Six years after helming Ra.One (2011), director Anubhav Sinha makes a comeback with Tum Bin 2, a sequel to his 2001 hit. The sequel stars Neha Sharma, Aditya Seal and Aashim Gulati. The director talks about romance and the box office amongst other things.
Has romance evolved into what is shown in the Befikre trailer... or do you think the romance depicted in Tum Bin still holds true?
Romance is not changing. I have seen couples who can’t get their hands off each other and those who barely touch each other. Befikre is a classy, sexual film from YRF made by one of the most celebrated directors of all times (Aditya Chopra) with one of the most promising stars (Ranveer Singh). Tum Bin 2 belongs to the latter category. (Couples who barely touch each other).
What are the similarities between Tum Bin and Tum Bin 2?
You walk out of the theatre and you realise you have seen Tum Bin again... but it is still a new film. Despite the fact that the two leading characters are named Amar and Shekar, the girl is new. They give you another Tum Bin experience with another story. I am convinced that I have achieved (what I set off to do).
Why was there a need for Tum Bin 2?
When Tum Bin released in 2001, there were about 800 theatres and we got 100 because Lagaan and Gadar: Ek Prem Katha Aks Yaadein and Dil Chahta Hai had all released at the same time. In one week, we enjoyed the success and moved on. It was played on TV and most people saw it then. Later, many youngsters saw the film beacuse of the songs. I went on social media and started receiving such messages... that’s when Bhushan Kumar (producer) and I started talking about a sequel. If you notice, sequels have been made only for bigger films and not for small films. This film had to grow for years and become big so that it would demand another installment.
Why did you choose to shoot Tum Bin 2 in Scotland?
Scotland is very beautiful and we could afford it. Stand anywhere in Scotland and you will fall in love with any woman you see.
How have you grown as a director since the original?
A lot. When I was making Tum Bin, I was interested in making the film look good; while this time too I was not careless but the first priority was the story. During these 15 years, I have had a child and I dealt with life; I lost my mother a few years back and I dealt with death. I have dealt with life and death more closely in Tum Bin 2.
How much do box office numbers and the 100-crore landmark matter to you?
If Tum Bin does `100 crore, it’s massive but if a bigger film does `100 crore, it’s not considered so. How can you measure two different achievements with the same yardstick? I have made `100 crore, I don’t feel anything. I did `163 crores for Ra. One and it got mixed responses. So, `100 crore doesn’t matter but how much I made the movie for and how well it ran at the box office does.