My next movie is a musical and a comedy: Madhur Bhandarkar

Mumbai All those who believed that Madhur Bhandarkar can only make grim and dark cinema with realism and expose thrown in are up for surprise beginning 2010. While filming on ‘Jail’ is about to be begin soon, a dark subject like this would give way to more feel-good cinema for at least a couple of years. That's because post Jail, Madhur Bhandarkar would take a break from 'reality' cinema and instead move on to more entertaining genres like a musical and a comedy.

"’Jail’ has being designed as a quickie and once the shooting would be through, I will extend myself to different genres and style of cinema as well. The two subjects that I have in mind would be a musical and a comedy respectively. I will begin work on them immediately after ‘Jail’ is wrapped up. Both of them would be produced under the banner of 'Bhandarkar Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.'", says Madhur Bhandarkar who delivered one of the biggest grossers of 2008 – ‘Fashion’ - even as soothsayers were predicting that recession wouldn't allow an unconventional subject like that to succeed.

What happens to his kick start as the man behind the camera for directing serials? There have been reports indicating that he would be donning the hat of a director for small screen in addition to the big screen!

"What rubbish", Madhur is quick to respond here, "I had never said that at all. All that I had said was that my company 'Bhandarkar Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.' would be making serials for the TV and people out there started predicting that I would be directing them as well."

He adds, "My production company has different departments looking at films, TV and ads. Ashok Pandit and Raman Kumar, who are from the TV industry and very well understand the intricacies involved in making serials, would be supervising work for the TV serials. We will be making 10 interesting short stories of 1 episode each for the channel."

Meanwhile work is happening full steam on setting the ground for beginning shoot on ‘Jail’. "We should have begun a little earlier but post 26/11, we were just not in any mood to get the final touches on the film's script. Neither my writer Manoj Tyagi nor I could get our minds in place for the film with all the tension around. Even today, I don't feel the same way as I used to before the incident. Anyways, now in the month of March we would kick start the filming", says Madhur Bhandarkar who has roped in Neil Nitin Mukesh for the role of the central protagonist for ‘Jail’.

When ‘Jail’ was launched with much fanfare in July last year, the publicity posters had flaunted 1st May as the release date of the film. What happens to that now considering the film's shoot is yet to begin?

"'Obviously, ‘Jail’ can't release in May now. It should be coming to theaters only after July/August 2009", says Madhur, whose last film ‘Fashion's’ DVDs should be hitting the stands anytime now. Bollywood hungama