Filmmaker Ali Abbas Zafar, who is riding high on the grand opening of his latest film starring Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif, has said he was inspired by the iconic temple scene from Deewar where Amitabh Bachchan questions God, adding that he will not be able to recreate it as it will become a controversial topic in today’s time.

Zafar opened up about the 1975 film and how he took a cue from a scene in the film for Salman Khan’s Sultan, during an appearance on the IMDb original series The Insider’s Watchlist, read a statement. “I watched some films growing up. There is a scene in Deewaar, where Amitabh Bachchan talks to God. Unfortunately, you cannot write a scene like that in today’s age and time, it could become controversial. But that scene became the soul of ‘Sultan’ where Salman Khan sits in the Dargah and tells Aarfa that he is returning to get what he lost,” he said.

Also read: Salman Khan’s Bharat has already broken these 6 records at the box office

Did Ali always have an inkling about direction? “No, not at all. I wanted to get into the Indian Armed Forces and be an Air Force pilot. I got through NDA but there was some technical problem and I couldn’t get into the Air Force. I was depressed for two or three months. Finally, I got myself into Delhi University to do biochemistry honours. And it was there when I got into theatre... That is where I first got an idea that ‘I can do something in films’.”

Zafar said he has only interacted with “cinema as an audience”. Be it Sultan, Gunday or Tiger Zinda Hai, Zafar has always struck a chord with the audience as his films always have a dash of human touch in them. At the moment, he is enjoying the success of his latest film Bharat with Salman.

Bharat is an official remake of the Korean film An Ode To My Father. The Bollywood film depicts the history of India through the life of an ordinary man. It also stars Katrina Kaif.

Follow @htshowbiz for more

First Published: Jun 07, 2019 16:47 IST