Adgully Exclusive | Sajid Khan: Unplugged and unleashed!

"You wait for two minutes I will be there in half an hour," that was Sajid Khan's opening line in the exclusive interview with Adgully. Khan's gambit was typical of his style, marked by drollery and gentle irreverence. His style has served him well in his various avatars: TV host and dost for more than a decade; scriptwriter; bona fide Bollywood director; and, currently, judge on a talent show.

Despite the acclaim and the attending perks of celebrity, 38-year-old Khan is disarming as well as charismatic. He is sharp and forthright, but also warm and approachable. He said he placed great premium on being honest in his work. The sense of integrity sometimes makes his jokes abrasive for some people, as it did for Ashutosh Gowarikar at the Star Screen Awards last year. Gowarikar could not take Khan's merciless ribbing of the industry and said so on the podium. Khan made it clear, equally publicly, that he could not care less.

Khan's honest approach makes him eschew scripts while he works for television and, naturally, seldom adheres to the briefs giving by a channel.

Although Khan conceded that judging a talent show required maturity and experience, he stressed that it was not the be-all and end-all of the entertainment world. "As a host, I wouldn't have acquired the credibility that I have as a director," Khan said. "Frankly speaking, according to my observation, there are only five directors in India who have given two superhit films one after the other. And after "Heyy Babyy' and "Houseful', I have joined that club."

As for his directorial debut, Khan is quick to give credit to Sajid Nadiadwala. "I was completely backed by my best friend Sajid Nadiadwala," Khan said. "He not only had the courage but also the credibility to stand behind me."

Khan wanted to make his first film with a budget of Rs10 crore, and shoot it in Delhi. But Nadiadwala insisted on scaling up the budget. Eventually, Rs40 crore were spent and the shooting locations included Japan and Australia. Khan said regardless of the budget and the scope of a film, he wanted to create works which entertained the whole family. He said that the biggest box office hits in India and abroad were films which banked on kids to push their families into cinema theatres.

Khan is also pragmatic about the fact that films crammed with stars have a better chance at the box office. But does hankering after celebrity compromise the creative scheme of a work? "I think both are important," Khan said. "No matter how good a sweet is, you would buy it from a good vendor with good packaging rather than from a stall. "Houseful' wasn't liked by many critics, but I don't think they were judging my film but [they were judging] me."

Khan then released an addendum to his comment on the importance on packaging, by saying that in this era of information glut and easy accessibility of entertainment options, marketing was just as crucial.

Staying on packaging, Adgully put it to Khan that animation was considered to be a hot property these days, especially after the success of films like "Avatar'. Khan, as he always does, issued a brutally honest answer. "In India, they don't do it well," he said. "Many studios have tried their hand at animation but the works have flopped. The reason is, even today, we call animation film a "cartoon' film. Very soon, 3D will also flop."

It was time for Adgully to ask Khan to talk about himself. Would he be just as honest? Adgully was both amused and touched by Khan's unwavering consistency in being forthright. "I don't see any change in myself. I have always been like this," Khan said. "I represent the audience. My connect factor with the audience is 10,000 times better than that of anybody else. I don't take myself too seriously nor do I take myself too lightly."

Khan said his heart defined his work. "My logic has always been that we aren't creating a rocket, we are just trying to make an entertaining film," he said. "I started my career when I was 21, trying to make a mark for myself in a crowded world. Today, when I look back, I realise I used to be very caustic at times. I was very negative, but now I would not say half the things that I said then. And may be after 15 years I would not say half the things that I am saying now!"

And then Khan rather proudly said what few people will have the gumption to admit in their lifetime. "I was very unprofessional in my first job!" he said. "Nobody knows this, but I had signed on a show called "Antakshari' with Zee as a host, while I was still studying at Mithibai college, in Mumbai. I was told that I would be given Rs2000-3000 per episode. I auditioned and was selected. On the first day of shooting, I had a fight with the co-host. And somewhere I felt this image would stick with me all my life so I did not do it; like after "Ramayan', Arun Govil was always called Ram!"