It has been 30 Years since Raj Kumar Santoshi‘s comedy Andaz Apna Apna hit the big screen. Starringthe incredible cast of Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Raveena Tandon, Karisma Kapoor, Paresh Rawal, and Shakti Kapoor the film today is a cult classic.
Speaking with Subhash K Jha, Raj Kumar Santoshi looks back at Andaz Apna Apna which is consideres his most iconic film.
Would you say Andaz Apna Apna is your most important film to date?
In terms of reach and durability? Yes , I would go with that. It is a more important film than Ghayal, Ghatak or Lajja, my serious films. Laughter has a longer life. I am so glad Andaz Apna Apna is able to provide laughter for generations. Today when I see the kind comedy that is doing well, I feel very depressed. There is no dignity in what they are serving up as comedy. I may not have accrued a large bank balance. But I think I’ve earned something far valuable. Respect. That’s what Andaz Apna Apna brought me, and you know what?
What?
I wouldn’t exchange that respect for any amount of money in the world . Today I see people celebrating their own films. Arrey bhai, the world should celebrate your cinema, not you. What is the point of spending lakhs on booze and food to remind people of your achievement? I am happy to say my next Lahore 1947 is again a film that I am very proud of. Whether it is Andaz Apna Apna or Lahore 1947 I have never made a film I am ashamed of.
The film’s breezy songs added to its appeal?
The music composer Tushar Bhatia was a man of principle. He has done very little work besides Apna Apna Apna. He was not willing to compromise for the sake of success.
During the making of the film did you think it would go this far?
Never! We just made a healthy clean comedy with lots of situational humour and no double meaning. Looking at what passes off as comedy these days, we are happy with what we made. No vulgarity, no double meaning, no mixing of comedy with horror, just plain unadulterated fun.
Were all of you laughing while doing the scenes?
Of course we were. We were all laughing so hard we had to sometimes stop the shooting and gather ourselves together before resuming. The DOP(director of photography) Ishwar Bidri would sometimes fall off the camera. We had to call cut and then start the sequence again and recapture the comic timing of the interrupted scene. One thing I’ve to tell you. The actors were so fantastic. Not only Aamir, Salman , Raveena and Karisma, but also Paresh Rawal who had a double role, Shakti Kapoor whose Crime Master Gogo was a rage , Shehzaad Khan doing a takeoff on his father Ajit , Viju Khote who is no longer with us. They all contributed to giving making Andaz Apna Apna what it is.
And yet on release the film did not do well?
People keep saying that. But the truth is, we did nothing to promote the film. There was no publicity. Not from Aamir or Salman. Not even me! I was not in town when the film was released.We released the film without any fanfare.
How did the project happen?
I still remember when the producer Vinay Sinha had come to me with the idea of doing a film with Aamir Khan. Vinayji used to look after Aamir’s work. He convinced me to do film with him through my stomach. I remember he had brought the most delicious khana for me. He suggested we do something different with Aamir. I had just done two back-to-back serious films Ghayal and Damini. We decided, why not a comedy?
I believe Aamir came onboard first?
That’s right. After Aamir came on board Santoshi brought Salman into the picture. Both were very big stars by then.They had no problems working together.And during the shooting they became even better friends.
Was the humour improvised?
Not at all! I don’t work that way. I direct my actors very closely . I work out all the scenes along with dialogues well in advance. There is very little room for improvisation. And AAA was no exception. All the jokes and gags were worked out beforehand. People think Aamir and Salman decided to call themselves Amar and Prem to celebrate the movie Amar Prem. But their names had nothing to do with Shakti Samanta’s film. And Aamir exclamation ‘Aila!’ and Salman’s ‘Oui Maa!’ were also my idea.Even during that sequence where Salman is fed julaab(laxative) and his love-confessions are repeatedly interrupted by his rumbling stomach, that ‘gud-gud-gud’ sound to Salman’s dialogues was being given by me from behind the camera. Salman didn’t know when and where the ‘gud-gud-gud’ would be put by me. That added to the scene’s unpredictability.
This was your first attempt at comedy?
I was doing comedy for the first time. Salman and Aamir came together for the first and so far only time. Paresh Rawal was a screen villain before AAA. We gave him a comic image. We revived the ‘Ajit-Robert’ jokes with Ajit’s son playing an Ajit carbon-copy.Raveena and Karisma Kapoor were brought together . They exchanged screen names. Raveena was named Karisma in AAA and Karisma was Raveena. How were we to know the jokes would work so well?Comic writing depends on how much humour the writer can generate from the given situations.
There is going to be a sequel finally?
I don’t believe in creating a franchise by doing sequels or building my own brand. But the demand for a sequel to AAA is unbelievable. If I don’t do it someone else will. That I won’t allow. I’ve ideas for two sequels. One of them is about Amar and Prem married and their life thereafter.
