Director Anurag Basu would have said it for the umpteenth time but now he wants to make it crystal clear. He says, "I want to make it clear that 'Gangster' is not based on Abu Salem's life. It is about a gangster who falls in love with a girl and the similarity just ends here. 'Gangster' is a love story and this is what we have been trying to convey through all means. There is no point talking anything more about it as audience will come to know about it when the film releases on 28th April."
28th April? I ask. Because some television channels are advertising the release to be on 21st April, when 'Pyaare Mohan' and 'Tom, Dick and Harry' release. "Arrey nahin", he says, "Don't go by this particular channel with a film information scroll running all the time because more often that not their information is imaginative. My film is positively coming on 28th, the date that was confirmed more than 2-3 weeks. The other release alongside is 'Darna Zaroori Hai'."
Does DZH pose a threat to the prospects of 'Gangster'? "See, I won't deny that every film maker prefers the luxury of a solo release because ultimately two or more movies in a week do cut into the film's business. At least on the first weekend, this is more visible and then from there on a film wins on its own merit. Still, the good part is that DZH and Gangster belong to different genres and hence audience doesn't have to actually 'choose' between flicks", he says with confidence.
On asked whether he is also confident due to the fact that the film's fresh talkie promos have created quite a buzz, he said, "Ya, I know. But then ultimately you cannot predict anything about a film's fate. Let the film come in a few days from now and then the audience would be doing all the talking."