Lakshya Raj Anand is making his big-screen directorial debut with the John Abraham, Jacqueline Fernandez and Rakul Preet Singh-starrer, Attack - Part 1. The sci-fi action thriller is slated to release on April 1. The Free Press Journal caught up with the filmmaker for an exclusive chat.
Talking about his characters in Attack - Part 1, Lakshya says, “Rakul’s character has to serve the country for the betterment. The only way to serve the country is not just being a soldier and going to the border, you can also be a scientist. So, we have taken the best scientist and best soldier and mixed them up to make India’s first super-soldier. Jacqueline’s character is a moral compass, and it is away from the world shown in the film. She wants to live life, even John’s character, but he also has to serve the country.”
Pic: Viral Bhayani
While his maiden film has a male star in the lead, when asked if he wishes to make a female-centric film, he explains, “The script of Attack - Part 1 was developed with John only so obviously there was no chance of anyone else as a protagonist. I don’t like to address male or female actors. For me, an actor is an actor. I have given arches to each of my characters.”
Pic: Viral Bhayani
When further probed on sci-fi being an unexplored genre in the Hindi film industry, he shares, “We have made the film very easy to understand. People might categorically call Attack - Part 1 a sci-fi film, but I would like to call it an entertaining film, where mass and class can come together in a sweet spot. There’s definitely a side of emotional drama, patriotism and sci-fi to it. This was the reason I said part 1, if people will accept it, then parts 2 and 3 would go into that zone.”
Pic: Instagram/lakshyarajanand
Elaborating further, he adds, “I have consciously made my storytelling strong. Over time, people have seen formula films, but with Attack - Part 1, my intention wasn’t to make solely an action film or just a sci-fi film. These are incidentals that happened because of the story.”
Spilling the beans on having added pressure to make his second film even bigger than the first, considering he directed John in the maiden film, he reveals, “My friends and family have enjoyed the film, that takes off the pressure somehow. We are very proud of Attack - Part 1. Everyone has sacrificed something for it. To make a film of this scale in limited budgets is not a small thing.”
On a parting note, he takes a trip down memory lane. “I was an AD on films like Ek Tha Tiger and Bang Bang. I was throwing random scripts to John, and we dwelled on a lot of ideas, but Attack - Part 1 hits the bull’s eye,” he concludes.
