19 years of Salaam Namaste: Director Siddharth Anand would like to change the climax of the film; says, “I would not change the tone to slapstick and stay with situational type of humour”

As Salaam Namaste turned 19 this week (September 9), this writer touched base with Saif Ali Khan and his director Siddharth Anand. Saif said, “Wow! A fab film … ahead of its time … a little western for mass audiences … great music! Very good fun. What a lovely shoot in Melbourne… and the outskirts of oz.”

In the urban setting of mouth-watering Melbourne, Salaam Namaste bends the rules of mainstream Hindi cinema. But the contemporary feel of the presentation isn't in-your-face. Never do you feel the characters, even the minor ones, being with-it just for the heck of it. A glorious spirit of ebullience takes over the film even when, in the second half, things get grim between the love pair Nick (Saif Ali Khan) and Ambar (Preity Zinta).

It isn't easy to film a story where the characters grow through events that define their lives without over-dramatization. The rhythms of a routine courtship in a far-off city are marvellously mellow in tone. You never feel the weight of the Nick-Ambar love story.

And yet, Salaam Namaste doesn't take love lightly. Beneath the vibrant veneer, the film makes a very telling and serious comment on commitment-phobia, especially among the ambitious urban males who would rather have their cake and sleep with it too.

Saif's consummate skills as the modern yuppie with an attitude that screams a scoffing rejection of sentimental attachments to long-lasting relationships, has gradually brought into focus a new kind of Hindi film hero who's hip and smirky and yet not impolite about homespun values.

The constant search for answers about quirks and whims of the female species was also a presiding theme in Saif's earlier romantic comedy Hum Tum.

Salaam Namaste goes further in terms exploring the ever-expanding parameters of the man-woman relationship. Ambar's obstinate decision to have Nick's baby after sharing a live-in relationship with him might seem like a saucy repudiation of traditional values. But the director never aims to shock. He takes the opposite route by generating a sense of bonhomie within the messy conflicts in the couple's life.

The scenes are intelligently written to accentuate the lead pair's individual charm and collective charisma. While we watch Saif and Preity, we also see Nicky and Ambar emerge from the two actors' personalities. But Salaam Namaste is more than a triumph of the together spirit. It also gets high points for creating scenes that spotlight the urban sensibility in words, which flow naturally and yet make you stop to listen. Abbas Tyrewala's skills as a dialogue writer are on full display. You can't but chuckle at the way Saif says his dialogues, as though he just thought of them.

The rippling repartees and the exceedingly enchanting mood of romantic banter keep the narrative's spirits up till the jolting climax where Abhishek Bachchan, playing a goofy, forgetful doctor, delivers twins for Nick and Ambar, with one more bawling baby thrown in for Nick's pal and his wife.

The film scores high marks in two major departments - the look and the mood. The debutant director cuts across the clamorous streets of Melbourne without a glamorous anxiety accompanying his storytelling.

Treatment is all in Salaam Namaste. The plot, on its own, amounts to nothing much. But watch Saif and Preity, with some help from Arshad Warsi and Javed Jaffrey (the latter playing a Bihari cowboy in Melbourne saying the most outrageous lines like 'wife works husband jerks'), and you have what could safely be termed a romantic comedy with plenty of whoops and wows.

Speaking on what he would like to change in Salaam Namaste, Siddharth Anand said, “The climax. I would not change the tone to slapstick. And stay with the situational ‘Friends’ type of humour and emotion. The rest of the film has so much spontaneity and aesthetic that is tough to replicate. The magic just happened. I’m still very gentle. There’s a lot of sensitivity in Pathaan. It wouldn’t have worked the way it did if it didn’t carry the emotion so well. Whether it’s Pathaan and Nandini’s track or even Jim’s back story. One feels it’s the action that carries Pathaan. But it’s actually what you feel emotionally that engages you through the film too.”

Assessing Salaam Namaste, Siddharth Anand said, “I’m a big critic of my own films. So, with that in mind, I truly feel Salaam Namaste is a film that’s aged well. And this one is a tough genre to keep up with time. The credit for this should go to the entire team. Adi (producer Aditya Chopra) for believing in a young kid in me who was a reluctant director. He saw a director in me before I did. Gave me freedom and the budget. Saif, being the big star he was, showed faith and came on board. Same for Preity.”

He added, “And the whole crew from Sunil Patel, Sharmista, Mamta, Surily, Rishi, Ahmed Khan… everyone added to the film. I only channelised all their talent. I think emotionally Fighter has been my most sensitive and strongest. So, I think I’ve been quite consistent where the emotional quotient is concerned. And that comes from the person I am. Deep inside, I think Saif is still the same person. Fun and naughty.”

Also Read: 15 Years of Salaam Namaste: Preity Zinta says she stole most of Saif Ali Khan’s bronzer during the shoot 

from Featured Movie News | Featured Bollywood News - Bollywood Hungama
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