It is one of the most-awaited sequels of the year. Rightly so, Jean Paul Lal’s Honey Bee 2 Celebrations has already upped the ante with its snazzy first look and viral tracks.
As the movie hits the theatres on March 23, actor-director Lal, who has bankrolled the project, says he is pretty sure that his son, director Jean Paul Lal, has done a commendable work. In a conversation with Express, Lal talks about the Honey Bee series and the way Jean Paul has managed to strike a chord with the audience.
There is lot of anticipation about Honey Bee 2 Celebrations. What do you think about Jean Paul’s work?
I am proud of him. I think he is a good film maker. I don’t say this because he is my son. When he showed me the final rushes of Honey Bee (2013), I knew he had done a neat job and I know I wouldn’t have been able to make it that well. He has a penchant for movies and the dedication to back it up. Maybe, the lessons from the New York Film Academy helped. When I was making movies, we relied on our instinct and experience, but Jean has got formal training and knows the theories of direction. But, having said that, I think it is the audience who has to rate him and his movies.
How different is the sequel Honey Bee 2
Celebrations from the first part?
It has the same flavour and treatment. However, while the first part was all about friendships, this is more like a family drama. To be precise, Honey Bee 2 Celebrations narrates the incidents between Seban and Angel jumping into the sea and getting married, the climax shot of the first part. There is a good amount of fun and emotions in the movie and it is definitely going to be a good entertainer.
You have created history by creating a movie,
Honey Bee 2.5, along with Honey Bee 2 Celebrations. Making a new movie within a movie location is unprecedented in the Indian movie industry. How did it happen?
This was one idea I had in my mind for long. Actually, I wanted to make a movie on an aspiring actor who manages to get into a film location. But, for that movie to happen, I need a new face as hero and prominent stars in side roles, which is kind of impossible. But, during the shoot of Honey Bee 2
Celebrations, I shared the idea with actor Sreenivasan. He was thrilled and urged me to go ahead with it. All the cast and crew of Honey Bee 2 Celebrations were enthusiastic. So, we cast Ashkar Ali as an aspiring actor. The entire cast and crew of Honey Bee 2 Celebrations appear as themselves in Honey Bee 2.5. It was a thrilling experience, shooting two movies together.
Is Honey Bee 2.5 a zero-budget movie and when will it hit the theatres?
It is not exactly zero-budget. We did spend funds for the making, though we haven’t paid the actors yet. Once the movie hits the theatres and makes money,I will pay them, because I respect the work they did for this venture.
The post-production work of Honey Bee 2.5 is going on and we plan to bring it to the screens after seeing the response of Honey Bee 2 Celebrations. In any case, it will happen within three months.