Abbas-Mustan: For the thrill of it

Interview

Truth is indeed stranger than fiction. The uncanny meeting of minds between Abbas-Mustan is more amazing than so many similar characters we encounter in books and films.

There’s virtually no point in separating them into two individuals. From the time they entered the big league with hits like Khiladi (1992) and Baazigar (1993), associates have always declared that the director duo has always thought and spoken as one.

Lending an underplayed third angle to this bond is the third brother, Hussain Burmawala, who edits their films. The trio stays as a joint family, wear white shirts, trousers and shoes, and can — for the uninitiated — be confused easily with one another, though the eldest brother Abbas is decidedly shorter.

What is crystal-clear is that the duo is as sharp and eager-to-evolve professionally as they are humble. Their simplicity is a stark contrast to their stylised films with a lot of gray, complex characters, laden with arrogance and attitude in films like Soldier, Ajnabee, Chori Chori Chupke Chupke (their only film not connected with crime, but a thriller nevertheless), Humraaz, Aitraaz, Taarzan — The Wonder Car, 36 China Town and Race.

As A-M have specially taken precious time out for us, we quickly set off with why they felt like making their first-ever sequel. “To be candid, most of our movies can be made into sequels,” says the duo adding, “This was a call taken by producers Kumarji and Rameshji Taurani as per business and market trends. Sequels have the added advantage of a franchise, but must meet expectations.”

Race 2 is one of the rare ‘true’ sequels where the story starts “ten seconds after Race ended!”, as one of its stars have said on record. However, a revenge format in Indian sequels is rare, right? The brothers nod. “True, but even the revenge here is unusual, because the negative characters in the first part are all dead. You will have to watch the film for that. The film is basically about Saif Ali Khan and a new character, John Abraham.”

Speaking about their fasication for gray characters, the brothers say, “All six characters here are gray, but you will not hate anyone at the end. They each have their own motivations, but are not villains.”

Abbas-Mustan’s rapport with the stars lies in the sheer quality of work they give them. “John, Deepika Padukone and Jacqueline Fernandez are the three new artistes for us. But we have given them the scope that they do not get elsewhere,” they point out.

A query on their dressing style (relevent to their films) elicits an interesting answer. “We loved the way Raaj Kumar and Jeetendra dressed. We like things bright, not dark, and you will see that our films have minimum night sequences and never have dark cinematography. And what can be brighter than white?” asks Mustan, as Abbas smiles in agreement.

For the duo, the thrills of twists and turns are mandatory, and their audiences have learnt to expect the unexpected. “Even in a romantic film like Chori Chori Chupke Chupke, we had twists in the tale,” they say. “One reason why our film Players did not do well was because the audiences all knew what twists to expect from an official remake of The Italian Job, as we could not change most of the story.

Our judgement in selecting the story went wrong. But with our own films, it is important that people watch them again and again even after they know the denouement and all the twists, just like we love to watch the suspense classics of Vijay Anand. We only have two inspirations, the other being Manmohan Desai for his larger-than-life entertainment quotient.”

This is why, they declare, their choice of subjects not only depends on the ‘thrill’ quotient (as their forte), but also on entertainment and the financial returns for the producer. “Sometimes, there are good stories that we cannot tell because we will not get back the investment that is put in,” they say, adding, “We have recently turned producers and know how the business aspect is also important.”

What the duo keeps improvising, however, is the “with-it” quotient in their cinema. “We have to be updated with the newest generation, and be in sync with the latest technology. If we made any of our older films today, we would make it differently. Today’s net-savvy generation knows everything, like which shot has been executed with VFX and which is real. Our films must be enjoyable for them.”

They go on, “As directors, we make it a point to be involved in all aspects of a film, but leave the actual execution to the experts in those fields.” Adds Mustan, “Abbas-bhai’s son Mustafa has learnt filmmaking in America and is assisting us now. He keeps us in sync with the times.”

Finally, a word about their brother Hussain: “Hussain, independently, has edited 100 Hindi and regional films including Dil, Beta and Ishq. He is now on the sets with us. He ensures that we don’t waste our time, effort and money, and guides us to minimise unnecessary cameras or shots.”