I never had any issues with Himesh Reshammiya, says Shawn Arranha

His last film Hide And Seek in 2010 may not have given director Shawn Arranha the start he was looking for, but that hasn’t stopped him from making another earnest effort. Shawn is back with his second film Tera Surroor starring Himesh Reshammiya, which is slated to release on March 11. In a quick chat, he shares his experience of making the film. Excerpts:

What took you so long to make your second film Hide And Seek was not a commercial success. For my second film, I wanted the right project with right economics. I wanted to associate with brand names. Himesh Reshammiya and Bhushan Kumar are two of the best and the biggest producers in the industry.

How did Tera Surroor happen I had met Himesh Reshammiya long ago and we were in touch. He called me one day for the movie since he thought I could pull off an action thriller well. We sat and discussed the story and we finalised things within a fantastic budget. I feel I should make my producers, distributors and exhibitors happy at the end of the day. We shot the film over 18 days in Dublin which is a beautiful place.

Is it true that the film was supposed to be directed by someone else Yes, but that time the plot was entirely different. When I came on board, Himesh and I started from the scratch. Tera Surroor is not a sequel. It is the second edition of the Aap Ka Surroor franchise.

How did you manage to make Himesh look so stylish in this film After Xpose, Himesh worked very hard on his physique. In Tera Surroor, he plays Raghu, who is a suave gangster. For the role, he needed to build abs and regulate his diet. Himesh has acted really well in the film. I was so impressed by him.

How did you come across Farah Karimaee for the female lead We wanted a girl with an international look. We auditioned and selected Farah, who is a NRI from Holland. She is an extremely beautiful girl and has that innocence the script requires. Like how Deepika Padukone and Hansika Motwani gained overnight fame with Aap Ka Surroor — we are hoping the same for Farah. She is now the Surroor franchise girl.

Did you ever feel overshadowed by the veterans while shooting Never! Naseerji, Kabir Bedi and Shekhar Kapoor are like gods for me. They are veterans in their own ways. And they made me very comfortable on the sets. They understood me and they believed in me as a director.

Have you ever faced Himesh Reshammiya’s ill-famous temperament I don’t understand why people always say things about his temperament. I was told that he gives a lot of grief to those he works with, but my experience was completely the opposite. I never had any issues with Himesh. He loved the way I worked and gave me the liberty.