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'You will discover a new shade of grey in Acid Factory'

Last updated on: October 8, 2009 11:17 IST
A scene from Acid Factory

The director of Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena, Suparn Verma is back with another action film Acid Factory.

The movie produced by Sanjay Gupta releases in theatres this Friday. It stars Fardeen Khan, Irrfan Khan, Dino Morea, Aftab Shivdasani, Manoj Bajpayee, Danny Denzongpa and Dia Mirza.

Fans wanting to know more about the curious-sounding film got to quiz Verma about the film, its stars and much more, during a chat on Wednesday. For those who missed the chat, here's what transpired.

Suparn Verma says, Hi everyone :) two days to go for the release of Acid Factory looking forward to your questions and reactions once you have seen the film

Vikrant asked, I have checked your starcast. May be all are Star but none of them is an actor....what is your comment?
Suparn Verma answers,  Vikrant, aren't Irrfan and Manoj our national treasures when it comes to acting?

bilal asked, Hi Suparn There is perception that most Sanjay Gupta films/backed films have high style quotient but less stress on smart scripts. Having worked with him, do you feel so ? Does he get carried way by style without looking at the script?
Suparn Verma answers, Bilal, since I directed Acid Factory, the film is more about the story and performances rather than just style.

shivakanth asked, hi, suparn who is the scriptwriter of this film?
Suparn Verma answers, The story is by Malind Gagadkar, screenplay by Sanjay Gupta, Suparn Verma and Milind, and dialogues by Saurabh Shukla.

DarkLady asked, Suparn I take offence! You say Irrfan and Manoj are our national treasures but you leave out Danny! How can you!!!!
Suparn Verma answers, Danny isn't a national treasure he is a GOD :)

alkali asked, first up congrats for doing this film, will surely watch but tell me why the name "Acid Factory" and are there any songs at all in the movie?
Suparn Verma answers, Hi Acid Factory is a 1 hour 45 minute thriller with just one lip sync song Khatti Meethi which lasts 90 seconds the other songs are used as background music, I did not want at ANY level for the story to be interrupted by songs.

Shahezadi asked, Suparn! Aren't you the same one who ran rediff chats? On the other side now, are we? How come? What happened to your old chatroom friends? I remember the late night chats you held with your editors
Suparn Verma answers, Hi am the same guy! On the other side because I always wanted to make films and my buddy Sai is a very dear friend and I loved the queenly nickname he used on chats ;)

Rajendra asked, Mr Suparn .. I have been wasting lot of money by watching every new release .. trust me.. not even a single movie is atleast average in the recent times... I'll definitely watch Acid Factory as well but will my opinion change atleast this weekend?
Suparn Verma answers, Rajendra write to me your opinion at hyperactiv@rediffmail.com and if you like the movie see it again. If not ask for a refund :)

IlaVarsi asked, Verma ji saab, is your film hit or miss?
Suparn Verma answers, Super duper hit yaar. Aren't you praying for the same?

'Manoj has done a brilliant job'

Last updated on: October 8, 2009 11:17 IST
A scene from Acid Factory

vineet asked, What is the role of manoj in Acid Factory
Suparn Verma answers, Manoj is playing a character who is a jumping jack -- he keeps changing his loyalties in each scene with each character as his only motive is survival and he has done a BRILLIANT job.

Hyperactiv asked, Pardon me for saying this, but your cast doesn't fill me with joy. I mean, do anyone there -- barring Irrfan and Danny to an extent -- have any market value?
Suparn Verma answers, Put them all together and as one they will fill your heart with joy, in fact if you close your eyes you will even hear the 9th symphony ;)

DINOMOREA asked, HOPE U CAST ME IN UR NEXT PROJECT AS WELL...
Suparn Verma answers, Of course buddy.

Vanmala asked, Hey Suparn I m very excited to see your movie and I think it is a very new and fresh story so your movie is going super duper hit. My Best wishes with you. God Bless U.
Suparn Verma answers, Thanks so much, Vanmala :)

PagalAadmee asked, SIR WHY YOUR TYPING IS VERY SLOW?
Suparn Verma answers, Age is catching up. Have turned 16 :)

rtu asked, Hey, good luck on Acid Factory... Why did you take so long to make it?
Suparn Verma answers, Hi well we started shooting last year April and the second schedule wrapped up shooting November first week, film was slated for an April release but the strike made us change all our plans.

TheKing asked, From Chhal to Acid Factory, how do you look back on the journey? And where do you see yourself going ahead? In LA bringing home an Oscar?
Suparn Verma answers, Filmfare Award would need to come first na :)

Ankit asked, Suparn sir, what is the theme of your movie, I haven't watched the movie yet, is it worth watching?
Suparn Verma answers, Ankit its about seven people trapped in an acid factory with no memory and in a life and death situation.

Rajendra asked, Hey Suparn .. Thanks for ur response .. checkout ur mail on Sat for my opinion ( A genuine common man's review) .. but is that mail ID urs? will u really read my opinion and respond?
Suparn Verma answers, Dude, I am a child of the Internet, plus if I didnt want to interact I wouldn't give out my email id.

df asked, verma your movie is a flop
Suparn Verma answers, Dude if you can see the future please let me know who will win the FIFA world cup, the next derby race and the next US presidential elections so that I can put my money on the punters and make my millions and while you are at predictions please let me know what the Sensex will be like 6 months from now and what stocks to change.

'There are no good guys or bad guys in Acid Factory'

Last updated on: October 8, 2009 11:17 IST
A scene from Acid Factory

bobby bhosale asked, suparn I have heard, in India diectors just watch DVD and translate it in to movie is it true?
Suparn Verma answers, Where are you from Bobby? I mean you have 'heard' about directors in India!! Dont know about it because I think Rakesh Omprakash Mehra, Vishal Bharadwaj, Aditya Chopa, Bhansali, Karan Johar, Shimit Amin, Anurag, Imtiaz, Shriram and so many many more are all good directors.

dfd asked, Hi Suparn, seeing the trailer, it seems Irrfan Khan is the main villan, is that so?
Suparn Verma answers, dfd, there are no good guys or bad guys in Acid Factory. You will discover a new shade of grey in the film.

acidrain7 asked, Is Hindi cinema (so called bollywood) losing its essence or moving in the right direction.
Suparn Verma answers, I think Hindi cinema is finding its voice and production houses are backing it.

acid asked, What's your zodiac sign? are you single?
Suparn Verma answers, Libra and happily married.

vivek asked, Hi Suparn Verma, How are you, promos looks good and stylist. Can we expect a good movie.
Suparn Verma answers, Hi Vivek you can except a roller coaster ride in the film and when you come out it would have been a good fun ride.

hydi asked, Hi Suparn sir, the prime reason driving we Hyderabadi's to watch AF is Diya.. she is our home town girl.. Since you've directed her, how do you rate her as an actress?
Suparn Verma answers, The other prime reason is that I shot the interior on a huge set in Ramoji Rao in Hyderabad :)

manish asked, wish you good luck on Acid Factory. I just want to know what measures have you taken to stop piracy of the movie?
Suparn Verma answers, Manish, we try an ensure our most trusted people are around during the deliveries but once it hits the screens honestly the lawkeepers need to protect businesses. I meant if they take 50% entertainment tax why the hell can't they ensure there is no piracy.

hehehehe asked, Why do all your films deal with so much of grey?
Suparn Verma answers, I lost my hair so it could never grey and now I am obsessed with the colour ;)

Riaz asked, Hi Suparn, we all knew dat EKEH had a hot song beautifully picturised on Fardeen n Koena Mitra... is there any such song or scenes in Acid Factory too becasue going by the trailers that we are seeing on TV, it really looks stylish, interesting and shuold certainly be hot.
Suparn Verma answers, Lol no hot songs this time buddy but a lot of awesome action.

'We have done away with VFX and used real actors'

Last updated on: October 8, 2009 11:17 IST
A scene from Acid Factory

RajTZindabad asked, Suparn, I hope your film doesn't mention 'Bombay' but 'Mumbai'
Suparn Verma answers, You know I was born in Bombay which became Mumbai sometime in my teens. Honestly I didn't realise a name is such a big deal as long as you love your city and respect it instead of hawking it to the land mafia, spitting on every corner of it, but to answer your question, the story is set in Cape Town so the Bombay/Mumbai issue doesn't crop up.

Riaz asked, Hi Suparn, Sanjay Gupta once said in his interview that he felt gutted that he couldn't show the film to Feroz Khan.....is Acid Factory or Fardeen's role in it (to be precise) a tribute to the great man?
Suparn Verma answers, The film is dedicated to Sanjay's mom who passed away and Mr Feroz Khan who was my mentor and friend, someone Sanjay loved and respected and Fardeen's dad.

sunny asked, How was the experiance with Dia Mirza?
Suparn Verma answers, I loved working with her. She is one of the hardest working actors I have known and she pushed herself to the limit in this film.

hydi asked, recently a telugu pic namely Magadheera collections is expecting more than 100crore. Hope your AF touches this milstone.. Wishing you good luck sir!!
Suparn Verma answers, Thanks mate. God bless. By the way, its being remade in Hindi.

FlopFactory asked, The world is going to end at 2012 A D
Suparn Verma answers, I think it will be the year when we have our first alien encounter

diwaladiwali asked, Who is your action director Suparan sir? How do you compare his work for you with what he has done for others?
Suparn Verma answers, Tinu Verma is my action director and in Acid Factory you will see his finest work yet, we have done away with VFX and used real actors in real situations as much as possible in trying to create the sense of thrill more real.

SR asked, Why the title Acid Factory?
Suparn Verma answers, The film is set in an acid factory and the factory is the 8th character in the film hence the title.

Riaz asked, Suparn, why are all producers in such a hurry to release their film....your film looks good but might get overshadowed by other biggies that are releasing around that same time.... You could have easily postponed it to Nov or Dec for that matter.
Suparn Verma answers, Riaz, there are no solo release dates avalilable for months, October 9 is the only solo date available, its better than releasing with 3-4 films. And there is only so much you can hold a film, just trying compounding the interest rate say of a 20 crore film by 2.5 per month and see how long you would want to hold on :) There are lots of logistics behind every decision.

'Acid Factory is made for thriller junkies and action junkies'

Last updated on: October 8, 2009 11:17 IST
A scene from Acid Factory

factoryacid asked, Suggestion for your next Movies: Machhi Bazzaar, Koile ki Khan, Paper shop, Tea Stall
Suparn Verma answers, Chalti Gaadi Mein Bandar Ka Khoon, Hum Do Harami Do, Ragestaan Ke Khatte Angoor are also titles you might want to add to your list.

ds asked, Suparn, Are you a fan of RGV?
Suparn Verma answers, Big fan till Satya. Post that he has been too erratic but I love him for what he is.

ds asked, Can you talk about Magadheera remake in Hindi? Whos acting in it? Whos directing it?
Suparn Verma answers, I just read the news brother that Allu Arvind after Ghajini may remake Magadheera

sudamander asked, In your honest opinion, do you think the general audience is ready for such westernised stylistic movies? There seems to be no rustic connectedness in Acid Factory. Do you see this as an advantage or a disadvantage?
Suparn Verma answers, Its always the subject that dictates the style and secondly as a filmmaker what kinda visuals interest you. I would even shoot a slum in a grimy gritty yet stylish fashion... and to answer the second part if your story and performances hold, there are no disadvantages.

ds asked, Is this movie better than Kaante? Becasue as far as I am concerned, Sanja Gupta best movie is Kaante.
Suparn Verma answers, My fave Sanjay film is Aatish. Still can't get over Aditya Panscholi's character in it, Nawab and Baba.

SR asked, The promos are great. I hope it lives upto the hype. All the best.
Suparn Verma answers, Thanks mate.

ds asked, Is this movie made for first day morning show audience or weekend evening show audeince?
Suparn Verma answers, It's made for thriller junkies and action junkies so go whenever you need your fix.

ds asked, I loved the coin flipping scene in EKEH... Do you have any such things up on your sleeve in AF?
Suparn Verma answers, No magic tricks in this one but the back and forth between the narratives and time lines was fun.

Ajay_4 asked, Hi Suparn In recent times multi-starrer action films have been flopped, do you think this film can turn things around.
Suparn Verma answers, It see it as an ensemble and I'm pretty confident that Acid Factory will evoke positive reactions.

ranojghy asked, Have you entirely stopped reviewing movies?
Suparn Verma answers, I still do sometimes :). If I like the movie I use my name if not I use an acronym.

mayankj asked, Suparn Verma aap mast aadmee ho. aapkee movie bhi mast hai kya?
Suparn Verma answers, Bahut mast full of masti.

Suparn Verma says, Thank you guys, I hope you go and watch Acid Factory releasing on October 9. God Bless and Cheers.