His first film, Udayananu Tharam , is regarded as a cult comedy. He has not emulated the kind of success in the three films that followed and director Rosshan Andrrews is keeping his fingers crossed as his latest release, Mumbai Police , hits the screens today.
Mumbai Police is about three cops, played by Prithviraj, Jayasurya and Rahman. The film, scripted by Bobby and Sanjay, has been produced by Nisad Haneefa.
Just a few hours before the film's release, Rosshan says that he is not at all tense about the film.
“Experience has made me stronger and I have gone through the tension several times by now. I was happy during the release of Udayananu Tharam . Notebook, my second film, was booed on the first day but later it was accepted. Ividam Swargamanu was okay all along. Casanovva had a spectacular opening and was fine during the first four days but went down after that. This time I think our team has made a good film and Mumbai Police is a film that I would like to watch as a viewer,” he says.
According to him, “this story is about pure friendship. Often it is seen that we can share anything with a friend, even more than what we can share with our family. This movie is more about their personal lives than their career.”
He is not perturbed a bit when he is told that he has this reputation as an expensive director with loads of attitude.
“I have completed Mumbai Police in 56 days, when the original schedule was for 60 days. The expected budget was Rs. 6 crores but the first copy is out at Rs. 5.75 crores. The film has already recovered Rs.4.30 crores through various rights and the risk of the producer is already lessened, even before the release,” says Rosshan.
When many young directors are going for small budget movies, his films are always made on a grand scale. “It's true that I believe in grandeur, when it comes to my visuals. I adore filmmakers like David Lean and I feel that the budget is according to the subject. I am fascinated by new technology. Like you don't get the same dish at the same price in every hotel, when the ambience and quality become better, it tends to come at a higher price,” he says.
His next film, How Old Are You , will have Kunchacko Boban in the lead and “it is basically about age and the change in attitudes and perceptions when you get age. I think one should not be afraid of getting older and we have to realise that age is, after all, a number.”
He has also announced a project with Dileep as the hero, which will start rolling next year. Both the films are being scripted by Bobby and Sanjay.