People will get to watch two films with two different flavours this Eid: Baba Yadav

He's a happy-go-lucky man, who has a very positive outlook towards life. No wonder, choreographer-cum-director Baba Yadav, whose film Boss 2 is all set to hit theatres, has only made friends in the industry. When he came to the TOI office for a chat, he told us that dance is his oxygen, while films allow him to tell a story on a bigger canvas.Baba, who is still having a hard time coming to terms with his mother's demise, also told us about his chemistry with Jeet and how he starts the shoot every day by breaking a coconut on the sets.Excerpts:
How has the journey been from a choreographer to a director?
It has been an adventure of sorts -thrilling and entertaining. While doing choreography ,I get to tell a story in two-three minutes, but as a director, I get to do it in 2-2.5 hours. That's an entirely different experience. In fact, going deep into characters is quite intriguing.Moreover, it's a different feeling when a whole team is depending on you. It's fulfilling, but also scary at times, as the fear of whether I'm doing things right or not constantly haunts me.
Has choreography taken a back seat after you started directing films?
No way! Dance is my oxygen. I love to choreograph songs, as it's a challenge to tell a story within a limited time. That's especially important today, when song-and-dance sequences often take the story forward. In fact, I'll soon be flying to London to choreograph a Punjabi film. A few more projects are in the pipeline.
Who is the best dancer in Tollywood?
There are quite a few, including Dev, Ankush, Sayantika (Banerjee) and Subhashree. Each has their own style. As for Jeet, he dances more through his expressions; more like Govinda. He enjoys dancing.
Boss 2 is a sequel to Boss and is written by Jeet. We heard that it's a story that can be enjoyed even if one hasn't watched the first film?
Yes. In the first film, Surya (Jeet) goes to Mumbai and soon becomes one of the people there. He instils in them the courage to dream and they start looking up to him and he becomes the Boss. But Boss 2 starts with the same people protesting against him, alleging that he has run away with their money . The authorities decide to arrest him and soon, it's revealed that he actually wanted to be arrested. That's when the story begins. The film is an entertaining thriller about Surya's life -a modern-day Robin Hood with a different approach.
Your last few films like Game, Badsha-The Don didn't do well at the box office. Moreover, a Dev film is releasing on the same day. Does that make you jittery?
I'm a positive man. I've seen the trailer of that film and it's nothing like Boss 2. So, why should I worry? Eid is a time for celebration and people will get to watch two films with two different flavours. It's like having Chinese food one day and Mughlai on another. People can enjoy both (smiles). As for Game, I have no clue why it didn't work despite having a good concept and story . Badsha-The Don did excep tionally well in Bangladesh; I guess we mist imed the release here.
You have only worked with Jeet so far.
It was Jeet who had faith in my ability to direct a film and trusted me with Boss. He made my dream come true. I also share a great rapport with him and we talk about so many things other than films. I've learnt the meaning of life from him. He's always brim ming with infectious positive energy . So, he will always have a special place in my heart. But that doesn't mean I don't want to work with other actors.
We heard Jeet is extremely fidgety when it comes to work. So, is he bossy on the sets?
Not at all. He shares his thoughts and I listen to him, as he has 15 years of experience. I always take his ideas seriously , as his under standing of cinema and the industry is much more than me.But the final call is always taken by the directorial team and Jeet never interferes with that. But everything needs to be clearly explained to him, as he, being a perfectionist, needs to be sure about what he's doing. As a producer, he has doubled the budget of Boss 2 compared to Boss and he has not compromised on anything. As a team, we ensured that the film was made within that budget. I believe a producer should make profits so that he can invest again (laughs).
With two heroines on the sets, was there any kind of tension?
(Laughs) Even we anticipated problems, but they surprised us by becoming the best of friends. In fact, they had a blast in Bangkok. Moreover, if the atmosphere on the sets is not friendly , then work gets affected. So, I make it a point that the team remains cool and positive; that gets reflected on screen automatically .
There was a lot of controversy around the item song, Allah meherbaan, and it had to be changed to Yaara meherbaan....
I know. That happened around the time my mother passed away . I feel sorry for Nusrat, as she had to face the brunt of it, mostly in Bangladesh. But we film makers have no religion; our job is to only entertain the audience. And we had no intention of hurting any religious sentiments through the song. Moreover, it's not an item number, though it may look that way . It's crucial to the film and comes at an important juncture. Anyway, it's no longer an issue and I must say Jeet Gannguly has scored beautiful songs for the film. Ureche mon, especially, is doing wonders. Allan Amin, too, has designed the action sequences beautifully .
Do you feel there is too much of politics in Tollywood?
By god's grace, I haven't faced it yet despite working with all the production houses here. My mantra is simple -we have only one life; we should enjoy it with everyone.
We heard that you break a coconut every day on the sets, whether you are shooting here or abroad?
Yes (smiles). I do it to offer prayers to Ma Kali and Ganpati Bappa before the camera rolls.
So, what do you do on the morning the film releases?
I visit a temple to offer prayers.
So, who does Baba consider his boss?
My mom. Though she has left us, she will be always be my boss. I haven't been able to come to terms with the fact that she's not with me anymore (his voice chokes).