No creative differences with director means he's a dead actor: Kabir Khan

Kabir Khan talks about the song Bhar Do Jholi –A qawali from the much talked about film Bajrangi…..which saw the launch recently in Mumbai and more-

Adnan Sami: I have been following Adnan's song over the years. We were sitting in Kashmir and towards the end of the shoot we decided to get a voice to this track. We felt he would be the best voice and also performer for us.

About the qawali song Bhar Do ….”'Bhar Do Jholi' is the favourite track of both me and Salman. It's our rendition of a Qawwali made famous by Sadhu Brothers. When we were looking for a song for this situation we wanted something that had an air of authenticity and generally moved people and Adnan Sami to voice it. It's a extremely moving Qawali and that was the purpose of the film.

On response: There has been phenomenal response. It's based on a very old traditional Qawali and when Pritam composed it and he added his own.

On presenting a different Salman: I loved working with Salman. It may sound pompous I hope this film will be appreciated by audiences. It's a different role for Salman. It’s a warm story of moving human relationship told in a very entertaining and engaging manner. Presenting Salman Khan in a very different format was not a conscious decision. It was a conscious decision to follow- what is true to follow and it had to be different from what he is following for the last 7 to 8 years. We both wanted him to be different in a certain way. It's ultimately the film will talk for us. We all say it will be different before release.

Shooting in the Dargah for the first time: This is the first time we have ever shot in this Dargah. I knew this was the right location for significant portion for the film. Adnan performs for the first time on screen. The track is moving and the film comes to an important point. We wanted a credibility of a good man and Adnan was a unanimous choice.

On terrorism and the Countries: There is terrorism on both the sides of the border. I think if there's some criticism from some quarters. The politics of this film is something that both Salman and I stand by strongly.

On giving away a message: There is something that we are dealing with but if some take a message at the end of the film I will be glad.

On creative differences: It’s a process. We had clashes during Ek Tha tiger. I always say that if there is no tussle between the actor and director and not discuss and argue with me it would be brain dead actor who would do anything I want. There were clashes and by the end of the film we understood each other and that's why we are working together. This film has been a party throughout. Ultimately that positive shows on screen. This is one performance that is consistent in character.

On Festive Season: Monopoly he quips, when there is a big event film you want to release on a holiday. It's not like monopolizing it. It's working on getting your film to a large audience.

On composing song: When we make a song we get a scratch record and then we have a final voice. There were logistical issues, we were shooting at high altitude. But I guess it's a part of the game and that’s how you reach special locations.

More songs in Bajrangi B: We will be giving you a song every four or five days.

On different shooting locations: We shot at Yashmukha Darga 45 minutes from Pahlagam. In Aru, Chandanwadi and Sonmar.

By Lipika Varma