Ali is like the North Star, Uday

He made us fall in love with him when he portrayed the character of Ali in Dhoom. Now he is back with its sequel and Ali is all set to rock again. Meet Uday Chopra, in an inter view where he speaks about his career, interests and forthcoming film Dhoom II.

The only producers who seem to cast you seem to be Yash Raj. Do you ever feel that in a perverse manner, the industry has not given you your due, simply because you are the son of Yash Chopra?
I don’t believe that the industry has not given me my due. In this place talent speaks for itself. I will not use the excuse of being Yash Chopra’s son as a means of justifying why other producers have not cast me. If I am good I will get work. If I haven’t got work then I will just have to prove that I am deserving. Whatever the future of my career may be, it’s in my hands through what I do and not because of my surname.

What was it like this time around as compared to the first time? Did you miss John’s presence on set?
Dhoom was the first time we were attempting something like this and it was new for all of us that’s why I will always have a sense of magic associated with the film. However Dhoom II had so many friends all together so the fun of working was literally doubled. Not having John and Esha, did feel strange but we would always reminisce about them on the set and yes we did miss them.

You have known Hrithik and Abhishek since childhood. Has your equation with them changed at all since you were children? What was the experience like shooting with them?
They are two of my closest friends and no our equation is still very much the same as it has always been. We always seem to have the best time together and working together especially in a film like Dhoom II was amazing. We were either working or having fun there was no third emotion during the entire shoot of this film.

What was it like working with two of the hottest women around: Aishwarya and Bipasha? How many scenes do you have with them in the movie?
This has to be a rhetorical question cause naturally working with these two women cant be anything but mind-blowing! I think both are just amazing women and working with them is super. As for scenes I had more work with Bipasha and not so much with Aishwarya.

How has Ali’s character grown over the course of the sequel? Have you done anything differently as compared to the first one?
Ali is like the North Star, always constant no matter what situation he is in. That is one of the great things about this character. I didn’t really have to do anything that differently because Ali is a character that doesn’t really change. He is the same innocent, funny, smart alecky kind of person, no matter where he goes. According to him if he is not in Nagpada then all he knows is that he is somewhere else, so be it Goa or Rio Ali is totally comfortable wherever he goes.

Dhoom ended with you turning a new leaf and becoming a cop of sorts. Will you be a cop in the sequel or back to your con ways?
In this film he has now become a cop because he did turn over a new leaf in the last film. So he does continue to don the mantle of a cop and he is very proud of being one but besides that everything else in his mind is pretty much the same.

Dhoom 2 is your first sequel. Was it difficult to repeat the mannerisms and character of the first Dhoom?
As for the mannerisms again I purposely didn’t want to change anything because it had worked so well the last time but we did try and change the look of the character this time. Now since he is a cop instead of giving him the same long hair we cut it short, but at the same time retained the bandana. We also cut out his jackets and layered look and gave him more of a leaner feel in the film. So all in all Ali has gone thru a change in look but in essence he is still very much the same.

How do you like the music of “Dhoom:2” as compared to the first one? Is it as good.
The music this time round is much bigger than before and by bigger I mean it’s much more punchy and massy. Almost every song has been treated in a grand scale. I can’t decide between the two albums cause I loved the first one too but I will say that if Dhoom is about speed and adrenalin then this album is twice as high in energy than the last one – simply put - it Rocks !

What was the best moment in the shooting of this movie?
The best moment I can remember was when we were shooting the climax song of the film in Rio. It was night time and we were on the streets of Rio with a lot of dancers and junior artistes from there. Around 2 am in the morning when everyone was a bit tired and just sitting around and the lighting for the next shot was going on, I plugged in my ipod to the speakers and just blasted the song Kajra re from Bunty aur Babli. What followed was just unbelievable because each and every person just got up and started to dance. Abhishek and Ash actually started to perform on the stage there and we had the entire Rio crowd dancing and clapping for us for putting up this impromptu show. They were blown away by the music and everyone just went crazy dancing and enjoying themselves. It just made me realize the kind of life the people have in Rio. They are so driven by song and dance that it’s in their bones and that feeling is what engulfed us that night and just swept everyone away.

Do you think Dhoom II can outdo the success of Dhoom?
It better. Dhoom II is definitely bigger than Dhoom was and there is much more in it than what one got in the first part so yes I think it should blow the first part right out of the ballpark but then again that’s just what I hope for. I guess come November 24th we will all know what happens.

Did you do all the stunts yourself? What was it like?
A lot of the stunts were done by me in this part as well but nowadays there is so much safety and precaution that its not really that scary. Its like going for a ride on a roller coaster. Everything is taken care of for you. All one really has to do is give the right expressions.

Will we see a Dhoom III?
Good question. But I’m really the wrong person to ask this question to. I think you need to redirect it to Mr. Aditya Chopra. If he decides there will be a Dhoom III, then it will. However at the moment there is no activity towards it - but yes it is a distinct possibility.

You had Esha Deol as your love interest in Dhoom. Will it be Bipasha Basu this time?
Ali as usual keeps falling in love with every girl he sees. In the last film it was Esha and in this film it is Bipasha but whether or not she reciprocates his love is something that one will be able to see only once the film is out.

This time the starcast is even bigger. Any apprehensions of getting lost in the crowd of Abishek, Bipasha, Hrithik and Aishwarya?
Well if I get lost in this crowd then it is a pretty distinguished crowd to get lost in but honestly its not about me getting lost in a crowd. It’s a film and the film is about the characters of these 5 people so if the character is strong it will stand out.

Which one was more difficult to shoot Dhoom or Dhoom II?
I’d have to say Dhoom II was probably tougher cause it has a lot more going on in it. There are so many different locations, much more action and many more characters and plus at the end of the day it’s Dhoom II. 2 being the definitive number here so it has to be at least twice the fun of the first film and to multiply a film by 2 takes a lot of work so yes it was tougher and not just for me but for the entire crew too.

We have seen so little of you except Neal ‘n’ Nikki. Why aren’t you signing more films?
I’ve always said that I rather do no work than do stuff that I don’t enjoy. I’m probably not really in a position to be picky and choosy but then again I can’t see myself doing things that doesn’t excite me. As far as work is concerned there is plenty out there but the stuff that I want doesn’t come to me and the stuff that comes to me I don’t want. So until one of the two things start to happen, I guess it will be a work in progress.