‘I had a lot of pressure’: Remo D’souza on managing to pull off Race 3 in record time

Remo D’souza can’t believe that he has pulled off a big action entertainer toplined by Salman Khan in just six months. “I had a lot of pressure. Firstly, it’s a franchise film; secondly, it had Salman, one of the biggest superstars of our country and thirdly, I had limited time. It was an Eid 2018 release and we started the movie last November,” shares the director. He credits his producers — Ramesh Taurani and Salman — as his two big support systems.

While the first two films in the Race franchise were known for their steamy scenes as well as the numerous twists and turns, the third instalment is being marketed as an action entertainer. When asked why he has changed the film’s USP, he clarifies, “Both, Salman sir and I, believe in family entertainers wherein everyone can come together and watch a movie. So, there is no uncomfortable moment. At the same time, we have retained the essence of Race — there are twists and turns along with suspense, action and songs.”

Talking about songs, the choreographer-turned-director has taken a special interest in shooting all the tracks on a large scale in never-before-seen locations. “Allah Duhai Hai, especially, was used as a promotional track in the first two films, but in Race 3, it’s part of the narrative where the actors are conversing with each other. The lyrics are such that it takes the movie forward. To pull that off, I decided to shoot it on a larger scale. We filmed it on the rooftop of an Abu Dhabi high rise and roped in dancers from London as well as ballet dancers from Delhi,” he says proudly.

Soon after this action film, Remo will start shooting his next directorial, a dance flick with Varun Dhawan and Katrina Kaif. So, is dance his comfort zone? “You can say that, although action is also my favourite. I started off with martial art first and then went on to dance. So, both are inbuilt in me. But dance is my comfort zone because I have been doing it for so many years. At the same time, I now know that I can design action easily, too,” he signs off.