Carry on, David!

David Dhawan. The name itself evokes laughter. Doesn’t it? Year after year he conjures up scripts that make no sense to the critics but are lapped up by the masses, for David Dhawan’s name has become a sort of guarantee for fun at the box office. This week is no different. In fact, with “Partner” he has come with a double dose. In a rarity Salman Khan and Govinda have joined hands on the silver screen. So how did he manage the coup?

“Not difficult. I have worked with both of them in many films, so both had faith in me. My idea was to bring two styles of comedy together to create a new style! Salman is always stylish in whatever he does, and Govinda has an earthy sense of humour. I wanted to see what happens when the two meet.”

It’s difficult to talk about the script with David. Still he suggests that the comedy centres on how a ‘love expert’ teaches a naïve man to hook a girl. Shades of Will Smith’s “The Hitch”? “Well, it’s about male bonding. So many Bollywood films have been made on the subject before ‘Hitch’. Was ‘Hitch’ inspired by them?”

Miscasting?

The film stars Katrina Kaif opposite Govinda, and Lara Dutta with Salman Khan. Isn’t this miscasting from the commercial sense, considering Katrina and Salman are making waves in real life? Laughs David, “No, I have gone by the script. It requires Govinda’s character, a poor guy, to woo a princely girl played by Katrina. Both fit the bill.”

The careers of David and Govinda have been intertwined for long. They have risen together and shifted genres together. From an action-packed “Taqatwar” to a melodramatic “Swarg”, and a potboiler like “Shola aur Shabnam” to a crass comedy like “Raja Babu”, the duo has defined chemistry on celluloid. But after “Ek Aur Ek Gyarah” there has been a long pause. “The industry might have taken him just as a comedy star but I have given him all kinds of roles and we have succeeded most of the time. It is just that he became busy with politics that we could not work together, otherwise there is nothing that can keep us apart,” grins David.

And Karisma Kapoor, who was the vital cog in the Govinda-David wheel of fun? David called her the actress with the best comic timing. “I stand by my statement but she quit acting. Katrina and Lara are not bad either. There are two kinds of actors, natural and malleable. These two are malleable.”

Films like “Swarg”, remind us of the serious side of David. Few people know that he is the same guy who has edited films like “Saraansh” and “Naam”. And that his real name is Rajinder Dhawan. “I learnt editing at FTII. As an editor you are supposed to edit all kinds of films with the same effort. But my heart always craved for Manmohan Desai’s cinema, films that are complete entertainers and are commercially viable.”

As for the name, he reveals his parents used to call him David at home. “Slowly my pet name became my professional name.”

On the rise of comedy — Tabu calls him her favourite director — David, who calls it the most difficult genre, says, “I feel flattered. When I started making comedy films, film critics didn’t take the genre seriously. Even in film awards the actor of the comedy was not nominated in the best actor category. See, today it has become the most commercially viable genre. Most of the comedy films are doing reasonably well at the box office.”

Critics raised eyebrows when his comedy turned crass with films like “Aankhen”, “Raja Babu” and “Khuddar”. “It’s true, but in those days such things were working. A director delivers what is in demand. Still, I made sure even in those times to have some message in my film.”

Turning chic

Of late his films have turned smart. Films like “Mujh Se Shaadi Karogi” and “Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya” have the quintessential David Dhawan spirit but are packaged with latest trends in fashion and music. “This is the contribution of my son Rohit. He brings fresh thoughts on the sets. We have our creative differences but the result has been successful. He has contributed to ‘Partner’ as well.”

Next in line is a remake of “Amar Akbar Anthony” with Salman and his brothers, but David doesn’t want to leak anything. “Main to bas aam admi ko khush dekhna chahta hoon, (I just want to keep the common man h appy)” he sums up.

Carry on, David!