Sangeeth Sivan had a quite a different story in mind when he met up with Bobby Deol and Dharamendra two years ago. “Actually I wanted to direct a road film titled Cheers with Bobby and Dharamji playing father and son. But as I was talking to them they thought of asking me to direct the sequel of Yamla Pagla Deewana ( YPD ). They told me that they had watched my films Apna Sapna Money Money and Kya Kool Hain Hum but the offer to direct the YPD sequel didn’t come immediately,” says Sangeeth.
When Sunny Deol did approach Sangeeth a few days later, the filmmaker was a little apprehensive. “I had refused the sequels of both Apna Sapna… and Kya Kool… because I hadn’t found a story to take the theme forward. Now I was being offered YPD and it was quite a responsibility,” he says.
But when Sangeeth finally agreed to direct the sequel, he sat down with the writer of the first part and chalked out the story. “I then ran it past Dharamji, Sunny and Booby. We decided to retain the characters but broaden the canvas of the story. We also wanted a rocking music score. And most importantly, we wanted the film to appeal to kids so that we can come up with a complete family entertainer,” he says.
The story of Yamla Pagla Deewana 2 (releasing June 7) takes off from the first film. Sunny believes that his father and brother, the biggest conmen in Varanasi, have been reformed after their meeting and now lead an honest life. “Sunny is the righteous son while Bobby and Dharamji believe that money can buy anything. The film is basically a clash of their ideologies but in a fun manner,” says Sangeeth.
Working with the Deols was an experience to cherish, says the filmmaker. “All three have different personalities. Working with Dharamji was an absolute pleasure. He is quite hands on and his enthusiasm is very infectious. I doff my hat to him for working with such passion even at this age.”
After YPD2 , Sangeeth is keen on taking up Cheers , his road film with Bobby and Dharamji. “It’s a slice-of-life film that deals with father-son issues. It is not an out-and-out commercial film and is not going to be mounted on a large scale as YPD 2. The biggest challenge in that film is the weather. I want it to be conducive to shoot with Dharamji. Hopefully, I should be able to do it,” says Sangeeth.
