Bollywood sex icon, Mallika Sherawat, who has been known for her sizzling item numbers is back with a bang in Priyadarshan’s upcoming action thriller flick Tezz. The B-town diva has given some dazzling performances in the past with item numbers like Maiyya Maiyya and Jalebi Bai. However, the inclusion of her latest item number Laila in the movie has not gone too well with the director since he feels that it is not required to be a part of the movie and was supposed to be just a promotional stunt.
“I never wanted the item song in the film but the producers (Ratan Jain of Venus) said we are a musical company and hence it came in the film. They went ahead with it and producers naturally are always right as they spend money all the time. I did not want to do it, so they shot it without me, but that is fine,” Priyadarshan said in an exclusive interview. “The song in Tezz is not needed. It is placed without any connection. But such things they do for promotions and that is what they mean. Tezz is not a musical film, it is an action film, so they feel item songs and all are important for promotion. I don’t know whether they are right or me,” he said.
Sung by Sunidhi Chauhan, choreographed by Ganesh Acharya and composed by music duo Sajid-Wajid, Laila was showcased by the production unit in their promotional campaign where Mallika was seen shaking her booty in a copper outfit. Apparently, Sameera Reddy and Jiah Khan were the serious contenders for this song before Mallika was roped in.
The film maker persisted that he is not against such item numbers, but argues that there needs a reason for it to be a part of the movie. “I am basically against item songs, which are put in the film without any reason. I have also shot item numbers, but only when it is needed. It should go with the film and it should not stand separately without any connection with the movie,” he said.
Tezz in many ways is very important for Priyan since this is the first time he has puttered into the action-thriller genre. Priyadarshan, otherwise known for his comic flicks, has made a lot of South and Hindi movies and is also the recipient of the prestigious Padma Shri and the National award. “I made a thriller because this is something I have never done before. And that is basically because I believe in all kind of cinema. I know I took some time to make a thriller but it never struck me. But I really wanted to do a thriller like Hollywood style. And to make a thriller of Hollywood stature requires good budget, right subject and now everything came in place. That is why I did it. I was very happy when Ramu (Ram Gopal Varma) said I am seeing a Hindi film which looks like an English film, so it is a good compliment coming from my competitor-colleague,” he added.
The film did take its own sweet time to be completed and has undergone a couple of changes in its release calendar before it was announced that it hits the screens on April 27th. “There was a delay because we had so much graphic work and other technical things to do. I never took so much of time in my whole career to make a film. But this film took almost one-and-half-year, there were lot of difficulties. The action was difficult, then we were working with a foreign crew…so we had two teams, they are too slow to work and we are too fast. But it was a great experience. I could learn many things from them,” Priyadarshan said. The men behind the action sequences are none other than Gareth Milne and Peter Pedrero, who orchestrated the stunts of the Harry Potter saga.
When asked about if he had thought of making the film in 3D, Priyan said, “No, I don’t think Tezz demands to be made in 3D. It is a fast pace action-thriller. Even in Hollywood they don’t make all films in 3D. They make only those which they feel will get right impact. Tezz is not a right film. The thought of making or converting some portions of the film in 3D never came to my mind. When a film is fast paced, the effect of 3D does not go with it.”
