Vipul Shah seems to have found the perfect formula that makes his army themed movies work at the box-office. The man however modestly attributes his success to luck but says he will continue making movies on army because of his continued fascination for our soldiers. For the moment, it's his mini-series on army, Pukaar - Call for the Hero on Life OK that he is excited about. We caught up with the producer-director to know more about his latest television venture.
How did your fascination with army begin?
Ever since I was a kid, army fascinated me to no end. I wanted to be a fighter pilot but things didn't fall in place. In today's day and age everybody loves the army. The kind of character that army shows in different situations is exemplary. Be it Kashmir floods, Chinese incursion or cross border terrorism, we cannot imagine our country being safe and sound without our army. My fascination for the army after making films have only grown. And the fascination will only grow more.
How did Pukaar happen?
I met Ajit Thakur (Life OK Head) over coffee and he asked me why I am not looking at television. I told him that I am not interested in daily soaps as it doesn't excite me anymore. My vision was to make a 24-hour film in the form of a mini-series. I also wanted to showcase action of the kind never before witnessed on Indian television. Ajit was okay with it and that's how Pukaar kick started its journey.
Why did you choose Life OK?
It doesn't matter whether it is a new channel or not. Today it is the audience who decides what they want to see. If they like the show, they will surely watch it irrespective of which channel it is being telecast on.
Was your decision to make Pukaar taken after you tasted great success in your films based on army?
No. I am a product of television. I have been lucky to have tasted success with the army based movies I have made but that didn't influence my decision to make Pukaar. Through Pukaar, I want to showcase action that no one has made on television ever.
How different will be the action as compared to the ones shown in your film?
I am not trying to recreate the action sequences of my film here. I am trying to better it. So you will see new stuff. There are about 40 to 50 action sequences. You will see a lot of dare devilry and I can promise you that you will be amazed.
Why did you decide to co-direct Pukaar?
Initially, I was supposed to direct only one episode but after directing the first episode I was so hooked on that I decided to direct the rest of it as well. Also it's a big unit and no one person could have handled it on his own and Deven(Bhojani) too would have needed a partner.
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