Have you seen Dhoom? Besides the success of Dhoom what were the other factors that prompted you to sign Dhoom:2?
Of course I have seen Dhoom. The success of Dhoom created a very good platform that motivated a sequel. But it was the inherent script of Dhoom:2 that propelled me into doing the film.
Dhoom:2 was exactly what I was looking for at that time because I was quite bored and stuck at that one end of the spectrum where I was doing this blatant good boy, good son, good brother and good lover role.
Though of course they are also quite enjoyable, but it was time to take the big leap towards the other end of the spectrum. And what was waiting for me there was Mr A… Aryan, so I am really glad that I got the opportunity.
In a career span of six years you have always been the good boy on the silver screen. Never have you been seen in a negative role on screen. What motivated you to do this?
I don’t really see Aryan as negative. I see him on the wrong side of the law but as subtext, which is in my head. My producers and director’s mind don’t take this too well. Aryan seems to be a guy who has a secret mission of ridding the world of all objects of desire that instill feelings of greed, create politics and feed the ego.
According to him, these are the things that create greed, need and come in the way of true caring and being true to the people around you. It makes you lose yourself in wanting more and getting these objects for yourself. One really does not know what he does with all the things he robs in the film. He does it because he can and because he thinks these objects of desire are the cause of most egoistic battles and his mission is to rid the world.
So I don’t really see him as a villain. And his modus operandi is very unique because he does it with such a flair that really makes him out to be someone you want to be.
There has been a lot of buzz about your varied disguises in the film. Can you share with us your experiences?
The makeup experts that they brought in from London were truly people with a magic wand. They completely transformed me into other human beings and I cannot express how much fun and how exciting it was to live and be and project a completely different human being.
Was it challenging to step into John Abraham’s character?
I think every film is a challenge. Though Aryan’s character does fit the space of the villain that John’s role was in Dhoom, it has got nothing to do with it. It’s a completely different world.
Considering that Dhoom:2 is an action film and you play a thief in the film, you must have various stunts. How did you prepare for it?
I have done everything in this film that anyone can aspire to do in an action film, be it sand boarding, snow boarding, sky diving, train walking, jumping off a cliff, bikes and cars. I don’t think there’s anything left! I think Dhoom:2 has got it all.
I had no idea what was waiting for me once I was preparing to get into Dhoom:2. But I realized that what I had done for Krrish was nothing in comparison to Dhoom:2. I trained for three months for roller blading, which is the most difficult and dangerous sport because if you fall you definitely break a bone. Moreover I have never given three months of my time to any training and that too three months for just one sequence.
For snow boarding I flew to Dubai and trained in an indoor snow mountain. I had also walked on the train to do stunts on and off the train and sand boarding behind the train. I was actually hooked on to a rope that I was holding with my bare palm, with a train at a speed of 60 kms per hour and I was on a sand boarding, skimming behind it. I would falter here there and land on the tracks and scraping through near death experiences. But I came out feeling most exhilarated and alive ever. So it’s been a great experience.
What do you think of the music of Dhoom:2 as compared to Dhoom?
As I said, it’s definitely notches higher. But we have to wait and see how the audience takes it. Personally, I think its one of the greatest music albums in the year and it should definitely make a mark. Even visually it’s very stunning.
I am very proud of the songs that I have done with Shiamak and Vaibhavi. I have not done many of those dance steps in my lifetime. There is this whole myth of me being a dancing phenomenon, but I have not had many dance tracks to my credit. But in this case, I have two and I am very happy with both of them.
Your first sequel Krrish was very successful at the box office. Does that give you a fair idea about the future of Dhoom:2?
I don’t think sequels work. What work are good films. Dhoom:2 is a good sequel and a good film and not resting on the laurels of Dhoom and would have been made even if there was no Dhoom.
I think that was what worked with Krrish also. Krrish was not resting on the success of Koi… Mil Gaya. It took on from there but became a completely different world by itself, and should have been made a film by itself even if there was no Koi… Mil Gaya.
So this is what sequels should be about, they should not rest on laurels of the previous hit, and that is what Dhoom:2 hopefully will do.
Last time you and Abhishek came together on screen you were friends in Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon. In Dhoom:2 you’ll are foes, which one is better and why?
We are always friends, Abhishek and I have grown up together and we wish the best for each other. Working in this film with him has made me decide that once in every two years I definitely want to do a film with him. Working with him has been very fulfilling, as in he’s a good person and he radiates that. I am a person who works without any egos and so is Abhishek.
I love working with actors who go beyond wanting to be the best and wanting to give the best so that the entirety of the scene comes out as the best. He will think as much for me as for himself and visa versa. The time you spend watching the success or the reaction to a films release is a day or two or three. But your life is actually about the process of making these films, and what’s important is to enjoy those moments and I really think that working with Abhishek was one of the most fulfilling journeys of my career.
What according to you can the audiences look forward to in Dhoom:2.
It’s like the words of the song, ‘Dhoom again and come away with me on a rollercoaster ride, so strap yourselves up and get ready for the ride of your life.’ That’s what Dhoom:2 is about. It’s to the point, fast, exhilarating. It will keep you at the edge of your seat and you will not know what has hit you. It is one of those popcorn thrillers, so come one, come all, and expect the world.
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