'Bees Saal Ho Gaye!' Anees Bazmee Revisits No Entry After 20 Years

It was an epic. Twenty years ago, on August 26, producer Boney Kapoor, then reeling under several flops and also-rans, released No Entry, a film with an ensemble cast and a near three-hour duration (171 minutes).

Anil Kapoor’s home production starred Fardeen Khan as well: a possible payoff to Fardeen’s father, Feroz Khan, signing a fairly-new-then Kapoor for Janbaaz two decades earlier. Anees Bazmee, signed as writer-director for No Entry, and Anil had already hit it off as Anees had co-written the latter’s Apradhi, Laadla, Andaz, Mr. Azaad and Deewana Mastana. This had also led to Anil’s brother Boney signing Anees to write Sirf Tum (1999).

For the filmmaker, No Entry was his fourth film as director after the actioner Hulchul, the romcom, Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha and the tight thriller, Deewangee, and his first film without good friend Ajay Devgn. By 2005, thanks mainly to Priyadarshan’s films, clean comedies had come into vogue and in 2004, Indra Kumar’s Masti had also been among the pioneering adult-themed comedies as well.

But No Entry forged a trail of its own, and remains a perennial trendsetter. Anees was to helm later blockbusters like Welcome, Ready, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, but No Entry remains a unique accomplishment, and it is only right that we speak to the ever-affable writer-director, who began his career assisting none other than Raj Kapoor on Prem Rog.

Excerpts from the interview:

How does it feel that No Entry has completed 20 years?

(Chuckles) Bees saal ho gaye!! That’s such a big thing! It seems as if time has stood still!! I still get calls from people who tell me how happy they are after watching it! They tell me, ‘Kya picture banayi hai aapne!’

I have myself lost count of the number of times I have caught up with the film in full or in part on TV, the last being a few days back! Did you envisage its success at this level?

I always say that if you plan a movie with good intentions and complete honesty and mehnat and there is complete passion in one’s work —in short, if the grammar is right—then a film will not go wrong. But how well a film will do is not in anyone’s hand, and the love No Entry continues to receive even after two decades is incredible! People just haven’t stopped talking about it.

They say that originals cannot be bettered. And yet No Entry—the biggest Hindi hit of 2005—surpassed the film on which it was based—the Tamil Charlie Chaplin.

I was not satisfied with Charlie Chaplin, which Boney-ji wanted to remake. I have done many films that were inspired, but I almost completely reworked them, like with Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha or Deewangee.

No Entry had just an ‘impression’ maybe of the Tamil film. In fact, when the South guys saw my film, they told me that maine kamaal kar daala hai! And I was confident of my script!

But Boney allowed you to make all the drastic changes?

Yes! Boney-ji had a lot of faith and complete confidence in my judgement. He told me that even if I did not want to retain a single frame from the original, it was fine!

Your film remains a unique phenomenon—an adult-themed film that can be enjoyed even by children. The repeat value for families, besides kids, is high.

You see, that aspect is very important for me. My films are for families. I have three daughters, sisters, and I am not into comedy suffused with vulgarity or any double-meaning humour. I am a very simple man and do not believe in shortcuts of that kind to ‘appeal’ to a section of the public. When I can write well, why should I take recourse to that kind of stuff? I also wanted every character, even the straying husbands, to be likeable.

There was this short scene in my film where even the prostitute is shown to need exorbitant money every day to treat her severely ill husband. The bartender tells Salman Khan her backstory.

That’s probably the only problem I had with the film! I thought that Bipasha Basu’s character could have been clarified even to the wives.

Did you feel that way? Interesting! (Ponders). But I thought that as long as the men knew it, it was enough. Nothing would have been gained by the wives coming to know about her. But for my audience, it was important to know that Bipasha’s character was not really that of a money-greedy woman. That short scene showed that there are so many women out there whose smiles hide the pain that they cannot show.

There are so many sequences where you expertly blended comedy and emotions. How did you manage that so skillfully?

I think that all comedy is basically a tragedy! Jab dukh badhta hai tab comedy ban jaati hai! Like in Welcome, the dons’ sister is of marriageable age but the two brothers cannot get a match for her! The comedy evolved from this sad situation.

I heard that Priyanka Chopra was the first choice for Bipasha Basu’s role.

She was, she was! Things happen—date issues money issues, opinions or something else. But it is my job and responsibility as writer-filmmaker-creator that when they watch my film, the audience should feel that whoever has finally done the role is the only one best suited for it! I also believe in the dictum that whatever happens is for the best. Every film has its own kundali, and if what I want happens, it is good, but if it does not, it is better, because ooparwala apna khel khelta hai!

Finally, there is so much speculation about the sequel. For 20 years, we have had so many rumours!

Boney-ji and I will soon announce everything. The title is No Entry Mein Entry. Each hero will have a double role and there will be six girls. That’s all I can reveal for now. We will work hard again.

Last but not the least, any special memory you cherish from the film’s making?

It was a great journey and there are so many memories. Anil Kapoor was there almost shoulder-to-shoulder and so was Boney. Salman Khan’s was supposed to be a special appearance. His work in the film did not finally extend beyond about 15 shooting days. He met me in Phuket where I narrated the climax, and he loved it. Point-blank, he told me that this sequence was so well thought-of that I should work on it aram se and not finish it in a day!

One cannot imagine the film without Salman Khan.

Absolutely! We needed a charmer, a big star with attitude who could look convincing teaching the other two heroes a lesson and an actor great with songs. And Salman’s soch too is so right!