"OLLO is basically a work of research, imagination and memories" - Dibakar

By Anil Kanojia,Bollywood Hungama News Network

He made his splashing debut in the dream world of Bollywood merely two years ago with a smash-hit film called Khosla Ka Ghosla starring the factory of versatile actors like Anupam Kher, Boman Irani and Ranvir Shorey in lead roles. He is none other than the extremely down to earth Dibakar Banerjee, who is back to amuse the cine goers yet again with his latest offering Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! which is all set to test itself at the Box-Office this Friday (Nov 28). Bollywood Hungama caught up with the director for an exclusive one-on-one interview.

Dibakar, to start with Khosla ka Ghosla and now Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!, it seems that Bollywood can completely trust you when it comes to uncommon movie titles. In a nutshell, tell us as to what's Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! all about?
The film is about a thief called Lucky and his rise from being a normal guy (like anyone one of us) to a thief. Even as a thief, he goes on to become not just the country's most wanted but also the most loved thief. Since the film is set in Delhi, the title has got lot of prominence and significance with the city. Look, what happens in Delhi is that whenever you want to call out to someone whose name is Lucky; you generally tend to call him in this fashion 'Oye Lucky...Lucky Oye'. Hence, the title.

Do you accept or refute the rumors that Lucky's character inspired from a real life thief?
I totally refuse to but such rumours. Lucky's character is purely a piece of fiction and my imagination. It also reflects the memories of my childhood. Moreover, I've also exploited the characteristic behaviors characteristic behaviors of many thieves. All of this, plus, there are many adventures that I've taken from magazines, television programs. All in all, Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! is basically a work of research, imagination, and memories.

What are the locations that you have shot the film?
We shot the film in Delhi, Manali and Mumbai.

You have managed to get the super versatile Paresh Rawal in not one, but a whopping three roles. Which one of his three characters do you identify with?
All the three characters are very dear to me because they are all my creations...they are all like my babies. Hence, I love all of them. So, it's really difficult for me to single out one character.

Any memorable moments while shooting for Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! that you would like to share with us?
My most memorable moment was when Paresh Rawal was playing Sardar's character with around 2000 people waiting to see his act on the sets. It so happened that Paresh Rawal came in the Sardarji's get-up, played his part and simply went off. Throughout the shoot, no one recognized that the 'Sardar' was actually Paresh Rawal, as a result of which everyone kept on waiting for him!

How has the music of Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! shaped up?
The music of the film was done after a month long research in the interiors of Punjab and Haryana. The music director of the film- Sneha Khanwalkar went on researching for new kinds of tunes, and sounds. And she came back with really off-beat tunes, themes, and voices. The voices used in the film are such that they can only be heard in the deep interior villages and local musical shows. And, when we heard the Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! album, it was very root layered and folk in terms of its sound and orchestration. It truly brings out the flavor of Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi.

The voices used in the film are such that they can only be heard in the deep interior villages and local musical shows.
One of the characters played by Paresh Rawal is that of a 'marriage band master'. How did you get the idea of such a character?
This 'bandwala' character I got from a newspaper article that I had read nearly ten years back. I built on the character and hence it's not based on any real person but is a figment of my imagination. Paresh Rawal was given a week's time to research and perfect the character. He had to do the speech exercises to get the right mix of Delhi style Hindi-Punjabi accent. We even had a voice artist who recorded some long dialogues in that accent so that Paresh could get the right feel of the language. Obviously, Paresh Rawal kept hearing and practicing his lines and did get it bang on target.

The buzz doing the rounds is that you are directing a film for Yash Raj Films. Is it true?
No, I'm not doing any Yash Raj Film.

Finally give us 3 reasons, why people should go and watch Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!?
Well, the first reason is if you are a thief then you should watch the film. The second reason is if you are not a thief then you should watch the film, the third reason is if you are not a thief and are planning to become one then you should watch it!!!

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