“After Bombay, My Next Film Will Be Khuda Gawah… We Want to Make It with Sanjay Dutt” - Sanjay Niranjan (Writer-Director)

Writer-director Sanjay Niranjan is gearing up for the release of his new film BOMBAY. The film is set against the backdrop of the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts. At a time when national sentiment is high against Pakistani terrorism, especially after the Pahalgam incident in Jammu & Kashmir, what does Sanjay have to say about his film and its message? Let’s hear it from him himself.

• Why did you name your film ‘Bombay’? A film with this title has already been made before. Is there any connection between the two?

“Not at all. Mani Ratnam Sir’s film was completely different, and so is ours. The only similarity is that both stories are connected to Bombay. My film is about what happened after the Bombay incident, focusing on the conditions and situations of the terrorists back then. Only the title is common.”

• Why use the name Bombay, when the city is now known as Mumbai? It’s said you were even pressured to change the title?

“Yes, this is a common question — why use Bombay, the old name for Mumbai. It’s a valid question, and the answer becomes clear when you watch the film. Even the Censor Board asked me this, and yes, I received some threats too — asking me to change the title from Bombay to Mumbai.
But the truth is, this story is from a time when the city was still called Bombay. The name changed in 1996. Mani Ratnam’s Bombay released 29 years ago — do we call that Mumbai now?
“My film is based on that same era. The situation and context are different, but the city was Bombay back then, and that’s what it was known as.”

• Your film has been made in four languages — Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, and Telugu. What was your thought behind this?

“Yes, we have made the same story in four languages, each with its own title and separate censor certificate. In Hindi, it’s Bombay; in Marathi, it’s Mawali; in Kannada, Mandya; and in Telugu, it’s Gayam.
The Kannada version ‘Mandya’ has already been released and become a hit.
The idea is — terrorism or violence wears the same mask everywhere. The circumstances are similar across cities, and the whole world suffers because of terrorism.”

• What’s next after Bombay?

“Our next project is titled Khuda Gawah. I own this title and work has already begun on it.”

Amitabh Bachchan’s Khuda Gawah was a hit in its time, and now Sanjay Niranjan and his team are preparing to recreate the story on a larger scale.
“Our story is different, but it suits an actor like Sanjay Dutt, and we are planning to work with him on this. Let’s see how it shapes up,” he adds.

Sanjay Niranjan has made over 10 films. His debut film was Nyaydaata starring Dharmendra, Jaya Prada, Kader Khan, and Mukesh Rishi.
He then made War with Dharmendra and Mithun Chakraborty under the direction of T. L. V. Prasad, though it didn’t release.
Year after year, his films followed: Kaho Na Kaho, International Hero, Uttejana – The Fire, Majha Bandhu Makrand (Marathi), 3rd Eye One Story Many Ends, and more.

His upcoming film Bombay is made under the Sanam Productions India banner, produced by Firdous Shaikh, with Sanjay Niranjan as the writer-director.

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