Dawn Images

This week is the countdown to Bachaana.

The rom-com thriller, which stars Sanam Saeed and Mohib Mirza, has been directed by first-timer Nasir Khan and releases on February 26.

Images talks to Nasir about Bachaana's Bajrangi comparison, shooting in Mauritius and his cast choices. Excerpts:

Images: Everyone wants to be a filmmaker these days, and your dream's come true. What's the secret to your success?

Nasir Khan: I've wanted to make a movie for the last 30 years, so Bachaana didn’t happen overnight (smiles). I've been saving up money to make a film for the last 15 years. When Rizwan Saeed (producer & partner in Big Film Entertainment) and I had enough money, we went to Mauritius and shot the film. I hope audiences like what we have made; that would be true success.

Images: You've made quite a few jumps in your career, from documentaries and sitcoms to TVCs and now a rom-com film. Tell us about this latest transition.

Nasir Khan: Well, I've been doing TV commercials for the last five years, but whatever I've done in the past – be it a sitcom, telefilm, documentary or TV commercial – has been a step towards making a film. You can call it the goal of my life!

"I've been saving to make a film for the last 15 years, so Bachaana didn’t happen overnight."

Images: Why did you choose Mauritius for shooting your film; previous Pakistani films have already used its locales.

Nasir Khan: Mauritius has so much natural beauty that within a span of a mile you can get five different locations for shooting and all of them would be equally appealing. With Mauritius as the backdrop, I felt that Pakistani audiences would get to see lots of locations that they had not seen in a while (the last film shot there was way back in the late 90s!) and that would certainly add to the appeal of the film. You go to see Bachaana and also end up seeing most of Mauritius at the price of one ticket.

Images: Did you work with a foreign crew in the film or chose your team from Pakistan?

Nasir Khan: Actually our crew was a mixture of Pakistanis, Indians and Mauritians.

Most of the Indians and Pakistanis had met the other for the first time on our set. People were a little quiet and reserved on the first day but our Director of Photography Asrad Khan broke the ice and helped create an environment in which all three nationalities worked in sync.

Secondly, after 18 hours of work every day, you tend to forget the where, who and how, and bond over [the common goal of] making the movie. That is precisely what happened in Bachaana!

Images: The question that is on everybody’s mind since the trailer released… did you write the story before Bajrangi Bhaijan or after?

Nasir Khan: (Laughs) It was written much before Bajrangi Bhaijaan and we were done with our shoot even before its trailer came out.

People might think it is like the Salman Khan blockbuster but trust me, it isn’t. There is just one dialogue which is similar ('India tak chor kay aaon ga').

Our product is completely different, our hero doesn't go to India, the film completely takes place in Mauritius.

"In hindsight, one politician deserves credit for our viral ‘larki larki hoti hai’ dialogue."

Images: Coming to dialogues, they seem different. Who's behind the script?**

Nasir Khan: The very talented Saad Azhar has written the film. He is a wonderful writer and has the ability to infuse humor even in more serious situations. Although I think in hindsight one politician deserves credit for the ‘larki larki hoti hai’ dialogue which went viral.

Images: Did you have Sanam Saeed and Mohib Mirza in mind for the lead or did you select them after the scripting was done?**

Nasir Khan: I have known Sanam for quite some time now, since it was my production company that produced her first sitcom. I knew her as a hard-working and honest actor, plus I also felt that audiences would like to see her in a lighthearted role for a change.

Mohib, on the other hand, was put through to us by Sanam and after the first phone conversation with him, I knew he would be great for the part as he got exactly we were trying to do. He has always wanted to do a commercial movie and Bachaana gives him the ample space to be a hero.

Images: Let’s talk about Adeel Hashmi. Why did you choose him for the negative role?

Nasir Khan: Adeel Hashmi is not the villain in Bachaana! But the intrigue and curiosity his character is causing is great.

Images: What’s next for Nasir Khan after Bachaana?

Nasir Khan: Marketing the film is a bigger task than making it, so all my focus is on getting the film out there and ensure that we keep on spreading the word and building the hype.