Welcome Back is funnier than Welcome, promises 'Uday bhai' aka Nana Patekar

You would not find him talking much to the media. He is one of those industry people who are not shy but just don't like being talked about much.

Here, actor Nana Patekar who is gearing up to give us a dose of 'Uday bhai' once again with his upcoming Welcome Back, talks about the film, his chemistry with co-stars and his plans at large. Excerpts:

Tell us something about your character in Welcome Back?

There are many funny situations created in Welcome Back. In Welcome, Akshay was very straight forward, while over here, John's character is a rowdy and he tries to portray him in a good way. Similarly, Majnu and I are also trying to present us well. So that's where the entire confusion begins. You will enjoy the film when you watch it.

Do you think the film will stand up to the expectations of the audience?

Yes everyone is expecting a lot from Welcome Back and I promise that the film will stand up to all the expectations. This is a very well made film and I would like to say that Welcome Back is funnier than Welcome. It is very weird story as everyone here tries to present themselves as a saint which no one is in reality.

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Can you please talk about your chemistry with Anil Kapoor and Paresh Rawal.

I have known Paresh Rawal for ages. He played my father in Kranti Veer. Working with Paresh has always been a pleasure, in fact things get easy when you work with someone you know since a long time. I bonded a lot with Anil Kapoor while shooting for Welcome Back. Initially, he was a friend, afterWelcome Back he is my brother. I am so happy. If you ask me one thing I got from this film, I would say I got a brother in the form of Anil Kapoor.

How different is John Abraham from Akshay Kumar as an actor?

John was a new comer when I worked with him in Taxi No 9211. He could not even speak two lines at a trot. So now he has evolved as an actor. Initially, he was scared to make mistakes, now he does them with a lot of confidence (laughs). Akshay Kumar is a trained actor. He is very versatile and can take up any character. John is pretty raw compared to Akshay Kumar. Both John and Akshay have excelled in their performances in Welcome Back and Welcome, respectively. And it won't be fair on my side to draw comparison between the two. I missed Akshay Kumar in Welcome Back as shooting with him is a different experience.

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24 years back, you directed a film called Prahaar. So when are you returning back to direct a film?

Unofficially, I have directed many films. It has been 24 years since Prahaar, but I didn't take up direction again as I wanted to earn a lot of money, so I signed many commercial films. Now I think I earned more than what I wanted to, so yes I will be directing a film very soon. I am working on two, three script simultaneously. So hopefully by early next year, one of the films will go on floors. One of my scripts is a love story and in all probabilities, I will direct that film itself from next year.

I even mentioned in one of my interviews, if Ab Tak Chappan 3 is made, it will be written and directed by me. If my producers ask me to co-produce it, I am ready to do that too. I knew Ab Tak Chappan 2was not a well-directed film, but I had no other option. When your story itself is not in place, irrespective of the good work by an actor, the film will sink.

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Is there any recent film that you watched and loved?

I don't like watching films in the theatre because when I watch them, I get too critical about them. At times I don't even watch my films. I can't watch a film very objectively. I prefer reading and writing over watching films.

But I have heard a lot about Bajrangi Bhaijaan. We often show about the hatred between India and Pakistan, but I guess Bajrangi Bhaijaan showed the other side of the two countries, so a different emotional connect is instantly established with the film. The film worked because there was an immense emotional connect. I don't think there would be a single guy in this world, who loves to see people getting killed. Bajrangi Bhaijaan proves that even today we have a lot of faith on positivity and there are a bunch of people who love negativity. Positivity will always work.

If Welcome Back succeeds, can we expect the third installment of the film?

I have no idea about that. It depends on Anees (Anees Bazmi) and Firoz (Firoz Nadiadwala) if they want to make the third part or no. Talking about Welcome Back, I can say that there are a lot of surprise elements in the film which you cannot even think of. The film is complete a family entertainer and I am pretty confident that it will do well.