One
can
sense
a
certain
passion
in
Ashutosh
Gowariker
when
you
converse
with
him
on
films,
whether
the
ones
directed
by
him
or
in
general.
Though
he
has
made
films
like
What's
Your
Raashee?,
Baazi
or
Pehla
Nasha
as
well,
he
would
forever
be
known
as
the
man
who
made
Lagaan,
Jodhaa
Akbar
and
Swades.
No
wonder,
when
he
gets
ready
with
Khelein
Hum
Jee
Jaan
Sey,
an
instant
connect
comes
in
since
you
immediately
relate
to
him
as
a
director
who
is
known
for
making
period
dramas.
On
the
eve
of
the
film's
release,
we
catch
up
with
Ashutosh
Gowariker,
shares
expectations
from
the
film
and
how
there
is
a
distinct
flavour
that
gets
attached
to
every
cinematic
outing
that
the
film
maker
has.
Here
is
presenting
Part
II
of
the
conversation.
(Click
to
read
part
1
of
the
interview)
There
is
a
definite
expectation
of
a
rock
solid
story
in
the
offering
even
though
the
exterior
of
the
film
is
pretty
opulent,
just
as
was
the
case
in
Jodhaa
Akbar
or
Lagaan.
Can
people
step
in
the
theatres
with
such
high
expectations?
Yes,
absolutely.
The
driving
force
of
any
film
is
its
theme
and
then
comes
the
story.
The
film
is
about
the
bravado
of
64
people
who
came
together
under
the
leadership
of
Surjya
Sen
in
order
to
achieve
three
huge
tasks.
These
were
not
folks
who
were
mercenaries.
While
Surjya
was
a
teacher,
50
odd
teenagers
were
his
students
while
rest
of
the
comrades
had
a
very
natural
background.
In
fact
these
two
girls
in
the
story
were
on
the
verge
of
getting
married
as
they
were
in
an
age
when
suitable
boys
were
to
be
found
for
them.
Please
continue...
I
have
tried
to
explore
what
went
through
their
minds
when
they
picked
up
rifles.
What
triggered
this
patriotism
in
them?
What
made
them
feel
that
they
must
do
something
for
their
nation
and
sacrifice
worldly
desires?
Thankfully,
I
could
get
it
all
woven
together
well
since
all
of
it
is
beautifully
accounted
in
my
reference
book
'Do
and
Die'.
When
you
referred
to
a
book
for
getting
the
screenplay
in
place,
how
did
you
create
space
for
music
in
the
film?
I
think
that's
the
most
joyous
part
of
making
a
film
where
you
can
integrate
different
things
to
give
it
a
final
shape.
In
Khelein...
,
Bengali
ethos
had
to
be
captured
via
sound
and
mood.
Due
to
this
very
reason,
other
than
just
the
songs,
there
are
7
background
themes
as
well
which
have
been
presented
in
the
soundtrack.
I
did
that
intentionally
so
that
audience
get
used
to
the
overall
flavour
of
the
film.
This
is
a
sound
that
a
lot
of
our
current
generation
hasn't
even
heard.
In
fact
one
could
sense
some
deja
vu
with
Rahman
inspiration
in
Sohail
Sen's
compositions.
There
was
no
conscious
effort
to
do
that
actually.
You
may
feel
that
because
this
film
is
about
British
Raj
and
since
I
have
done
that
once
with
Lagaan,
it
gives
you
a
comfort
zone
to
think
like
that.
If
you
hear
closely,
the
soundtrack
of
Khelein...
is
much
more
realistic
than
fiction
and
adventure
of
Lagaan.
There,
the
world
was
much
more
make-believe
whereas
in
Khelein...
,
the
entire
grandeur
is
far
different.
For
example?
In
Lagaan,
songs
like
'Mitwa',
'Ghanan
Ghanan',
'O
Re
Chori'
were
far
more
rural
whereas
in
Khelein...
,
the
songs
have
a
small
town
appeal
to
them.
In
fact
you
won't
even
hear
a
quintessential
romantic
number
here
since
there
is
an
unspoken
unsaid
romance
between
the
characters
played
by
Abhishek
and
Deepika.
Those
were
not
the
times
for
romance
since
they
had
to
sacrifice
each
other's
love
for
the
country.
But
yes,
if
you
do
believe
that
there
is
a
Rahman
inspiration
then
it's
a
compliment
for
Sohail
as
well
as
me.
Talking
about
compliments,
do
you
foresee
many
of
those
coming
the
way
of
your
lead
actor
Abhishek?
After
all
when
you
entrusted
him
for
the
much
important
part,
many
were
surprised
since
you
have
worked
with
far
more
established
superstars
like
Aamir
Khan,
Shahrukh
Khan
and
Hrithik
Roshan
in
the
past?
Abhishek
was
my
first
choice
from
the
word
'go',
right
from
the
time
I
read
the
book.
I
had
always
to
work
with
Abhi
but
never
had
a
script
to
do
so.
For
me,
it's
the
script
that
does
the
casting
and
it
tells
me
which
face
to
cast.
One
of
the
aspects
that
worked
in
his
favour
was
his
Bengali
roots
but
again
that's
something
which
came
in
later.
What
was
important
was
his
look
since
I
had
always
wanted
to
see
him
in
a
character
which
is
pure
in
intent
and
can
sacrifice
his
life
for
the
love
of
the
country.
I
could
see
that
compassion
and
niceness
in
his
eyes.
You
seem
glad
about
your
choice...
I
entrusted
him
to
do
justice
to
the
role
and
today,
I
am
glad
that
he
stepped
into
the
film.
Now
I
am
looking
forward
to
how
audience
accept
him
wholeheartedly
in
this
character.
The
way
Abhishek
has
played
Surjya
is
very
poignant.
The
film
brings
to
fore
an
untold
aspect
of
how
such
a
big
revolution
went
unnoticed,
un-saluted
by
us.
It's
time
for
us
to
make
amends
today.
An
Ashutosh
Gowariker
film
is
expected
to
be
an
event.
Can
we
expect
the
same
in
case
of
Khelein
Hum
Jee
Jaan
Sey
as
well?
(Smiles)
Actually,
I
never
look
at
any
of
my
movies
that
way.
It
is
important
to
see
that
the
story
has
been
chosen.
Once
I
have
done
that,
I
try
to
achieve
the
best
results
as
per
my
ability.
I
have
to
live
up
to
the
promise
of
bringing
that
story
alive
on
screen
and
then
leave
it
to
stand
on
its
own
feet.
You
can
never
pre-decide
that
whether
your
film
would
be
turn
out
to
be
crossover
cinema
or
whether
it
would
be
a
pan-India
success
or
would
turn
out
to
be
an
overseas
friendly
affair.
You
can't
plan
such
things
in
advance;
you
can
just
prepare
your
audience
to
know
what's
in
the
offering.
Read
Part
1
of
the
interview....Click
Here
Story first published: Tuesday, December 7, 2010, 11:31 [IST]