Hawaa Hawaai to be dedicated to Amole's father

Amole Gupte’s film Hawaa Hawaai will be dedicated to his father. The filmmaker’s father Sudhakar Laxman Gupte passed away on 1 May. “My father was able to see the film before he was gone. That means the world to me. The film is dedicated to him. My life is dedicated to him,” says Amole emotionally. If it wasn’t for Ajay Devgn, Amole Gupte would not have been able to meet his father for the last time. Says Amole softly, “We were shooting for Singham 2 on 28 April when Ajay received the news that his father (former action coordinator Veery Devgan) was unwell. He rushed off to meet him. I suddenly had two days off. Without a second thought I bundled into my car with my wife Deepa and son Partho and we drove off to Pune to meet my father. Two days later he was suddenly gone. I now think back and wonder what I’d have felt if I hadn’t met him on the 29th. I have only Ajay to thank for being able to see my father one last time.” Both Devgn and director Rohit Shetty have been extremely supportive, even offering to cancel shooting. But on Sunday Amole returned to shoot for Singham 2. He explained, “We’re shooting the film’s climax. There’s no point in staying at home with my memories of my father. I know he is with me. And I know he’d have wanted it this way. I am back to shooting. My father was and will always be my hero. He was one of the first computer software engineers in this country when the computer came to India in the early 1970s. He was a software consultant with one of the first computer manufacturing companies the International Computers Ltd. Mazey ki baat yeh hai ki mere pitaji ne mujhe kabhi mere sapnon ko choonne se nahin roka (my father never stopped me from reaching out for my dreams). He let me spread my wings the way I wanted. Today I am letting my son Partho do the same. Hawaa Hawaai is also about letting every child reach the sky through whatever means he or she chooses.” Karan Johar who is closely associated with Amole Gupte’s wife Deepa Bhatia (she edits Johar’s films) saw Hawaa Hawaai last week and loved the film. Says Amole, “It’s important for the film to reach out to the audience that loves Karan Johar’s cinema. Every child has the potential to be a Karan Johar provided he isn’t told to curb his dreams.”