Ahmed Khan speaks on 'Lakeer' 
By IndiaFM News Bureau, January 30, 2004 - 06:21 IST
Ahmed Khan (director)
You have given so many dance numbers to the industry. So with your first film everyone had expectations that it would be a musical dance kind of film. But Lakeer doesn't appear to be such a film.
I also don't feel it's a musical. We haven't attempted a musical actually. Since I am a dance director, it appears that I will make one musical film. But then it's not like it's only an action film either. It's a commercial film having emotions, action, romance and good music.
According to Sunny Deol, Arjun was the genesis of this film. So was Arjun the seed of this tree?
When I saw Arjun I was too small. I just remember the character singing “kero mama” since I liked that song. And when I made this film, for the main protagonist I thought of Sunny. While narration, his name itself turned out to be Arjun. So I thought after 10-12 years Arjun Malwankar would have been like this. But the story is not in any way linked to Arjun. I have just taken a character from there and fitted it over here. Because in the mean time, Sunny hasn't done any film where he has performed such a role. I have just shown a progression as to how the Arjun living in a small basti has graduated to a big man. Script and story has no links though.
The cast of the film ranges from experienced ones like Sunny, Suneil to news ones like John, Sohail and Nauheed. Any special reason for such a mixed casting?
From Sunny and Suneil, we get the action look and a heavy base for the film. And then for younger brothers I needed characters in the last year of college. So John and Sohail kind of fitted the bill. Sohail plays Sunny's brother while John plays Suneil's brother. And there is an age difference between these brothers. The elder brother caters the upper audience while the younger brother caters the youth. So definitely it was a very sensible decision.
As a director, what treatment have you given to Lakeer? Is it a fast-paced action thriller or an intense drama?
Honestly speaking I have seen the film so many a time that I now feel my movie is slow. It takes around 5 to 6 good scenes to make the film nice and I have them. Definitely the pace of the film starts and stops and starts but the second half goes really fast.
What kind of role is the music playing in the film?
Actually speaking, the film didn't have scope for music. But then songs have their own status. If I would have taken any other music director, though they all are good, they couldn't have created a place for these songs. A.R.Rahman was the only one who could create a place for the songs. And the music, which I have got in Lakeer, is such that automatically the class of music is elated. So much so that everybody is eager to see how Ahmed is going to do the songs. I haven't choreographed any song in my film. All my assistants who have turned independent choreographers today have done one song each. And since all have been my students they reflect a touch of my style. So now music has now become the highlight of my film.
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