'Akshay is a treat to work with'

You could be forgiven for calling him a master of all trades.

As an actor, composer, writer and recently turned director Neeraj Vora more than fits the description.

He has kept the audiences in splits with his funnyman act in Hello Brother, Satya and Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega. He has also penned the scripts for superhits like Baazigar, Rangeela and Hera Pheri.

The man himself is straight out of the boisterous and animated characters he has essayed in his films.

Which probably accounts for why Akshay Kumar succumbed to his infectious enthusiasm and agreed to act in Vora's directorial debut Khiladi 420.

Sukanya Verma met the director. Excerpts:

How did you begin your foray in the entertainment industry?

I started off working in Gujarati theatre. One thing led to the other. And soon, I was acting in films. I worked in Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro, Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman, Akele Hum Akele Tum, Mann, Baadshah and Hello Brother.

I began my writing career with the lesser known film, Pehla Nasha starring Deepak Tijori, Pooja Bhatt and Raveena Tandon. A few are aware that I composed the music for that film too.

I have received professional training in classical music. The music of the film was decent, however, the story lacked punch. Funnily, I got work only for script writing, never again for composing music.

Baazigar, Rangeela were some of the films for which I wrote afterwards.

How did Khiladi 420 happen? What is the film all about?

The producer Keshu asked me to come up with a subject with Khiladi in its title. I worked on it, then narrated it to Akshay Kumar. He liked it immensely and insisted he would act only if I directed the film.

This is how my career as a director kicked off. In any case, I have decided that I want to be a director. Let's see what the industry and mass verdict is. The film is a thriller. I haven't compromised on my script in any way.

Obviously, with Akshay in the film, action is important. He has done this mindblowing stunt where he's standing some 8,000 feet above sea level on a plane. When we were shooting in Canada, locals came to us and complimented our stunt sequences.

So that's the level of our expertise. Working on all this is no child's play. It takes time and patience.

And Akshay is a treat to work with. He is a thorough professional.

Do you plan to continue writing, now that you have taken to direction?

See, I will certainly not stop writing for big directors. It is an enriching experience when you work with another person. You get to learn so much from them. Even at a music recording, you discover so much about music.

How would you sum your experience of directing a film for the first time?

I can vouch for the fact that working for this film was a great experience. Visualising a scene, as a writer is one thing, however working on it as a director involves a lot of hardwork.

I found doing that to be a lot of fun. I feel, I possess technical knowledge to make a film. At the end of the day, I can say I am glad I directed Khiladi 420 just the way I visualised it. I have added all the necessary ingredients that make a film convincing.

To be honest, every story that I write, I am tempted to direct it myself.

What is your priority - acting, writing or direction?

Acting is my hobby. I do it basically for fun. Professionally I am a writer. I always wanted to get into direction. I was waiting for the right opportunity. In our industry, timing is an extremely important thing, otherwise you lose out on your present job too.

A certain amount of risk is always involved. Right now, I have my fingers crossed for Khiladi 420 to be a huge success.