and he says, “Akshay was on board from day one, when I was still developing the story idea. A two-hero movie is never easy to write and it took me almost two years to put this project together. Once I felt I had justified the presence of both the protagonists, I took the script to John who’s been like a buddy since I worked as an assistant director on dad’s film, Hook Ya Crook (2010). He was convinced immediately.”
Given that there had been rumours during Garam Masala that John was upset with Akshay for editing out his role, did either actor demand any changes before signing the dotted line? “None at all. Apart from that, I made several drafts. This is John’s most uninhibited performance. And Akshay, contrary to his reputation of stealing his co-star’s lines, would insist that some of his dialogues be given to John. He’s by far the most sincere actor in the industry. Both he and John are extremely disciplined and professional. They were always on time and focused through the day, a dream team for any first-time director,” asserts Rohit.
Delay in release
Yet, the film’s taken over a year to complete. Why? “We started rolling with a bound script on November 7, 2010. And it will be out a year later. That’s pretty good for a film of this scale,” he argues.
Fortunately for him, his London schedule wrapped up in March-April and wasn’t affected by the recent riots. But Rohit, who is currently shooting the climax in Bangkok, is still shocked to see that there can be 100 cops patrolling the streets of the Queen’s city.
“It’s so bizarre!” he exclaims. “Fortunately, we had an easy shoot. There were online predictions for heavy rains, but the weather Gods were considerate.”
