Anurag Kashyap, John Abraham team up for 'Bombay Velvet'

By Subhash K. Jha

Mumbai, March 29 (IANS) After box office dud "No Smoking", director Anurag Kashyap and John Abraham had nonetheless vowed to work together again come what may. And they are now back together for a thriller titled "Bombay Velvet".

"John is the lead in my next film 'Bombay Velvet' where he plays a real life hero of the masses from the 1960s. It's a thriller based on real incidents. It's an idea that we developed over the last four years by several minds including the history professor Gyan Prakash," Kashyap told IANS.

Kashyap's last release was "Dev D", his deviant version of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's "Devdas". The film starring Abhay Deol in the title role was a hit.

John-starrer "Bombay Velvet" will be produced by TV 18. Besides John, it will also star Naseeruddin Shah and Kay Kay Menon.

Kashyap doesn't want to take any risks and is making sure that the script is accessible to the audience.

"I've never handled this kind of budget before. I want to be sure of the script. After 'No Smoking', John and I want to make sure our film is accessible to the audience. Today, I realise where I had gone wrong in my earlier cinema. I'm working on my weak points. I tend to get repetitive. So I've brought in two writers in 'Bombay Velvet' who criticised me the most for 'No Smoking'," said Kashyap.

The director has also decided to make a no-holds-barred action film with Kunal Kapoor titled "Doga", inspired by the comics that are popular in northern India. It will be produced by Sony International.

But Kashyap says he will start working on "Doga" after completing "Bombay Velvet".

" 'Doga' requires a whole lot of preparation. It needs international-level special effects for which I need to go for an internship to the US with my cinematographer Rajeev Ravi for some months. This would probably be the most expensive Indian film ever to be ever made. And I don't want to slip up. And Kunal needs to do a lot of preparation. I'll go to 'Doga' after 'Bombay Velvet'," the filmmaker said.

Talking about his personal life, he said: "I've mellowed. I'm not angry any more. I guess it's age. And I've found a sense of belonging."

Kashyap was referring to Kalki Koechlin, one of the female leads in "Dev D" whom he is now dating.

"I'm very happy in my relationship with Kalki. She has brought great stability to my life."

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