'Gunday' is gaining steam and Yash Raj's strategy of releasing the theatrical promo as good as two months in advance has worked in the film's favour. In the meanwhile, what is also catching eye for all the good reasons is the camaraderie between Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor, something which is pitched as the backbone of the film.
"The reference points were obviously films like Sholay, Dharam Veer and Ram Balram from the past. Men like Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra and Jeetendra were superb when it came to displaying 'bromance' - a term that wasn't coined back then - on screen. Since Gunday is set in the 70s and 80s, director Ali Abbas Zafar wanted to catch that spirit," says a source attached to the film.
For Ali, it was challenging indeed, considering he was also shifting genre from a frothy musical rom-com Mere Brother Ki Dulhan to an action drama like Gunday.
"Well, I looked at some of the films belonging to my generation also," he smiles, "I have grown up on the likes of Ram Lakhan and Karan Arjun. Sholay was a definite reference point but so was Yaraana where friendship between Amitabh Bachchan and Amjad Khan was a highlight."
While there is a hint of rift between the two 'gehre dost' leading to drama in the proceedings, Ali is keeping his lips sealed when it comes to the core point of conflict in case of Gunday.
"The whole idea while making Gunday was to bring the right feel of friendship," says Ali Abbas Zafar, the film's director, "The idea about friendship which used to be in the earlier times, especially in the heartland of India was something else. Even if you look at in the current times, there is a difference between the friendship in urban areas and the interiors. If you meet someone who is attached to the roots and is earthy, you may hear statements like - 'Main Tere Liye Jaan Bhi De Doonga'. It may sound unbelievable but you know what, it happens."
