Filmmaker Nagesh Kukunoor's next project is on the life and times of the legendary singer Kishore Kumar

His last film Bombay to Bangkok may not have been an exceptional run at the box office (read a dud) but that does not stop Nagesh Kukunoor from doing what he is best at: making movies on subjects close to his heart.

“Every film is crafted with the same passion. It’s with a clear conscience and with the same dedication that I work on a film. But box-office is most unpredictable. There is a degree of chance that despite your last film being a dud, your next film will be a hit and vice versa.  You win some and lose some. But there’s always something to learn from your film.”

His next project is a film on the late Kishore Kumar, “The details of the film should be announced in some time. It was on my mind for the past seven-eight years and it’s finally coming together now. For me, he is the only legend because there’s simply no one like him. I feel a personal relationship with him that borders on love and worship.”

The film, he says will be researched extensively, “The journey has just begun. I will be meeting his family and friends to get the story right. It’s not going to be just a movie but I want to tell it in a proper biopic manner.”

What is his take on the recent trend of making remakes of old classics?

“I am petrified of touching such films. That’s because you are messing with something that has stood the test of time. Even today, you would be thoroughly entertained when you watch the original Don. So I don’t want to do something like that. Having said that, I never say never. Because despite saying no to sequels, I did go ahead and make the sequel of Hyderabad Blues. I am not against taking a story idea from a film and translating it into a film. But it should be legal, open and clear,” said the filmmaker.

“Till now my scripts didn’t demand a huge canvas and for me, the script should make sense enough to spend that kind of money. I am extremely careful with the money. I am not averse to the idea of spending though. My next two films with John Abraham (Aashiyan) and Akshay Kumar are on a bigger canvas. Also, I feel that the audience is more forgiving when you do smaller films but once you enter the mainstream and join the numbers game, the audience expects more from you,” the director signed off.