Gunmaaster G9: Aditya Datt reveals why he chose hardcore action over Aashiq Banaya Aapne 2

With Emraan Hashmistarrer Gunmaaster G9 locking its release date for late November director Aditya Dutt is set to reunite with the actor nearly two decades after their collaboration on Aashiq Banaya Aapne While the two have been trying to collaborate again for several years Dutt reveals that two separate projects they had planned together failed to materialise despite both getting close to going on floors ldquoWersquove been trying to put movies on the floor from a decade now Every time our movie was supposed to go on floors there was an issuerdquo Dutt saysA still from lsquoAashiq Banaya AapnersquoThe director recalls that their first attempt at reuniting came in 2009 with a script to be produced by a leading studio ldquoWe were supposed to do a film together back in 2009 once which was written by Mr Anees Bazmee for us The studio pulled the plug a couple of months before the shoot We were actually into prep for that filmrdquo he recallsAditya DattThe duo tried again around 201416 this time with a film being produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansalirsquos production house But that project too eventually fell through ldquoWe finished the scripting Mr Bhansali was producing the film and I was supposed to do it and take it on floors There was a mishap and again that script didnrsquot happen Sadly every time we were so close to shooting we were literally supposed to go on floors and something would just not work outrdquoGunmaaster G9 finally gave the collaborators the opportunity they had been waiting for ldquoI would get busy with another film and he would get busy with something Things were just not falling into place And then like they say everything has a time and this just happenedrdquoEmraan Hashmi in the lsquoGunmaaster G9rsquo teaserDespite the success and nostalgia associated with Aashiq Banaya Aapne Dutt says making a sequel was never the intention He believes both he and Hashmi have evolved as storytellers and performers since their earlier collaboration ldquoBack then we were kids It was a different energy It would have been very simple to put another Aashiq Banaya Aapne and flow but I think as cinema we just grew into liking new things All the stories that we want to tell and him as an actor hersquos grown so much Irsquom hoping that Irsquom growing as a director toordquoWith Gunmaaster G9 Dutt was particularly keen to take Hashmi into an action space he felt the actor had not explored in this manner before ldquoI just wanted to do something new with him something which hersquos also not done I donrsquot think Emraanrsquos done a nice great action film ever I wanted to do something which stands out and breaks whatever hersquos done and I have done also in the past I donrsquot want to do obvious expected thingsrdquoMithun ChakrabortyThe title Gunmaaster G9 may immediately remind audiences of Mithun Chakrabortyrsquos iconic Gunmaster G9 character but Dutt says the connection is coincidental rather than intentional ldquoI know people are thinking is he an agent or is it from the Mithunda thing Actually itrsquos not Itrsquos got nothing to do with Mithundarsquos character but a hat tip perhaps The film is about the underworld and gangsters My main character is great with guns and hersquos a master of it and G9 is the Glock 9 that he loves carrying with him Thatrsquos why Gunmaaster G9rdquoFor Dutt the film is ultimately an attempt to bring back the emotional ingredients of mainstream Hindi cinema while presenting them through a contemporary lens ldquoThe basic emotion is always the same Even when Irsquom trying to narrate something in todayrsquos day and age I wanted to keep that basic core emotion of an Indian audience alive the music the romance the action and at the same time have a language of a 2026 narratorrdquo