Is it because your first directorial venture Dobara didn’t do well at the box-office that you decided to make a comedy Dhoom Dadakka this time round?
There is a funny side to me that only my friends have been exposed to so far. David Dhawan and Satish Kaushik have been telling me, since a long time, to direct a comedy film. That’s when I felt I should give it a try. I had this story idea which I discussed with Ashwini Dheer and together we created an interesting plot.
As far as Dobara is concerned, I realised that though making a good film is important, marketing it is even more important. A lot of hype has to be created before the film hits the theatres. Also, Dobara was released along with six films that week, which is why we did not get sufficient theatres to screen it.

You have assembled a cast of established actors and newcomers. What was the idea behind it?
I have purely gone by the demand of the script. I needed established character actors for which I got Anupam Kher, Satish Kaushik, Satish Shah and Gulshan Grover. For the younger characters, I needed someone who could look vulnerable as these guys land up in a Don’s house without knowing it. Sameer Dattani, Shaad Randhawa, Aarti Chhabria and Shama Sikander form the foursome. You’ll find Shama in a completely new and sexy avatar.

Apart from the character actors, all your actors are less-known. Wouldn’t it have been better if you had roped in big stars?
Who says that only starry films work? Take the latest example of Tashan : it had everything going for it, a big banner and a big star-cast. Still it hasn’t done well at the box-office. On ther other hand we have had small films like Bheja Fry setting the cash registers jingling. Ultimately what matters is that film has to be good. For my film, I have all the . The combination of renowned character actors and a young cast has worked out excellently. They have given extremely good performances.

Do you think that films shot on foreign shores attract crowds?
Gloss is important in the film. People go for bigness and gloss has become a part of it. Eighty percent of my film has been shot in Bangkok. There were two reasons for it. One, the script demanded it, because the two main characters of my film go to Bangkok and the story unravels there. Secondly, I had got a chunk of dates from 16 actors and I wanted to finish shooting in one schedule, which I did in 25 days flat.

How was the experience of directing a comedy film?
For a comedy, it is important that actors have a good chemistry and the timing is perfect. There was a lot improvisation on the sets and it turned out to be very interesting. Being an actor myself was a big advantage because the cast could their relate to me easily. All of us were friends and had a great time.

You wanted to release your first film in Pakistan but could not. Are you trying for a release there this time too?
Yes. I was disappointed that I could not release Dobara in Pakistan because by then the relationship between India and Pak had strained again. However, I am trying for a simultaneous Indo-Pak release for Dhoom Dadakka too.

What are your expectations from this film?
I am very anxious that the film should do well. Even the music by Roop Kumar Rathod is chart-topping.