FAMILY PLOT: (From top) Sooraj Barjatya directs Amrita Rao in Vivah; Madhuri Dixit in HAHK; a still from Vivah

Sooraj Barjatya shot into fame when he made Maine Pyar Kiya (1989), the romance featuring Salman Khan and debutante Bhagyashree, which became a runaway hit. He topped that performance with the 14-song-and-40-handkerchief family blockbuster Hum Aapke Hain Kaun (1994) which went on to collect Rs 200 crore at the box office. Famously, artist Maqbool Fida Husain is said to have gone so fida over the film that he watched the movie umpteen times. Barjatya became the toast of tinsel town and that’s what helped Hum Saath Saath Hain (1999) do well too. But his next film, Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon (2003), was a disaster and threatened to dismantle the formidable reputation he had built for himself.

But now the scion of Rajshri Films is back with a brand new movie. Vivah, starring Amrita Rao and Shahid Kapur, will hit the theatres on November 10. Will it re-establish Barjatya as the King of Family Values in Hindi cinema? Will the audience love his latest take on the great Indian wedding theme? In a rare interview, Sooraj Barjatya speaks to S. Ramachandran.

Q: When Karan Johar and Aditya Chopra are looking at other kinds of stories, why do you still have weddings as the backdrop to your film?

A: A film maker needs to be convinced about his subject. Then the audience will follow him. I make what I see, feel and experience. Since I belong to a joint family, I have experienced how the entire family comes together during festivities, the joy people share and the moments that are so precious. That is what is reflected in my films. J.P. Dutta had once asked me, “why do people smile so much in your films?” The truth is, because I have seen life that way. I make films I believe in.

Q: Are you going to show us wedding songs again?

A: To tell you the truth, no. Vivah is about the journey from engagement to marriage, but without using wedding songs as crutches.

Q: What is your target audience in Vivah?

A: Rajshri Films has always had its loyal family audiences which have always been with us. We lost out on that audience with Main Prem Ki Deewani Hoon.

After Main Prem Ki Deewani Hoon, a young boy came up to me and told me that what he seeks in my films is what he sees in the emblem of Rajshri Films — the goddess Saraswati. In Vivah I am going back to my roots, to a film that is in line with Rajshri’s traditions and values. Vivah is the beautiful journey of a couple from engagement to marriage.

Q: Maine Pyar Kiya was about a rich boy and a poor girl; Hum Apke Hain Kaun was about sacrifices; Hum Saath Saath Hain was Ramayana today, Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon was a kind of Chitchor today. Is Vivah only about weddings?

A: As I said before, Vivah is not about festivities. It is about the commitment, the sacredness and the sanctity of marriage. It is about the special rights you give one another with the exchange of engagement rings and the journey that you embark on together.

Q: Coming back to you, suddenly, you don’t seem to be as media shy as you used to be.

A: I am still the same, but today I feel the need to express myself and move with the changing times.

Q: Why the Shahid-Amrita combination?

A: I could not think of anyone other than Shahid and Amrita for the roles. They fit the characters of Prem and Poonam perfectly.

Q: Vivah in the era of divorces?

A: Just as we wear jeans, we also go on pilgrimages. That is how we are. Even today, arranged marriages are an integral part of India. And like I said, it is all about the vision of the film maker. If he is clear about his intent, the audience will follow.

Q: Amrita Rao is the traditional Indian girl. Tell us something more about the character of Poonam that she essays.

A: I find beauty in Indianness and that is what Poonam is. She is the embodiment of the traditional Indian beauty. Amrita has breathed life into her character.

Q: What next?

A: I can live just one movie at a time. After Vivah, I will think of my next film. But at the same time I am looking at promoting good talent and good film makers. But whatever the film, it will always embody the values Rajshri stands for.

Q: What is an ideal movie in your opinion?

A: I love films like The Sound of Music and also films by Mani Ratnam and Raj Kapoor.

Q: Talking of the music in your films, why Ravindra Jain instead of Raam Laxman?

A: Well, he has done 16 films with the Barjatyas before… and has come up with some great scores as well. So why not?

Sooraj snapshots

• The Rajshri Productions website is running a poll which asks people to choose between arranged and love marriages, given the theme of Vivah. At last count, 1173 had voted for arranged marriages while 349 opted for love marriages.

• Sooraj Barjatya’s third film Hum Saath Saath Hain was the biggest hit of 1999. The film starred Tabu, Mohnish Behl, Salman Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Karisma Kapoor and Sonali Bendre.

• Hum Saath Saath Hain was dubbed in Telugu and released as Premanuragam.

• The infamous black buck killing incident involving Salman Khan happened while the film was being shot in Jodhpur, Rajasthan.

• Madhuri Dixit, who was launched by Rajshri Films in Abodh, refused to do the film because she did not want Mohnish Behl to star opposite her.

• Madhuri and Salman Khan (also launched by the Barjatyas in Biwi Ho To Aisi) practically worked for free in Hum Aapke Hain Kaun. Apparently, they were paid a sum of Rs 51,000 each.

• Hum Aapke Hain Kaun ran for over 25 weeks in 150 cinemas, for over 50 weeks in 52 cinemas and crossed the magical 100th week mark in 4 cinemas.

• It was also the first Hindi film to run in mainscreen cinemas in the US, the UK and other parts of the world.