Mohit Suri directed Malang stars Aditya Roy Kapur in the lead role.
Known for hits like Aashiqui 2, Ek Villain among more, Mohit Suri is back on the director’s chair with Malang. The film stars Aditya Roy Kapur, Disha Patani, Kunal Kemmu and Anil Kapoor in pivotal roles.
In a conversation with indianexpress.com, Mohit spoke about the music of his films, his collaboration with Aditya Roy Kapur, the twists of Malang and Ek Villain 2.
Here are excerpts from the conversation
What is Malang all about?
Malang is a story which happens over one night in Goa during Christmas eve. It’s the festive weekend where you have a lot of youngsters celebrating. This is intercut with a past story for each character and how they all met five years ago. The issue was that I couldn’t put more of the plot in the trailer as the film has a twist every 15-20 minutes. All the characters are ‘malang’ in their own way, and they have a different perception of why they kill people and why they are killers.
The music of all your films has worked with the audience. How do you finalise the songs that are sure shot hits?
While I am writing the film, I start working on the music. Even though I have had popular music, my songs are not shot in a popular way, basically, people don’t start dancing in foreign locations. My music is more of a storytelling tool. So that’s why I start working on it right in the beginning, and then I keep bettering it till it reaches release.
Malang has Aditya Roy Kapur in a never-seen-before avatar. How did you think of casting him in this role?
Me and Aditya have been a part of that hippie life at one time. He understood this world more than anyone else, and that’s why I cast him because most people try to ape this world but don’t know how to get it right. I didn’t have to work much on the body language, but he worked very hard on making this super thin, ripped, beach body.
When he came to me and said that let’s do something together, I saw that he wanted to grow up from a boy and become a man. Hence, I told him that we won’t make a love story after Aashiqui. We will make an action film with you where you can be the quintessential Indian man. That’s why the big, beefy body. It’s an action film with complete hand to hand man combat.
Aditya Roy Kapur takes on a never-seen-before avatar in Malang.
I discovered during Aashiqui that he is really strong and he must do an action film. So I am really happy that he’s taking this leap. He has an aptitude for it.
You started with films like Zeher and Kalyug, which were big hits at the time. How do you think the film business has changed over the years?
Marketing has changed a lot, but the basics of writing a story have stayed the same. Touching people’s heart through music is the same. It has gotten a little broader with the kind of stories you can make.
You seem to have a soft spot for shooting in Goa. What is that about?
I just love shooting there. The whole cultural background, the Portuguese background, the Konkani background, the beaches, the youth, the restaurants, the parties, the tourists – I quite like the whole backdrop of it. I know that world, and that’s why I like shooting there.
(From L to R: Director Mohit Suri, actors Disha Patani, Aditya Roy Kapur, Anil Kapoor and Kunal Kemmu.)
What’s on the cards for Ek Villain 2?
I have cast the boys Aditya Roy Kapur and John Abraham, but I am yet to cast the girls. In this film, the girls are also playing villains. Me and Ekta are trying to build on a whole series of villains and different characters, who are all connected to each other.
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