'The love Bajrangi Bhaijaan gets even today proves that humanity exists'

Kabir Khan’s Bajrangi Bhaijaan, which featured Salman Khan in one of his most endearing roles, recently clocked 10 years. It tells the story of a kind-hearted man who embarks on a journey to reunite a mute Pakistani girl with her family across the border. The film struck an emotional chord with audiences worldwide, with people often asking the director about a sequel to the film.

‘Discussions about Bajrangi Bhaijaan 2 keep happening’Kabir is often asked about a possible sequel to the movie. He says, “At a time when people are objecting to anything and everything, the kind of love the film gets even today, proves that deep down humanity exists. We got the timing of the film right, which is why it resonated with people. Of course, Salman and I have discussed Bajrangi Bhaijaan 2, but we don’t want to make a sequel just for the sake of it; when it happens, it will be done well.”

‘2000 girls were auditioned for the role of Munni’Recalling the casting process for Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Kabir tells us, “I knew if we didn’t find the right Munni, the film wouldn’t stand, so 2000 girls were auditioned, of which 10 were finalised. Shooting with children isn’t easy, so we had a 10-day workshop. She also had to have the stamina to shoot a six-month-long film in places like Kashmir and Rajasthan. That’s how we finalised Harshaali Malhotra, who met all requirements.”

‘I was apprehensive about approaching Kareena because of the length of her role’Speaking of how Salman and Kareena Kapoor Khan came on board, he shares, “Salman and I had just delivered a big action film, Ek Tha Tiger, and conventional wisdom says one must repeat what is successful. But for me, Bajrangi was always Salman, and when I narrated the script, he felt strongly about the political angle and jumped on it. His love for children came across in the film, and it became his first production. I was apprehensive about approaching Kareena because the length of her role was less. Her character was the voice of reason, and I asked her to hear the entire script. By the end of the narration, she had tears in her eyes.”

‘Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s Chand Nawab was inspired by a Pakistani journalist’Kabir says that Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s character Chand Nawab was directly inspired by Pakistani journalist Chand Nawab. The real Chand Nawab became famous after a video of him went viral in 2008, where he was seen struggling to deliver a news report at a crowded railway station in Karachi. Kabir says, “I had worked with Nawaz in New York and couldn’t find an appropriate role for him in Ek Tha Tiger. So, when we were casting for Chand Nawab, I just showed him the viral video and he fell off his chair laughing, saying he would do the film.”

‘The police had to take Salman out of Chandni Chowk’The film’s locations in Kashmir and Rajasthan are now famous as ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan points’. The director recalls, “I love shooting in real locations. I tried shooting with Salman in Chandni Chowk, but a senior police officer told me that 20,000 people had gathered there. A decoy car with police had to take Salman out of Chandni Chowk. Reaching Munni’s village, which was in Aru, involved an hour’s trek for the cast and crew every day with all our camera equipment. Today, all those locations are known as Bajrangi Bhaijaan points. We would organise Kashmiri food feasts every 10-12 days and take days off so the team could travel and explore Kashmir. Even today, I regularly travel to Kashmir.”

‘Munni’s only dialogue in the film wasn’t clear’
Recalling some challenging moments Kabir adds, “We had to scout for a dargah to shoot ‘Bhar Do Jholi’ an important qawwali in the film. Getting Adnan Sami on board was Salman’s idea and in the end everything worked out well. Later, after we shot the climax with Harshaali and were working on the sound mixing, which had to be delivered the next morning, suddenly we realised the words ‘mama’ -Munni’s only dialogue in the film wasn’t clear. We called two security guards to test it and they couldn’t understand what Harshaali was saying. My daughter Sairah was around the same age, so I woke her up from her sleep, took her to the studio and got her to record Munnai crying out ‘mama’ that’s how the film got delivered in time."