“Race 2 Is A Take Off From Where We Had Left In Race” – Abbas Mustan In Conversation With Koimoi

Considered the best thriller pioneers of India today, you have always gifted the country with some excellent thriller stories all your life. But why did you choose to stick to a single genre of films when everyone is pacing it up?
The main thing is everyone expects a nice thriller from us and it is a known fact that a producer intends to make around five to six films a year. They try to incorporate some rom coms with a couple of action films and family dramas. But when they think of making a thriller film, they contact us. Why would people want us to direct a rom com when there are plenty of directors who expertise in that regard?

Race was an enormously gripping and intriguing edge of the seat thriller and race 2 looks almost identical to its precursor. How have you tried to make Race 2 different from Race?
Race 2 is a real sequel, it is a take off from where we had left in Race. I cannot reveal much about it since its thriller but this time we have taken a step ahead when it came to the film’s treatment. Race 2 is a lot more stylized with plenty of action sequences which serve for more entertainment. Anyone who has watched Race will definitely love Race 2!

Other than Saif and Anil Kapoor’s character, all the other characters have undergone a change. Since the film is a take off from Race, how did you fit in the new characters while you did away with Bipasha’s character?
To know all of it, you have to watch the film but yes in the first part, Akshay Khanna and Katrina Kaif’s character dies, and Race 2 starts from there. Ameesha replaces Sameera Reddy and Race 1 was a face off between two brothers, similarly here, it is the face off between Saif Ali Khan and John Abraham. Accordingly, you will get to know what goes through in the film.

From Shah Rukh in Baazigaar to Akshay Khanna in Race and Humraaz, you have always made negative characters which have stood out the best in your films and walked away with all the accolades. With John donning the role of the main antagonist, what can we expect this time?
All the characters in the film have a grey shade and coming to John, I would only say one thing. After Dhoom, John is playing a villain again in Race 2 and people are simply going to love him in the film. He has worked really hard and his performance has been the best till date. That is for sure.

Given the success of Race, what are you expecting out of Race 2?
Of course we are having high hopes from this film, more because it is a sequel to Race. We hope people love the film. That is all we expect!