Milan Luthria's next, <i>Hat Trick</i>
By: Joginder Tuteja, IndiaFM
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Taxi is now ready to move to a new destination as Milan Luthria, director of successful Taxi No. 9211 gets ready to begin work on his next film Hat-trick. An unusual title? Yes! But then there is hardly anything usual that works today in Bollywood movie scene. As apparent in Taxi No. 9211, the man is now charged up to break all existing norms and he may just do the same in Hat-Trick as he brings together an assemble cast. Over to the man in this exclusive conversation about his new film that has got the curiosity factor raising within days of its announcement!
Barely
a
few
days
since
Hat-Trick
has
been
announced
and
everyone
wants
to
know
what
the
film
is
all
about!
To
begin
with,
Hat-Trick
is
a
UTV
film.
It
stars
Nana
Patekar,
Nasser
bhai,
Hema
Malini,
Paresh
Rawal,
Kunal
Kapoor
and
Rimmi
Sen.
The
film
will
be
entirely
shot
during
September/October
in
Mumbai,
London
and
USA
while
it
would
be
ready
for
release
in
Feb'2007.
How
did
the
film
materialize?
Well,
I
narrated
the
idea
to
Ronnie
[Ronnie
Screwwala]
and
he
immediately
liked
it.
Basically
Hat-Trick
is
a
fun
film
with
a
great
ensemble
of
artists.
It
is
a
performance
based
film
and
has
a
novel
script.
I
can't
talk
much
about
the
script
though
as
we
are
all
bound
by
contractual
agreement
to
keep
it
under
wraps.
It
indeed
seems
to
be
an
assemble
starcast!
Yes
and
what
is
most
striking
about
the
entire
setup
is
that
each
of
the
actors
would
be
seen
in
a
role
that
they
have
never
enacted
before.
The
entire
approach
towards
acting
and
making
the
film
would
be
changed
for
Hat-trick
with
a
lot
of
humor
in
the
narrative.
This
is
the
film
about
which
I
am
most
charged
about
currently.
Regarding
the
film's
crew,
it
is
more
or
less
the
same
as
you
saw
in
'Taxi
No.
9211' with
the
same
writer,
cameraman
and
action
director,
though
there
would
be
some
additional
crew
for
London
and
USA.
There
would
also
be
two
foreign
actors,
one
male
and
another
female
who
would
play
an
integral
part
in
the
film.
The
film
is
very
'desi',
very
funny
as
my
writer
Rajat
Arora
has
come
up
with
an
interesting
script!
Was
it
easy
to
get
Hema
Malini
on
board
who
is
so
selective
about
her
work
and
is
rarely
seen
in
movies?
Well,
I
thought
of
her
and
first
told
Naseer
bhai
about
my
interest
in
casting
her.
I
believe
she
was
phenomenal
in
Baghban.
Also
she
had
seen
my
Taxi
No.
9211
and
had
liked
it
a
lot.
So
when
she
heard
the
script
of
Hat-trick,
she
said
that
she
had
enjoyed
my
earlier
work
and
was
on
for
Hat-trick.
See,
the
starcast
that
has
been
assembled
is
such
that
reacts
to
the
director's
sensibilities
as
they
have
their
own
sensibilities
when
it
comes
to
films!
Hema
Malini
is
certainly
one
of
them
and
I
strongly
feel
that
she
is
an
ultimate
woman.
The
way
we
will
portray
her
will
be
completely
different
from
what
you
would
have
seen
of
her
before
and
though
it
will
be
a
challenge
for
both
of
us,
it
will
be
worth
it!
You
get
such
actors
to
come
in
your
film
once
or
twice
in
a
lifetime
and
they
deserve
to
get
the
best.
That's
because
in
film
making,
it's
not
just
what
a
director
gets
from
his
actors
but
also
what
an
actor
gets
out
of
his/her
director.
As
a
director
one
should
respect
this
and
work
towards
it!
Any
apprehensions
about
having
such
a
senior
starcast
around?
Well,
they
are
all
temperamental
people
and
after
working
on
different
films,
I
believe
my
forte
now
is
to
handle
temperamental
people
[laughs]!
I
have
worked
with
actors
like
Nana
Patekar
and
Manisha
Koirala,
both
of
who
are
known
for
their
temperamental
nature
and
in
the
end
it
was
a
thoroughly
enjoyable
experience.
Nana
Patekar
must
have
been
easiest
to
get
on
board
after
Taxi
No.
9211,
isn't
it?
Yes,
true!
We
were
in
touch
with
each
other
all
this
while
and
when
I
told
him
about
the
film,
he
was
charged
to
get
on
board.
Even
in
case
of
Naseer
bhai
and
Paresh
Rawal,
it
wasn't
too
difficult
as
I
have
worked
with
them
earlier
as
Mahesh
Bhatt's
assistant.
I
had
spent
a
lot
of
time
with
them
not
just
during
the
film's
shoot
but
elsewhere
too
and
they
understand
my
style
of
film
making.
They
are
well
aware
that
I
just
don't
make
movies
for
the
heck
of
it
but
there
is
something
definite
to
tell.
If
you
ask
me,
Naseer
bhai,
Nana
Patekar
and
Paresh
Rawal
are
the
Robert
Di
Niro,
Al
Pacino
and
Jack
Nicholsan
of
India!
Is
it
a
corresponding
order
with
Naseer
as
Di
Niro,
Nana
as
Pacino
and
Paresh
as
Nicholsan?
[Laughs]
Well,
that's
for
you
to
decide
as
you
may
wish
to
correspond
them
in
any
way
you
like
but
for
me
I
have
got
some
of
the
best
talent
working
with
me!
Who
is
the
composer
of
the
film?
Is
it
going
to
be
Vishal-Shekhar
again?
We
still
haven't
finalized
on
that.
It
should
be
by
end
of
month
when
we
should
be
able
to
zero
down
on
the
composer!
Coming
to
the
younger
starcast
of
the
film,
are
Kunal
and
Rimmi
paired
opposite
each
other?
No,
they
are
not.
In
fact
both
are
paired
opposite
a
different
girl
and
boy
respectively.
I
should
be
able
to
talk
about
them
by
end
of
this
week
when
the
two
are
formally
signed
for
the
film.
With
veteran
actors
on
one
side,
how
did
you
close
on
Kunal
and
Rimmi?
[Says
firmly]
Kunal
is
the
most
promising
actor
of
this
generation
and
I
mean
it
when
I
say
this.
I
said
the
same
for
Saif
Ali
Khan
when
he
was
signed
for
Kachche
Dhaage,
I
had
the
same
thought
about
Rani
for
Chori
Chori
and
recently
I
felt
the
same
about
John
for
Taxi
No.
9211!
Kunal
has
a
long
way
to
go!
One
thing
that
we
have
found
out
is
that
he
is
very
popular
among
women!
He
is
quite
attractive
and
what
impresses
me
most
about
him
is
that
he
is
not
just
an
actor
but
a
DEEP
actor.
He
is
intelligent
as
well.
Moreover
I
have
known
him
for
last
6
years
so
it
has
been
a
long
association!
Regarding Rimmi, she brings a lot of sex appeal with her. If you see her Dhoom, Hungama or Phir Hera Pheri, you will know why! She is unique in the sense that for a young girl, she has a certain sex appeal that is different from numerous other young girls you see today who just look like kids. Having said that, she is not a mere prop in the film as she has a meaty role to play!
You
said
that
the
film
would
be
completed
in
September/October.
So
has
the
idea
of
making
a
film
in
40-60
days
caught
on
you
after
Taxi
No.
9211?
Oh
absolutely!
The
film
will
be
shot
in
45
days
flat
and
I
believe
that's
the
best
way
to
shoot
a
film.
It
also
makes
economical
sense
and
moreover
everyone
from
the
cast
and
crew
maintains
a
high
energy
throughout.
I
enjoyed
this
style
of
working
in
Taxi
No.
9211
and
I
am
sure
I
would
enjoy
it
all
over
again
in
Hat-trick
too!
Last
but
not
the
least,
you
had
mentioned
during
Taxi
No.
9211
that
you
want
to
make
a
film
that
spans
only
around
2
hours.
Does
the
same
hold
true
even
for
Hat-trick?
Absolutely
yes!
I
can't
even
stand
my
own
film
if
it
goes
on
an
on
[laughs].
I
don't
want
any
bhaashanbaazi,
anything
unnecessary
that
hampers
the
pace
of
the
narrative.
In
Hat-trick,
you
would
see
a
fast
moving
story,
lots
of
tension,
lots
of
humor
and
lots
of
fun,
all
in
the
span
of
around
2
hours!