Our aim is to bring revolution in the comedy film genre with Jattu Engineer, says MSG
After making back-to-back films, looks like there’s no stopping for Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh aka MSG, and he is back with yet another film with comedy being its flavour. As I reached to interview him, I was astonished to see a huge flamboyant car, with posters of the self-proclaimed messenger of God all over it. Dressed in a colourful attire with silver aviators on, he was all set for a tête-à-tête for his upcoming film ‘Jattu Engineer’, which will hit the 70mm on May 19.
You'll be seen playing a double role in the film; can you describe each of your characters?
The character named Shakti Singh Sisodia is the headmaster of the school, who tries to educate everyone in the village, and the other character that I am playing, Sghiant Singh Sidhu is a mischievous person.
What led to this sudden transition from action films to comedy?
While we were in Mumbai for our second or third film’s promotions, people said that you only do action films; you cannot do anything apart from action. They questioned me saying, “Can you do a comedy role?” and I said yes. When I asked them the reason behind asking this question, they said, “There are a lot of vulgar, cheap and double-meaning jokes in the current comedy films, which obviously you won’t do.” I took that as a challenge and made a clean comedy film like ‘Jattu Engineer,’ which has been passed with a 'U' certificate by Censor Board.
As you mentioned that comedy films today are all about ‘double meaning jokes’. So with this film, are you trying to bring any kind of revolution in this genre?
Yes, we are aiming to bring revolution in the comedy film genre with ‘Jattu Engineer’, which is a light-hearted and clean film, with a powerful message. I want to show that films do not essentially require vulgar jokes to make it appear funny. We can easily make people laugh with the day-to-day incidents happening in our lives and around us.
Knowing that filmmaking is a difficult process, it usually takes months or even a year for a film to complete, so how do you manage to make movies in a span of 20- 25 days?
It’s mainly because we do not have a lethargic team and we have our goals set clear. Right from script writing, dialogue, costume, and even acting, everything has to be done by us, so, it becomes easier to finish the shoot soon. My daughter has directed this film and it’s 2 hours 19 minutes long.
The film is set in Haryana but we see the head of the village speaking Bhojpuri, what is the angle?
The village is filled with people who are uneducated, lazy and with a narrow mindset. These people are least bothered about what’s happening in their vicinity. We’ve given a Northern touch along with Haryanvi, obviously and have also added Marwari flavour to the film.
You usually do all your action stunts by yourself in the films. How much action from your end will your fans get to witness in this upcoming flick?
Yes, I do not use body-doubles. All the dangerous stunts in my films are done by me. However, this film is not high on action but comedy, so we just have a few stunts here and there.
Where do you usually shoot your films, is it always Haryana?
No, we shoot at various locations in India. We’ve shot parts of this film in Sikkim, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, even in Rajasthan. It all depends on the film’s script. I assure everyone that the picturesque locations we have in India are equivalent to those in the world alone. For this film, we built a set in Haryana, for which we’ve been recorded in Asia Book of Records for its art direction. In barely a month’s time, we built 40-42 houses with 15-16 by lanes, hospital, and school. The set looked like an ancient heritage.
Are you planning to keep a huge movie premiere for your followers?
Initially, we did not plan on keeping a huge premiere, like we usually do. But we got several requests from our followers to hold one premiere for them, and therefore, we have decided to keep one on a large scale in Delhi.
What was your motive behind making this film?
With comedy being its essence, the message that we want to deliver is; If we find inspirational people who could understand the ones who are victims of negativity, or feel backward in any field, they should try and boost the morale of such people. I believe that if such people are helped, they might turn out to be better citizens of the country. Also, we’ve touched upon the heinous topic of drug intake and how consumption of drug can be reduced.
Till what extent has VFX been used in this film?
The inclusion of VFX has been minimal in this film because it is mostly shot in real locations.
What’s next?
We have our dream project named ‘Online Gurukul,’ which is almost ready. We are working on the VFX in the film since past one and a half year. The film revolves around the ancient kind of imparting education. It’s an effort from our side to answer some unanswered questions like how did life begin, and many more things.
