Trying to create our own universe, says Rohit Shetty

Rohit Shetty responds to fans’ comparisons of his Singham franchise with the Avengers series, talks about his animated offerings and the people he is most inspired by.

Rohit Shetty has been courting both the audience and the box office with his high-voltage action dramas for a while now. In 2011, he gave us Singham, which moved into the realm of franchises when he came up with Singham Returns in 2014. Then came the spin-off Simmba in 2018 and now, we wait with bated-breath for yet another film in the franchise – Sooryavanshi, which features Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif in the lead. One recalls how DCP Veer Sooryavanshi was deftly introduced at the tail end of Simmba and this gradual unfolding of characters and plot intersections reminds us of Marvel Cinematic Universe’s iconic Avengers franchise. Could the Singham series be Rohit’s desi answer to Marvel’s Avengers?

“Truly speaking, it (the Avengers series) is too big a name nowadays. If I say that I’m making something at the level of the Avengers, I will be badly trolled on social media,” chuckles the director, but adds, “Having said that, we are definitely trying to create our own universe. We are quite open about our films and don’t keep anything hidden. However, we were a little scared during the release of Simmba because we wondered if people would understand the film. But it worked in a very big way, so we are just going ahead and expanding that universe.”

Rohit’s films undoubtedly enjoy a sizeable fan following, but the director has been striving to capture the interest and attention of a brand new audience group, one that is relatively hard to please – children. He ventured into television shows last year, when he came up with the animated TV series, Little Singham and now, his animated show inspired by the Golmaal series – Golmaal Junior – is set to release today. When asked what inspired him to make these animated offerings, the director says, “I just realised that I started the animated shows because children love my films. I remember when we were making Singham, it was an action film for us. We weren’t sure if kids would like the film. Surprisingly, when parents met me they said that their children liked the film. So while making Simmba, we took extra care to make a film that could also be watched and liked by children. All my films have had the highest run on television so it’s become a responsibility for me to make a film that can be watched by the entire family.”

Rohit, who shares that his teenager son loves his films and wants to be a director when he grows up, says that he himself was inspired by his dad’s career. “My father was an action director in films, so I grew up in a filmy background and this influenced my decision. I really don’t know when I made the decision, but I always knew that I wanted to pursue direction, or even become an action director. So, right after school, I joined as a first assistant director. I became an assistant action director when I was merely 16.” But Rohit’s father hasn’t been the only source of inspiration in his life for the Chennai Express director says that he has a lot to learn from his mother too, who also was a professional stunt woman. “I have been seeing a powerful woman in action for the past 45 years, and she is none other than my mother. She is the personification of woman empowerment for me as she is very strong. My father died when I was eight years old and my mother brought us up as a single parent. She lives with me even today. She is as tough as she was during her younger days. When she is with me, I feel safe, strong, content and safe of all my problems,” shares the director.

This revelation prompts us to ask the director if he will ever consider portraying a lady Singham, a female police office as badass as our dear Bajirao. To this Rohit says, “Oh yes, I have already thought about making a full-fledged film on a lady cop.” But the director doesn’t want to jump the gun with his answer and adds, “I don’t want to say anything more right now, otherwise this will become tomorrow’s headlines and I’ll get trolled. I’m smart and so I do not wish to commit to anything until things are finalised.”