‘Salman Makes A Scene Memorable’

‘Even if it’s just a short moment, he creates something that is pure cinema.’

IMAGE: A scene from 7 Dogs.

 

Working with Salman Khan on their international action spectacle 7 Dogs was like attending a film school for Directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, who say the Indian superstar brought his instinctive understanding of cinema to the project and made even brief moments on screen memorable.

The Moroccan-Belgian filmmaking duo, best known for Bad Boys for Life and Bad Boys: Ride or Die, assembled a star-studded global cast for the Saudi Arabian movie, led by Egyptian actors Ahmed Ezz and Karim Abdel Aziz as an Interpol officer and a criminal figure who team up against a transnational criminal network.

Salman and fellow Indian star Sanjay Dutt have pivotal roles in the movie besides renowned Italian actor Monica Bellucci and Hollywood’s Giancarlo Esposito.

‘Working with Salman was like going to film school’

IMAGE: Salman Khan in 7 Dogs.

Adil said Salman brought effortless charisma to the sets, reminding him of Hollywood star Will Smith, the lead actor of the Bad Boys film franchise. “There’s a lot of charisma. You get the same feeling when Will Smith is on set. It’s like, ‘Oh, that’s what a superstar looks like’. From the moment you put the camera on him, something magical happens,” El Arbi said.

Salman, he said, was also extremely experienced and could immediately understand a scene before adding his own touch to it.

“He knows right away what the scene is. And he will do it perfectly. And then he will create, he will give you so much more. And that is like going to film school. You’re really witnessing cinema happening before your eyes,” he said.

7 Dogs is essentially about Interpol officer Khalid Al-Azzazi (Ahmed Ezz) who captures Ghali Abu Dawood (Karim Abdel Aziz), a senior figure linked to the criminal organisation known as 7 Dogs.

“When the syndicate begins trafficking a synthetic drug called Pink Lady, Khalid is forced to work with Ghali to dismantle the network. Their mission brings them into conflict with regional and international figures connected to the organisation,” reads the official logline.

Salman essays the role of Johar, an ex-Interpol officer who becomes an unlikely ally of the duo in their mission.

Bilall said the superstar’s contribution went beyond the screenplay as he often came up with one-liners during the shoot.

“During editing, when I was looking at the takes, there was always something new that he put in that I didn’t even realize when I was on set. He just makes a scene memorable. Even if it’s just a short moment, he creates something that is pure cinema,” he added.

‘Sanjay Dutt is unbelievably creative and is a real artist’

IMAGE: Sanjay Dutt in 7 Dogs.

Their experience with Sanjay Dutt was equally memorable. The veteran star plays Ranjeet, the Indian member of the Seven Dogs alliance responsible for distributing ‘Pink Lady’ in India. Adil said they recently started watching the actor’s latest film, the two-part spy saga Dhurandhar, which became one of Indian cinema’s highest grossing movies of all time.

“We started to watch the Dhurandhar series, because everybody’s talking about what a huge success it is,” he said.

“He’s (Sanjay) so experienced. And the action movies are so complex in Bollywood, and so elaborate, even more than Hollywood,” he said. Adil said Sanjay’s warmth and sense of humour made the collaboration enjoyable, while Bilall said he developed a close bond with the actor during his time in Mumbai.

“He’s just like a brother. When I was in Mumbai with him, I just fell in love. He showed and took me to the authentic places, and I just fell in love.

“And I just want to keep on going back to India and just keep on making movies. And hopefully we can create a movie or series together. Sanjay is just unbelievably creative and is a real artist,” Bilall added.

‘My Name Is Khan was such an important movie’

IMAGE: Salman Khan in 7 Dogs.

The duo’s love for Indian cinema and its stars predates 7 Dogs. The first Indian movie they ever watched was Shah Rukh Khan’s My Name Is Khan, a film that resonated with them because of its themes of identity, Islamophobia in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks.

As Moroccans and Muslims living in Europe, the filmmakers said the film’s story had a particular resonance for them. “It was such an important movie, it was after 9/11. For us, being Moroccans, being Muslim in Europe, that story really resonated with us a lot,” Adil said.

Bilall said he continued to discover Indian cinema and was struck by its breadth of creativity, which he feels remains underexposed internationally.

“It’s such a cool discovery to see all these gems that I’ve not been seeing yet. And it just inspires me to see how much creativity there is in Indian cinema that hasn’t really been seen in the world,” he said.

‘It would be awesome to make a movie with Will Smith and SRK’

IMAGE: Directors of 7 Dogs, Bilall Fallah and Adil El Arbi. Photograph: Kind courtesy Rabii El Fakih/Instagram

The duo said they would like to collaborate with more Indian stars, especially Shah Rukh. “It would be great to work with him. It would be awesome to make a movie with Will Smith and SRK,” Bilall said.

The filmmakers hope audiences experience 7 Dogs as a large-scale theatrical action adventure while also connecting with its characters and humour. “I hope they love the characters, travel with them, and have all these adventures, and obviously be entertained, but also laugh because there’s a lot of comedy also in the movie,” Adil said.

Bilall said he hopes to make a follow-up if audiences like the film. “The beauty of this movie is also that you have all the best players from around the world, from different cinemas, all in one movie, a global movie that I think has a lot to offer,” he said.

7 Dogs released in Indian theatres in Hindi and English on August 21.

Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff