Filmmaker Abhishek Sharma's satirical entertainer "Tere Bin Laden" recently completed 10 years. He had followed it up with "Tere Bin Laden: Dead Or Alive" in 2016, but now he has no intention of bringing out another part of the series.
He recalls it was a challenge working on the film series.
"It is challenging, especially when you are trying to live up to the expectations of a film like 'Tere Bin Laden', which was really appreciated by the people. You want to do something fresh, something out of the box, yet it should be a worthy successor," Sharma told IANS.
About the sequel, he said: "In our case, we unfortunately experimented too much. So people did not find 'Dead Or Alive' as alive as the first part. But then those are the learnings. But it was very challenging and we enjoyed making it. Unfortunately, it didn't do the kind of business or it could not have the same kind of impact that the first part had. But anyway, that happens in film business."
So, is there any scope for "Tere Bin Laden 3"?
"No, I think let sleeping dogs lie. I think it's enough of 'Tere Bin Laden'. It's a special film, so let it be. We tried something with 'Tere Bin Laden: Dead Or Alive', but it didn't work out. So I think we should just let it be," said the director, who has helmed "Parmanu: The Story Of Pokhran" and "The Zoya Factor" since then.
But 2010, when "Tere Bin Laden" released, will always be special for him.
Recalling the most memorable thing about the film, he shared: "It was the Friday when the film released. That was in a way birth of a filmmaker, for me. It was my 'filmy birthday', so I'll always remember that Friday -- the nervousness, the anxiety as well as the excitement. By the end of Friday, the word of mouth was good. We got to know that people were loving the film. It ended on a very sweet note despite a slow opening on Friday. The film picked up on Saturday and it was houseful on Sunday. I'll always remember the release of that film. It was very special."
The first part starred Pradhuman Singh, who played a character modelled on Osama Bin Laden. A pivotal role was also played by Pakistani actor Ali Zafar.
In the last few years, tension between India and Pakistan has escalated, following which Indian films stopped featuring talent from the neighbouring country.
"I feel a lot has happened in the past 10 years. A lot of things have changed politically. It's not about allowing (them to work in Indian films), but I think we have to be sensitive as filmmakers towards the audience, and right now, maybe it's not the right time to get into collaborations across the border because people have a lot of concern about what is happening at our border and in the nation. They will not see it in a good taste," he said.
"As filmmakers, we should respect the sentiments of society, because we are a part of society. Maybe (one should) wait for the right time to get into collaborations again with talent from the other side," he added.
Sharma's next film "Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari" stars Manoj Bajpayee and Diljit Dosanjh along with Fatima Sana Shaikh.
(Natalia Ningthoujam can be contacted at natalia.n@ians.in)