Remo D’Souza admits he’s under ‘a lot of pressure’ ahead of Race 3 release

With his upcoming directorial venture, Race 3, just a few days away from its release, filmmaker Remo D’Souza is enjoying this “mixed feeling” of excitement and nervousness. “It’s crazy. It’s exactly like when you know you’ve written the exam well but you are waiting for the result to know you’ve done well,” he says. Having directed an ensemble cast including Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor, Jacqueline Fernandez and Daisy Shah among others, Remo calls the film a “learning experience”. In a freewheeling conversation, the filmmaker opens up about taking the Race franchise forward and the pressure that comes along, directing Salman Khan, making him dance and more.

Is there a pressure to take the Race franchise forward and match the popularity of previous films?

As a maker, yes, I’m under pressure. Both Race 1 and Race 2 have done well and they were directed by legends Abbas Mustan — I’m a big fan of their work. And now, I’ve come in as the director, have Salman Khan with a huge star cast and the action is next level, so there’s a lot of pressure.

Would you call Salman Khan a directors’ actor? Or was it tough to direct him?

This was absolutely a surprise film for me. I still can’t believe that I’ve finished it before time and it’s also Salman’s fastest film shoot. It all happened because of him — he was there, on time and would do everything leaving me pleasantly surprised, so it was very easy.

Any special anecdote you remember from the film’s shoot?

I’ve learned a lot from every actor in this film. But Salman sir and Anil Kapoor have taught me so much — not only as a filmmaker but as a person too. They are so grounded and passionate about making films and so professional about the process that sometimes, it’s unbelievable. I remember once Salman had to fly back to Mumbai and he was reaching early morning. I said ‘you come, get some rest and then come on set by afternoon’ but early morning at 7, I get a call from him saying, ‘I’m at the airport, I’ve just landed and coming to the sets now.’ That was amazing and so unheard of.

How tough it was to make Salman dance in the film?

My idea [from day one] was to make him dance. I know he’s got his typical style, which people love with those small steps he does, but I wanted him to do proper dance. So, in addition to that, I made sure that in the three dance numbers, he actually tried a couple of different dance styles. He loves dancing, so, it wasn’t much of a challenge.

People say that give Salman any film and it’ll be a hit… do you agree?

You see, he’s got his fan following and people love him for what he is and the star he is. I’m a huge Salman Khan fan — the one who whistles, claps and jumps each time he comes onscreen. And I always wanted to do a film with him.

After the film’s trailer came out, trolls had a field day. How did you react to it?

I take it with a pinch of salt. I wanted people to watch the trailer and have their opinion, so it’s okay whatever they have to say. And those who like to troll have no jobs, so I never want to interact with these guys. They can write whatever they want and I don’t want to be like them.

Interact with Monika Rawal Kukreja at Twitter/@monikarawal