‘I don’t want to destroy Salman’s image’ -Siddique

‘I don’t want to destroy Salman’s image’ ...Siddique  said in an interview with Kunal Guha, Yahoo India Movies

‘Bodyguard’ director, Siddique talks about the challenges and joys of remaking his Malayalam film with Salman Khan 

 

What about the original story of ‘Bodyguard’ appealed to you?

 I had made this movie in Malayalam two years back. I had many offers from Bollywood at the time but I didn’t find the subjects interesting. Once I finished the script, I called up Nirupama Menon (she’s Alvira Khan’s friend) and asked if Salman would agree to do it. I subtitled the film for Salman to see it. Once he watched it, he walked out of the screening and called me. He said, ‘I liked the movie and you are the director.’

What about the original story of ‘Bodyguard’ appealed to you?  

It’s a love story. In the original Malayalam version, the boy wants to become a bodyguard so that he could work for a powerful man. Dilip was the actor who played the lead role there and he is a very well known comic actor, down south.  So the character was not suitable for Salman and I had to make some changes. Here, Salman is a bodyguard by profession and his character is that of a very innocent and trustworthy person, who is also powerful and courageous. It suits Salman very well as he’s very open in person as well and it suits his personality. Salman is a macho hero and Dilip is a boy-next door.

How does one remake a movie without losing the true flavour of the original?
I retained the content of the original and wrote a separate screenplay to suit the requirements. Emotions are the same in both the films and I can change the screenplay since the original is mine too. So I have the liberty to make any changes that I want to. I don’t want to spoil the basic story. In the Hindi version, the villain comes in the picture from a different branch and that is the interesting part. And if you watch the Malayalam version after the Hindi one, you will also notice how the characterisation is very different.

 

What are the challenges in remaking a film?
It is a huge challenge: Firstly, the Hindi and Malayalam versions of the film have been superhits so I am under a lot of pressure to continue the success here as well. Secondly, Salman has just had huge hits like ‘Dabangg’ and ‘Ready’ so the audience is waiting for a big hit and we have worked very hard to attempt that.

Salman Khan’s star appeal is argued to overshadow his films. So how do you ensure that Salman is optimally used and the central idea of the film isn’t ignored?
Not at all, Salman’s stardom is huge and I don’t want to destroy his image. But I was very careful that it doesn’t compromise on the character. So, the Salman you see in this film will be completely different from the one you saw in ‘Wanted’ and ‘Dabangg’. His dialogue style and his over all personality has been transformed, and he plays a hunble, innocent and powerful person.


What did you learn from your experience in ‘Bodyguard’?
Before I started working on the Hindi ‘Bodyguard’, I saw lots of Hindi movies. Here everything is simple and there is no limit to our dreams and we can do anything. So there is a lot of freedom to shape the story in the best manner possible.
 

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