Sajid Khan on Hey Baby

By: Reshma Kelkar, IndiaFM
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Known for his funny one liners and superb comic timing, popular anchor and standup comedian-turned-director Sajid Khan is very popular on Television and in the film circuit. Sajid made his debut as an actor through Hrishikesh Mukherjee's Jhoot Bole Kauva Kaate. His film knowledge was quite apparent in all his shows and its amalgamation with comedy made him create a whole new identity. It is when he grew up with age, knowledge and experience that he decided to take up filmmaking.

Though he made his debut as director with Ram Gopal Verma's film Darna Zaroori Hai, Sajid Nadiadwala's Hey Baby will be his first full fledged feature film. Speaking about his decision to get behind the camera, he says, "I started my career in showbiz but I always wanted to direct and invariably most of the time my TV shows were directed by me. I don't have the burning ambition to make a film though or it's not that I am dying to direct. Rather it is just that I thought it's a high time since I turned 35."

Hey Baby is one of the biggest projects of the year. Produced by Sajid Nadiadwala this film has been scripted by Sajid Khan himself. "I had written the script about two years ago. Basically, lots of incidents from my own real life have been added in the script because I have led quite a mischievous life and I had lots of women in my life. Most of them were nice", explains Sajid in his everlasting sarcastic mode.

Ask him to continue and Sajid goes non-stop, "I have lots of male friends, who are fathers now. They don't seem to be worried about their boy child but they are so protective about their daughters. I have friends, who were the world's biggest playboys but after they got a baby girl in their life, they changed overnight. Their outlook towards women changed completely. That's the point which I wanted to put across through my film."

Talking about his film he says, "Basically I wanted to write a comedy but with a little slice of life factor. But I surely wanted a sensible comedy. I don't want to go for a completely hogwash kind of a gag minute comedy." When asked about the resemblance of Hey baby with Three Men and a Baby he clarifies "Lot of people are under this misconception that it's Three Men and a Baby but it's not because I am Sajid Khan and I am not that stupid. It's not at all inspired by Three Men and a Baby. It's as much three men and a baby as Munnabhai MBBS was Patch Adams."

Sajid Nadiadwala is known for making lavish films. So, how grand is Hey Baby going to be? "I keep writing scripts. Fortunately, this film is being produced by Sajid Nadiadwala, who likes to spend more money than required on his project. When I thought of this film it was always a small film but the moment he stepped in as a producer, it became a forty crore rupees film. But behind the forty crores, which we spend on huge sets, big heroines, dance and music etc. it is a movie with a heart. It will make you smile but at the same time it will make you understand what men and women are about. I personally feel that this movie is dedicated to all fathers. It's basically a family film."

He further says, "It's a light hearted emotional comedy. It addresses lot of issues which are not spoken. Again if I have to give you a film reference then Munnabhai MBBS makes you laugh but it's not a comedy. Kal Ho Na Ho makes you laugh but it's not a comedy. Same is the case with Hey Baby that will make you laugh a lot but it is not an out-and-out comedy film."

Also doesn't Hey Baby has a lot of special effects involved? "We tied up with a professional designer from Australia who is doing the special effects. The visual effects in the movie are like Forest Gump. When I say Forest Gump it's not because the film is like Forest Gump. In Forest Gump none of the visual effects were seen like a car blowing up which has people flying in and out. That's how the visual effects in this movie are going to be. You will never know when a visual effect happened", says Sajid who is never short of film references.

Sajid is also very much confident about the music of the film. "I can promise that Hey Baby's album will be amongst top five albums for next five years. Shankar Ehsaan Loy have done a great job. I would like to go on record and say that we are re-introducing Shankar Ehsaan Loy with this film. I am not talking from the success ratio but I promise you that once you hear the songs you'll instantly go and buy the CD. It's like reintroducing them. We all sat together every time to compose. In fact we all were partners Shankar, Ehsaan, Loy and Sajid including Sameer. I have tremendous respect for Sameer. I always had one wish in life if I ever work with a lyricist then it would be only Sameer. I am confident about the music of my film because I understand music. I have a producer who understands music. All his films had hit music. He is the topmost producer when it comes to spending money. He is one producer who I feel every producer should be like. He is somebody like Jerry Bruckheimer. He just not signs the cheques but he lets the director make what the director wants to make."

He further talks about his friendship and director-producer relationship with producer Sajid Nadiadwala. "Both of us are very good friends. We understand each other. It's like his money is my money and my time is his time. Our relationship is above any film. I would say that he has not just nurtured me but he has protected me, guided me more than any other producer. Not because I am a new director but because I am like a younger brother to him. I'll do anything he asks me to do", concludes Sajid and this time he sounds serious.

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