By:
Upala
KBR,
Mid-Day
Friday,
September
01,
2006
Sajid
Nadiadwala's
musical
extravaganza,
Jaan-E-Mann,
directed
by
Shirish
Kunder,
is
complete
and
ready
for
release
on
Diwali.
The
film
stars
Salman
Khan,
Akshay
Kumar
and
Preity
Zinta.
Here
Shirish
talks
about
his
dream
debut.
His
words
are
like
his
editing
-
crisp,
economical
and
yet
revealing.
Read
on
for
an
exclusive
interview
with
the
young
director.
How
did
Jaan-E-Mann
happen?
I've
this
habit
of
dreaming
all
the
time.
I
keep
thinking
of
visuals,
stories,
ideas.
And
whenever
something
excites
me,
I
share
it
with
Farah
(Khan)
and
then
completely
forget
about
it.
One
such
idea
was
Jaan-E-Mann.
For
some
strange
reason,
at
a
party
Farah
happened
to
share
the
idea
with
Sajid
Nadiadwala.
He
liked
it,
and
the
rest
is
Jaan-E-Mann.
How
was
Sajid
Nadiadwala
as
a
producer?
Sajid
was
quite
involved.
At
no
point
did
I
feel
that
Sajid
the
producer
was
overshadowing
Shirish
the
director.
Personal
things
don't
matter
when
it
comes
to
business.
And
every
individual's
work
speaks
for
himself.
The
producer
has
his
own
place.
And
the
director
has
his
own.
Once
the
script
was
finalised
how
did
you
go
about
the
casting?
While
writing
the
film,
I
had
visualised
it
with
Salman,
Akshay
and
Preity
in
mind.
Salman,
because
no
one
else
has
the
kind
of
attitude
that's
required
to
play
this
particular
character.
Salman
is
a
one
piece.
He
plays
Suhaan
-
an
actor
from
India.
Akshay's
role
is
a
very
difficult
role
to
play.
It
required
a
brilliant
actor.
Akshay
plays
Agastya
-
an
astronaut
working
for
NASA.
What
he
has
done
to
the
role
is
unimaginable.
Preity
was
chosen
because
she
looked
the
part.
She
plays
Piya
-
an
interior
decorator
based
in
New
York.
The
USP
of
Jaan-E-Mann.
The
USP
of
Jaan-E-Mann
is
its
innovative
story
telling
technique
and
the
visual
treatment.
What
was
Farah's
contribution
to
Jaan-E-Mann?
Farah's
contribution
has
been
that
of
a
choreographer
and
an
understanding
wife.
During
the
Akshay-Salman
fight
rumours
were
you
worried
about
the
fate
of
your
film?
I
have
no
idea
about
their
personal
equation
with
each
other.
I
only
meet
them
on
the
sets.
There
they
seem
to
be
the
best
of
buddies
and
that's
the
amazing
chemistry
we
see
on
screen.
How
did
you
cope
in
those
trying
times?
My
wife
and
my
only
friend
-
Farah
was
by
my
side.
How
has
been
your
working
relationship
with
Akshay
and
Salman?
I
feel
Salman
has
given
his
best
performance
till
date.
His
growth
as
an
actor
will
be
clearly
seen
in
Jaan-E-Mann.
His
performance
is
a
shocker.
He
has
attempted
things
he
has
never
done
before.
Akshay's
role
was
a
very
difficult
role
to
play
but
the
way
he
has
done
it
is
unbelievable.
It's
a
revelation
of
what
he
is
actually
capable
of.
He
is
a
gold
mine
waiting
to
be
tapped.
As
for
Preity,
my
contribution
is
limited
to
making
her
look
prettier
than
ever
before.
There
were
some
rumours
that
Salman
had
problems
with
you
and
your
direction.
Was
there?
I
am
not
aware
of
it
though.
Salman
has
not
told
me
any
such
thing.
I
will
worry
only
if
he
tells
me
so.
What
made
you
take
Anupam
Kher
for
the
role
of
a
dwarf?
The
role
required
a
brilliant
actor
-
someone
who
can
look
the
character
and
was
physically
fit
to
undergo
the
pain
required.
Anupam
fitted
the
bill.
How
different
is
directing
from
editing?
Editing
depends
on
your
own
creative
abilities.
Directing
is
dependent
on
creative
abilities
as
well
as
the
whims
and
fancies
of
many
other
people.
So
in
that
sense
editing
is
more
satisfying.
I
think
my
journey
as
a
director
would
be
much
more
smoother
once
I
achieve
some
success
with
this
film.
Until
you
have
proved
yourself,
there
is
always
that
element
of
doubt
about
your
capabilities.
Have
you
started
working
on
your
next
project?
Yes,
I've
already
begun
work
on
my
next
big
one
and
just
finalised
the
story.
I'm
attempting
a
completely
different
genre
this
time.
If
Jaan-E-Mann
was
big,
this
is
gigantic.
I'm
a
megalomaniac
-
I
HAVE
to
do
things
big.
Currently
I
am
in
the
process
of
finalising
the
details.