In this weekend's release, Players, Abhishek Bachchan takes on Michael Caine's iconic role in the Hindi remake of heist classic The Italian Job, and while it remains to be seen whether he actually gets to say Caine's legendary one-liner, "you were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!" in Hindi, he's confident that the film has plenty of whistle-inducing quips.
"The story is the same but the screenplay is different. It's an Abbas-Mustan film, so it's going to be full of masala [spice]," said Bachchan in an interview over the phone from Mumbai. The operative phrase here is Abbas-Mustan — the director duo behind hit thrillers such as Khiladi, Baazigar and Race. Popular opinion has it that even with half a dozen raunchy songs incorporated in between thrilling car chase scenes, Abbas-Mustan are among the few with the potential to pull off Caine's crime caper in Hindi. So appealing was the prospect that leading lady Bipasha Basu hunted them down in Russia immediately after reading the script to inform them that she was on board.
"I was bowled over. They were near the Arctic Circle somewhere but I tracked them down after two days to tell them how excited I was about this project. I couldn't rest until I got hold of them. That place has no network coverage," said Basu.
The gang of cool crooks doesn't end with Bachchan and Basu. Sonam Kapoor and Neil Nitin Mukesh form the rest of the super-hip thieving gang. Before the quartet swooped into Dubai to walk the gold carpet (the gang are bullion thieves, after all) tonight at Grand Cineplex for the world premiere of the heist film, tabloid! nabbed them in India to get the lowdown on their roles, their lives and more.
ABHISHEK BACHCHAN
Bachchan is Charlie Mascarenhas — the mastermind behind the bullion heist.
"I play the lead and the mastermind. He is the guy who brings the team together and executes the entire plan. I agreed to do Players even before I heard the script. I am a huge fan of Abbas-Mustan."
Players in his own words: "It is a full-on masala pot-boiler. There's the right amount of action, emotion, romance and drama."
The best part about playing a crook: "I am used to playing the cop in most films, but this is the first time I am getting to play the chor [thief]. And working with Abbas-Mustan is a first for me and I thoroughly enjoyed being directed by them."
The challenge of playing Charlie: "Fitting into the very small Metro Mini. When you see the film, you will know how tiny that car is. Plus, I enjoyed doing all the thrilling stunts myself."
On getting inspired by the original The Italian Job: "I am not the kind of actor who apes other actors. I have seen that film several times and I revisited it when Players came my way, but that's about it."
On whether Players' release is too close to Shah Rukh-starrer Don 2: "We don't release our films based on what film is coming before or after us. We made the film from our heart and I don't think the previous film is going to influence the audience. At the end of the day, if the audience is excited by the trailers of a film then they are going to watch it."
On whether his child Beti B will bring luck and boost his career: "
"Nobody is going to bring luck to my films and the only people who can influence my career are my audience. I work for my audience and if they like my work they will watch my films. If they don't like it, nobody else can change it for me."
On whether he will announce his baby's name post-Players: "No, we haven't decided on a name yet. But it's wonderful and a great feeling to be a father."
SONAM KAPOOR
Kapoor is Naina — the computer whizkid.
"Naina is rebellious and naïve. That mix of naiveté and bratty is a deadly combo. I play Charlize Theron's role [from the American remake]."
Players in her own words: "Expect a lot of twists and turns and it's not aping the West in any way because Players is such a Bollywood masala film. And I am spouting such cool dialogues."
On whether she got a bound script before the filming (Bollywood films are notorious for lack of locked-in scripts): "The only film where dialogues were changed every day was in my film Thank You. But for Players there was a bound script and not a single world was changed. I am more comfortable with that."
On her co-stars: "I got along with everybody. People keep asking me whether I had problems with Bipasha. It's an immature way of making films because we are all grown-ups here."
BIPASHA BASU
Basu is Ria — the automobile expert
"Ria is the right-hand of Charlie. She's an automobile genius and can modify and operate any car or moving object in this world. It's usually a man's territory but I am one of the boys in this film and I need to look very much in control."
The most challenging part: "This role called for good acting because I am not good with cars in real life. I can't change a flat tyre nor can I reverse or park my car. All I can do is drive straight or left. The rest like parking the car, I get some guys to do it and, frankly, I love being driven around."
Players in her own words: "Go for gold."
A memorable scene from Players: "Sonam [Kapoor] and I were shooting in Wellington in New Zealand, the breeziest place in the world. We had long hair and it was all over the place. Plus, we had to ban skirts because it was so windy that they would be on our heads in no time. Also, wearing a bikini in ice-cold weather was no fun. I had two people waiting for me with blankets on either side of the sets so that they could wrap me as soon as I was done with the scene. I will also never forget the scene where the boys and I are on a train in Murmansk — our brave onscreen heroes were clucking like chickens crying ‘they want to go back.'"
Her expert tip on Players: "I am not going to pretend about this. Players is a slick and modern film, but don't look for logic. There's no good or bad because every player is cool in this film. It's like MI4 — each frame is about action and dialogue. So get set for a fun ride."
On her co-stars: "We are a bunch of mad people put together in one film."
NEIL NITIN MUKESH
Mukesh is Spider — the geek.
"I am the electronic mind behind the gold heist. He's computer and a gizmo geek. I could identify with that because I am a gadget freak in real life. I have the latest iPhone, iPad — you name it and I have it."
Players in his own words: "After this one, geeks will never be out of business and will rule the world."
The challenging part about Players: "Spider is a multi-dimensional, layered character. And when it comes to complicated, convoluted characters nobody can beat Abbas-Mustan."
My all-time favourite thriller: "Primal Fear. It's a well-executed and well-acted film. But it's not just thrillers that excite me. I love fantasy flicks like Harry Potter series and romances like Titanic and Pretty Woman."
About his co-stars in Players: "Abhishek is like an elder brother, you feel very secure when he's around. The girls were adorable and I got along with both."
His New Year resolution: "Be a bit more selfish about my own happiness. I have always thought about others first but it's time to think of my own."
