Everything is about intention: Sajid Nadiadwala

Sajid Nadiadwala celebrates his birthday today. The producer had a super-successful year in 2014 with films like Highway, 2 States, Heropanti as a producer and his directorial debut Kick was the second biggest hit of last year. He has releases lined up for 2015 as well. We caught up for a short conversation...

Birthdays are time to take stock of the year gone by. Looking back, are you happy with the year you have just had?
Yes. Everything is fantastic. On the personal front, the kids have grown up and are doing well in school. Professionally, until now, I used to make one film at a time. Last year, I made four. It worked so well, now I've got the energy to make more films like Highway, more joint collaborations like 2 States... However, direction, definitely not for the next two or three years.

Why not?
I feel the actors who do my films -- besides the script -- 50-60 per cent of the time, they do it because I produce them and the journey is good. I am a good USP for my films, for my brand. What happens is if I don't be a a they will feel let down. I have learnt, it's not right. As a director, I'll be neglecting all these films.

You never know, it might just happen. First time also, it was like that. You didn't have any plan to be a director right? Salman pushed you into direction.
I know (laughs) but right now even he's too busy. He has no time to push me for the next three years or so. You know, he's already writing the sequel... Some thought that he has come up with it. It'll take time though.

What's the plan for your banner in 2015?
Our first release is the Katrina Kaif, Saif Ali Khan-starrer Phantom directed by Kabir Khan. Then, Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone's Tamasha. There's is Tiger's (Shroff) film which is a very different kind of film - total action. Saabir Khan will direct and we'll be shooting in Hong Kong. It's the same Heropanti team and it's titled Baaghi. And then the fourth one. Every four years I come up with one big mass entertainer with 25-30 actors. Housefull 3 is next. It's got Abhishek Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh and three girls we are finalising... Then there's another very interesting film - with David Dhawan's son Varun and John Abraham - it's called Dhishoom. Jacqueline's in it, too. Rohit Dhawan is directing it. So there are about six-seven films for 2015. There's something more interesting I am working on, I will announce it shortly.

Saif's last three films haven't been received well. Nervous about your release with him?
Not at all. I don't think like that. It has never been the case. Even earlier in the 90s when I worked with Akshay or Salman, they didn't have big hits behind them... They had their ups and downs. I don't think about these things. Ups and downs in my actors' careers don't affect me...

Did you push the film ahead because it was similar to Baby?
That could be one-tenth of the reason, but mostly because Kabir was shooting for Bajrangi Bhaijaan, and we have about six days of shooting left. By the time he comes, Katrina's dates were with Fitoor. By the time the dates matched, it's somewhere around April or May. I felt it's not right for the film to release so close, so we should come in August.

You turned producer first and then director. What next?
I don't know... It's destiny. I don't want to list my company, that is for sure. We've got three-four offices now and we've got six films a year coming on. Now, I don't know what's the difference between that and a studio. Definitely, it's a private-funded company.

Why not list it?
I am a creative person. I don't know if I'll be able to give quarterly results. Sometimes there are five films and there will be times when there won't be a single film in a quarter. That's something which happens in filmmaking. And I don't want to be bogged down with that. There's no point. Maybe my kids will go ahead and make it, I am not made for that.

Your son wants to be an actor, right?
The elder one Subhaan is training, yes. I don't know about launching him though. However, from the day he was born, he has wanted to be an actor and is learning. He keeps counting now - to 21, there are seven years now and then five more. Acting is one thing that isn't in anyone's hands. It is pure destiny. But he's preparing for it. He's very focused, he studies and the moment he gets some free time, he's into some martial arts, or dancing and backflips...

Your wife Wardha is already in the star mother mode.
(Smiles) Yes, star mother. When he's training, she's there standing behind him with a bottle, saying, 'beta juice lo.'

Chetan Bhagat always gives you the first right of refusal. What happened with Half Girlfriend?
The earlier one was Revolution 2020. I thought it was a good script, but too dark for me at that time. Maybe today I could think about attempting it, but that time I wasn't ready. So I let it go. It was my first refusal. The second refusal was not on paper, morally. We've been very close. There were many reasons why we didn't do that. He has designed everything by himself - he had written the script, signed the director. I don't work like that. I have never had somebody else design a film we produce. But I liked the book. I remember he had given me those papers to read even before it was published. The only reason it didn't work out was that it was his baby - everything was done by him, and he had visualised the film the way he had written. So I didn't have any scope in it.

The industry is going through bad times with big films not working. What's your take on it?
I feel from the time I joined the industry during 1983-84 from Ghulami days, every four to five years, there has been a recession for some rhyme or reason. Earlier it was for video cassettes, piracy, DVDs, then corporates coming in... Every time the reason was different and the solution was different. This time, the reason is that because of the revenue going up, actors started taking fees according to the revenue and when the revenues came down - satellite for whatever reason - the actors fees haven't come down. But in times to come, they have understood that and because of that 80 per cent of them are producers now. Earlier, it used to be the producer vs the actor, actors vs producers -- so you against me. Today it's not you against me, it's like we. They also understand what the scene is. The only problem is this tsunami, whenever there is a recession, the immediate 30-40 films fall in trouble, the ones who have already made commitments and signed contracts, everybody is already paid and there's a downside. That's the nature of this business...

Are you disappointed with not getting a debut award?
In two-three functions they were giving me awards, I refused. I said, 'Yaar, when I'm getting it, I feel I should not get it.' I felt, why should I get it? There are new kids now like Abhishek Varman (2 States) who has done a good job, I have seen him grow and I wanted him to have his moment in the sun. That magnanimity comes to your, mind says that, 'Isko milna chahiye.' You go on stage and you dedicate it to him. But to be honest when you don't get it, that thought does come into your mind, 'kyun nahin mila.' But it is a passing thought. After 27 years of being here, it doesn't matter.

You were more upset about t Tiger not getting Best debut, right?
Definitely, yaar. He was the best. But kya sabke apne-apne agendas hote hain. Good, he learnt early in his career. I just sent him a text saying - welcome to the industry.

Three things you want to change on your birthday.
I could not ask for anything. This year's been good. It's just that the four films which have given me success in a span of five months last year, have made me greedy - to give better cinema. I'll be trying different cinema now. Earlier, my success ratio was around 95 per cent. In about 20 years, I feel only one film didn't do well - Jaan-e-Mann - unfortunately and that was my fav film. That 95 per cent record was because I was making commercial films which were safe. Now films like Highway, launching a boy in Heropanti, has given me a little more courage to make different cinema. I am ready to take on everything now. I was one of the first guys in the 90s to make double heroes films and now I have got triple heroes films, which no other producer is managing to do. I am trying to work with directors like Imtiaz Ali, Vishal Bhardwaj and Kabir - learning from them. In 2016-17, it'll be a different cinema. I'll have my Housefulls but I'll also have films which are different.

Any dream that you have not been able to fulfil professionally yet?
Actually, all these things that have happened in the last five-seven years, I didn't think I could do. What happened was beyond my dreams. All films which were successful - we have had 30 to 35 nominations - all four films put together. Being a debut director, launching Tiger... I think what now? And it's scary, also. Because you need to get more dreams. I wanted to work with (Sylvestor) Stallone, foreign actors -- and that also happened. I'm doing some joint collaboration with some international actor which I will announce in coming year. I'm doing a collaboration with an action hero. So a lot of stuff happening on that front. Now that you have asked me, I'm realising that I need to build new dreams. Jo the, woh poore ho gaye. We keep talking - me and Wardha -- what has happened, what a great year we've had and doing good stuff without stepping on any toes. Now it' about how do we sustain it.

Where does your strength come from?
My family. What happens is - there are two aspects - one is your family life and one is your professional life. If your back is to your family and you are facing your professional life, then all are behind you. The strength of the family gives you the strength to face your professional life. When your face is towards your family ghar mein stress chal raha hai, then you are in trouble. I think, the energy comes from the time you get up in the morning and look at your family and then you go out to work with a smile... If you are happy you face people well. That I have been very lucky, God has been kind.

Any advice you'd like to give producers?
Quality, that's what you need to have as a green lighting a film. Hard work. And intention. Everything in the world is about intention. If you intend to make good films, you'll make it. If you'll intend making big films, you'll make it. If your intent is becoming a thief, you'll become one. Everything is about intention.