How do you feel about your beloved comedy returning to theatres?
Very good! Andaz Apna Apna has become the people’s favourite go-to film when they need a good laugh. The entire film is just one crazy joyride. So yes, the re-release makes complete sense. Its reach, appeal, and impact have gone far beyond anything I ever expected. I still remember when producer Vinay Sinha came to me with the idea of doing a film with Aamir Khan. Vinayji used to manage Aamir’s work. He convinced me to do the film through my stomach.
Andaz Apna Apna re-release: Rajkumar Santoshi recalls making the Salman Khan – Aamir Khan starrer; reveals, “Even the cameraman couldn’t stop laughing”
What do you mean?
I remember he brought the most delicious food for me. Over lunch, he suggested we do something different with Aamir. I had just made two back-to-back serious films, Ghayal and Damini. We thought — why not try a comedy? Little did we know that Andaz Apna Apna would turn into such a laugh riot, both during the shoot and after release. That doesn’t always happen. Often, the cast and crew would be rolling with laughter while shooting a comedy, but once the film hits theatres, audiences don’t find it funny. But I remember our brilliant cinematographer laughing so hard during Andaz Apna Apna that he actually fell off the trolley.
How did you get Aamir and Salman to agree to work together?
We had decided on a story about two warring buddies — human avatars of Tom and Jerry. Once Aamir was on board, I brought Salman into the picture. Both were already big stars by then, but they had no issues working together. In fact, they became even better friends during the shoot. The sets were constantly buzzing with laughter. Our cameraman would often quiver with hilarity while filming scenes — the camera would literally shake along with him! We had to pause shooting several times just to let the laughter die down.
I believe a lot of the humour was improvised?
Not at all! I don’t work that way. I direct my actors very closely. All the scenes and dialogues are worked out in advance — there’s very little room for improvisation. Andaz Apna Apna was no exception. Every joke and gag were scripted. People assume Aamir and Salman named their characters Amar and Prem as a nod to Amar Prem, but that’s not true. Their names had nothing to do with Shakti Samanta’s film. Even Aamir’s iconic “Aila!” and Salman’s “Ooi Maa!” were my ideas.
You’re known for directing your actors closely.
Yes, I used to give Aamir and Salman cues from behind the camera. For instance, in the scene where Salman is fed julaab (laxative) and keeps trying to confess his love, I was the one making that gud-gud-gud rumbling sound from behind the camera. Salman didn’t know when or where it would happen — that unpredictability made the scene even funnier.
Andaz Apna Apna had many firsts to its credit.
It was my first comedy. It was the first — and so far, only — time Aamir and Salman came together on screen. Paresh Rawal had only played villains until then. We gave him a comic image. We revived the classic ‘Ajit-Robert’ kind of humour, casting Ajit’s son as a carbon copy of him. Raveena and Karisma Kapoor appeared together and even exchanged screen names — Raveena played Karisma, and Karisma played Raveena.
We had no idea the jokes would land so well. Good comic writing depends on how much humour you can extract from the situation.
Curiously, Andaz Apna Apna got a lukewarm response when it first released in April 1994?
Yes, it was very badly marketed and distributed. Nobody even knew the film was releasing. We got a below-average opening. But over the years, the film has gained cult status. People remember every dialogue from Andaz Apna Apna, just like they do with Mughal-e-Azam and Sholay.
If you had the chance to re-release another one of your films, which would it be?
(Promptly) Lajja. I don’t think it got its due.
More Pages: Andaz Apna Apna Box Office Collection
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