'North Indian audiences don't want to strain their minds'

You too have jumped onto the sequel bandwagon with Kamaal Dhamaal Malamaal which follows your Malamaal Weekly So will you be taking on the Hera Pheri sequel too I am not directing a Hera Pheri sequel I am not interested in sequels unless I get something better than what I originally made and this has never happened to me Kamaal Dhamaal Malamaal KDM is not a sequel but has the same flavour as Malamaal Weekly The only common element in both films is a lottery ticket It is another fun film from mePriyadarshanrsquos next is Kamaal Dhamaal MalamaalYou are reverting to your forte mdash comedy Is it because Tezz flopped My action films were not accepted so I went back to comedy because people have accepted me in that genre But KDM is not a fulllength comedy film it has a huge element of suspense The fun centres around Nana Patekarrsquos character and he is the biggest suspense factor in the film I donrsquot mind paying Rs 5 crore to anyone who can tell me the real name of Nana Patekarrsquos characterDoes it bother you that despite doing films in different genres you are known in Bollywood only for comedy films More than the people it is the producers and distributors who want me to do only comedy A Malayalam saying goes mdash lsquoWhen you have enough butter why you do you worry about the gheersquo I make films to generate money for the producer and myself so itrsquos better to do something which is less risky I decided that since my comedy films have been successful let me try a comedy Even internationally comedy is a success Today the audiences donrsquot want to use their brains in the theatres they just want to get entertained Films like Dabangg Rowdy Rathore and Singham have worked because people are looking for entertainmentI have developed a certain attitude mdash I make films for the masses but when I want to make a film for myself I make a Kanchivaram which gives me a lot of creative satisfaction It also won me the National Award for Best Director When I made Kanchivaram I didnrsquot care how others reacted to it Here in Bollywood your survival depends on how successful you areWhat is your take on the kind of comedies being made these days especially adult comedies I am completely against adult comedies A comedy film is like cartoons for children I canrsquot watch an embarassing comedy with my kids and neither I can make such filmsIt has been two decades since you made your Bollywood debut with Muskurahat What has changed about your directorial style People say you have to change with time I donrsquot agree I canrsquot change with time I want to make films that I believe in Just because films like Rowdy Rathore and Singham are being sold I canrsquot make such filmsYou made your first Hindi film after 28 South Indian films But in the last decade you have made very few South Indian films Simply because I was overcommitted in the North Since I have a bigger budget here I can make my films look better and richerIn Hindi while your Sazaa e Kaala Paani and Virasat were appreciated most of your recent noncomic ventures even with big stars like Salman Khan Kyun Ki Shah Rukh Khan Billu and Ajay Devgn Aakrosh have not worked How do you analyse that I can do those kind of movies in the South You can make sensible movies in Malayalam because the audiences have the attitude and aptitude to watch such movies But in North India audiences come only for entertainment and they donrsquot want to strain their mindsAkshay Kumarrsquos OMG Oh My God is releasing on the same day as your Kamaal Dhamaal Malamaal Both films are completely different but OMG has an upper hand since Akshay Kumar is a big crowdpuller Nobody should release a film opposite a big starrsquos film it can affect your initial collection Today business is generated in the first three days If the starrsquos film attracts the audience the small film will get affected But a small budget film like Vicky Donor has done good business so I hope my film works tooIronically Akshay and Paresh earned their comic chops with your Hera Pheri Yes I am fighting against my own creation laughs But I am happy It is a rat race you donrsquot know who will win After 86 films and 32 years in the business the success or failure of a film doesnrsquot affect me like it did initially Today I am not scared whether I will survive I am willing to take more risks Content is of prime importance to me because even if a film doesnrsquot work someone shouldnrsquot ridicule me for making nonsense Bollywood News Service