Exclusive: Anubhav Sinha is anxious about the outcome of Tum Bin II

Director Anubhav Sinha, who made his directorial debut with Tum Bin in 2001, is back with sequel 'Tum Bin II', after a gap of 15 years. In a quick chat, he talks about the sabbatical, his failures post 'Tum Bin' and more. Edited excerpts from the interview:

You took 15 years to come up with a sequel for Tum Bin 2?

When 'Tum Bin' released, it was a small film. That year, 'Lagaan' and 'Gadar' released before we could release ours. We shared our film with 'Aks'. We got some 95 screens and we opened bigger than 'Aks'. We were overwhelmed with the love and respect that came our way.

Back then, we didn’t know about brands and franchise. We knew we were successful. Later we got busy with our respective projects. When my second film 'Dus' released, I was still getting compliments for 'Tum Bin' because it was a hit on satellite channels. When I was making 'Cash', people asked me to make a love story.

Around 2011, I even received messages on social media requesting me to make 'Tum Bin II'. It sounded like a good idea at that time. Post that, Bhushan Kumar and me started talking about it.

Why did you choose Neha Sharma, Aditya Seal and Aashim Gulati for the film?

I feel 'Tum Bin' is a franchise where fresh actors are appreciated. Generally, drama films are made with stars — I broke the rule unknowingly. My casting director, Mukesh Chabbra, auditioned and finalised Neha Sharma, Aashim Gulati and Aditya Seal. I didn’t know any of them, including Neha. Strangely, I didn’t see any of her films, but when they said 'Sangemarmar' girl (a song from her previous film 'Youngistaan'), I realised who she is.

Are you worried about delivering the same success with Tum Bin 2 as the first one?

I converted the pressure into aspiration. I aspired to make 'Tum Bin II' better than my first film, if not as good as 'Tum Bin'. My energies were diverted into making the film. I am anxious about the outcome but I feel no pressure.

What is the status of 'Gyarah' and 'Ra. One 2'?

'Gyarah' is a script that I wrote three years ago. It is in the same space as 'Dus' but not as flamboyant. I called the script 'Gyarah' and even registered the title. I haven’t finalised the casting or worked on its pre-production though.

My only explanation for 'Ra.One 2' is this: two friends have the intention to meet but they haven’t ended up meeting, as yet. Eventually, they will meet. Shah Rukh Khan had just a normal conversation about the second part. There is nothing else to it.