Filmmaker Kabir Khan had a rich 2015 when two of his directorials from poles apart genres released within a span of two months. These were Phantom and Bajrangi Bhaijaan. While Phantom is an action-thriller starring Saif Ali Khan and Katrina Kaif, Bajrangi Bhaijaan remains a high point in Salman Khan’s career. Interestingly, both the movies presented India-Pakistan relations in different manner.
In this throwback interview with Zoom, Kabir Khan spoke on his two releases of 2015 and where they stood in his repertoire.
You had two major back-to-back releases two weeks apart in July and August 2015?
I never treated Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Phantom as two films. Rather, it was like one big marathon from Bajrangi to Phantom since I was shooting them simultaneously. I didn’t allow myself to feel the pressure of two films.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nwAra0mz_Q
Phantom was accused by Pakistan for being anti-Pakistan
Phantom was not anti-Pakistan but anti-terrorism. Pakistan is even more traumatised by terror attacks than we are. Terrorists attacked little children in Peshawar some time ago. It can’t get any more brutal than that.Phantom talks about bringing the perpetrators of 26/11 Mumbai attacks to book. It is essentially saying the same thing about Indo-Pak relations that Bajrangi Bhaijaan did.
Phantom and Bajrangi Bhaijaan are different from each other in treatment and tone
Phantom is based on the book Mumbai Avengers. Saif Ali Khan plays an army officer, seeking revenge on the terrorists who masterminded the 26/11 attack on Mumbai. Bajrangi Bhaijaan, on the other hand, stars Salman Khan, a Bajrang Bali devotee, trying to find the home of a lost little girl across the border. Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Phantom are two completely different films. While BB is a full-on masala film with lots of music, Phantom has no lip-sync songs even. It’s intended as a far more serious exploration of a political issue.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sotrgeTvOIo
So no romancing between Saif and Katrina?
There is no singing and dancing in Phantom. It would look very odd if Saif and Katrina took song breaks in this film. It is different from Bajrangi but we hope it'll find the acceptance that BB did.
After Phantom you were assailed by protesters at the Karachi airport
They kept on ranting about how I had shown Pakistan in a bad light in Phantom. Twice I tried to talk to them. But they were in no mood to listen. I don’t think they were interested in reasoning or rationale. It looked like they had come prepared to attack. They knew the time of my departure and were there all prepared for what they had to do. You can’t reason with the lunatic fringe. But I really don’t want to play into their hands. I am not going to get cowed down and be provoked into making statement against the country. Because the truth is, the common man is just not interested in any violence.