Meet the Rowdies

Of late, Akshay Kumar, Sonakshi Sinha and Prabhu Deva have been on a promotional overdrive for their upcoming blockbuster 'Rowdy Rathore'. Akshay, since the last few weeks, has been seen in his film's avatar, wearing garish clothes and sporting a handlebar moustache. His co-star Sonakshi, on the other hand, has been revelling in her desi girl role. Between the two of them, they bring the house down (literally and figuratively) while director Prabhu Deva is perhaps the only sober voice admidst the mad frenzy that accompanies the stars wherever they go.  

'Rowdy Rathore' is an important film for all those involved in it. Akshay has to prove that he is back to his winning ways after a string of flops. His last release 'Housefull 2' provided a good start to the year, and he will be keen to maintain the momentum. Sonakshi too is out to show T'town that 'Dabangg' wasn't a flash in the pan. And Prabhu Deva wants to establish his credentials as a director to reckon with in Bollywood after the super-successful 'Wanted'. 

Masala.com met up with the three stars recently and they told us about all the fun they had while making this fun caper.


Everything about 'Rowdy Rathore' seems colourful; the red, green and purple pants, to say the least. Whose idea was it to come up with such bizarre outfits?
Akshay: It was definitely Prabhu Sir’s idea. Sanjay Leela Bhansali is the producer of the film. So you would think the whole movie would have been black(laughs)! But apparently it’s not. So let’s get it out from the horse’s mouth!
Prabhu Deva: I wanted his character to stand out from the rest of the movies. With the bright colours the idea was that Akshay would be instantly associated with ‘Rowdy Rathore.’ So his style of dressing goes with his personality in the movie.

How did you select this project? Were you nervous?
Sonakshi: I think I have been extremely lucky with films. When I entered the industry everything just fell into place. I didn’t even know I was going to act with Salman in ‘Dabangg.’ I had been studying fashion at that point. After that, I just began signing good scripts that came along my way. The fact is ‘Joker’ and not ‘Rowdy Rathore’ was meant to be my second film. But that changed when we wrapped up the shooting of ‘Rowdy Rathore’ much before the deadline. So I wasn’t very nervous but on the contrary excited that Akshay was going to get back to action films after a gap of seven years.

How did come up with the catchphrase ‘Don’t angry me’ for the movie?
Akshay: While shooting in Mysore we met this particular guy who kept saying ‘Don’t angry me’ with a certain panache. Prabhu Sir was fascinated and he really wanted to use it for the movie. Also, I’m glad we have used it because after a very long time we are returning to movies with these strong punch lines that became popular in the 70s.

Did you have to do any homework for this role?
Akshay: I didn’t have to particularly prepare for the role. I believe all of us have the wild, rowdy side that we try to suppress in a civilised society. I am sure when we are at home, we unleash our wild side with family and friends whom we are comfortable with.

Who do you think is the rowdiest of the three of you?
Akshay: Sonakshi Sinha! I don’t know of any heroine who would be willing to get on and off from the auto-rickshaw in a sari without anyone’s assistance.

Ever since ‘Wanted’ it seems that your focus has been only on action and romance. Do you think these are the two most important aspects of any movie?
Prabhu Deva: I think everybody loves watching action and romance. And that’s why the industry continues to churn out these movies.

Did you have to train very hard for the stunts in the movie since you are returning to action films after seven years?
Akshay: Not particularly. It’s true that I haven’t done a lot of action in front of the camera for a long time. Still off the camera, I have been practising martial arts almost every day. But I want to mention that we have a fight director for this film and it took me a while to get used to his style.

Is your role any different from the one you played in ‘Dabangg?’
Sonakshi: Definitely. I played a very strong and silent woman in ‘Dabangg.’ In ‘Rowdy Rathore’ my character hails from Punjab, is more glamorous and outspoken.

You have been a choreographer for several years. When you directed the film, were you tempted to choreograph any of the songs?
Prabhu Deva: There was no question of choreographing. Sarojji, Bosco and Vishnu were handling that aspect. My focus was only in developing the characters and bringing out their personalities in front of the camera.

You have been working with a lot of talent from the South Indian Film Industry. Is there a specific reason why you choose to work with them?
Akshay: I firmly believe that everyone should get to work with South Indian directors and technicians.  South Indians have a unique style of working, they are very professional and they like to train you on various aspects of filmmaking. The routine is rigorous and makes you feel like you’re back in school. This movie was wrapped up in just 55-60 days of shooting. Isn’t it hard to believe?

Indian cinema right now is addressing a very basic sensibility. There are a lot of films with local content. You have been a part of it with ‘Dabangg’ and now ‘Rowdy Rathore.’ What are your views on the same?
Sonakshi: I think I have entered the industry at the best time. I love to portray roles that are so earthy. Indian films were lacking this for a while. We were, in a sense, losing our ground trying to ape the west. But everything comes full circle. So I am glad we are doing this.

Prabhu Deva’s style of making films is different from Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s. So how did this collaboration happen?
Prabhu Deva: I think people will be surprised to know that Sanjay Leela Bhansali was very excited about the concept of ‘Rowdy Rathore.’ In fact, he was the one who wanted more of everything -  fights, songs, romance and colour!

Is your moustache real?
Akshay: Absolutely not! You can pull it out (ouch!). It’s just a look for the movie.