Sanjay Dutt was keen on a sequel to Sadak, reveals Pooja Bhatt

After much speculation, the release date for Sadak 2, a sequel to the 1991 romantic thriller, has finally been announced. Starring Pooja Bhatt and Sanjay Dutt in the lead roles, the original film was directed by Mahesh Bhatt. And the sequel would see Pooja returning to acting after 15 years. Is she nervous? “I am frightened as hell,” she tells us, and continues, “But I think the day you stop being nervous, you’re finished.”

Asked if her father [Mahesh Bhatt] had to convince her to be a part of Sadak 2, which will release in November 2019, Pooja reveals it was actually Dutt who was keen to get the film made. “I met Sanju [Sanjay Dutt] in Delhi in March 2016 at a conclave where I was interviewing him, and that’s when we got talking. He said, ‘why don’t we revisit Sadak?’ I told him that it’s (producer) Mukesh Bhatt’s product, not mine. And he said, ‘you’re the only one who can push him to make it’. So, I told my father and uncle [Mukesh Bhatt] that Sanju is really keen, so why can’t we think about Sadak 2,” recalls Pooja.

On whether Mahesh would turn director this time too, Pooja says that he’s the driving force for everyone. “Right now, the script is being written. It’s irrelevant who is directing it, because Mahesh Bhatt is the creative backbone of Sadak 2. We’ll make sure that his vision doesn’t get watered down. Also, I’ve told him that whether he directs or not, he has to be at the helm of things because there’s nobody else who can understand the emotions of that character,” shares Pooja, who would also be the associate director on the film. “I’m keeping things together

because Mukesh uncle can’t physically be on the set all the time. Mukesh uncle taught me the business side of films and my father taught me how to use my heart and deal with people. So, I have the best of both worlds,” she says.

Not divulging much about the cast, Pooja says, “Besides Sanju and I, there will be a younger couple and I will let Mukesh uncle make that announcement because he’s the producer and this project is his baby in that sense.”

PHOTO: RAAJESSH KASHYAP./HT Pooja Bhatt

A still from Sadak