It’s ‘dedication’ time for Ajay, Sajid

With the new version of Himmatwala, Khan says they are paying tribute to the 1983 blockbuster film and director K Raghavendra Rao.

With Housefull 2, he has just delivered a blockbuster. And even before celebrations kick off, director Sajid Khan is already on to his next biggie — Himmatwala. The Ajay Devgn-Rishi Kapoor starrer that goes on the floors around August-September will hit theatres next year but the release date is yet to be finalised.

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Devgn

“Yes, my next release has to be Himmatwala because it will coincide with the original film completing 30 years in 2013,” says Sajid. For the uninitiated, the Jeetendra-Sridevi starrer released in 1983 and went on to become a blockbuster beating other films like Coolie, Betaab, Hero, Masoom and Mahaan.

Interestingly, Himmatwala will be set in a small town in Uttar Pradesh. “Ajay will have a lot of raw and rugged action sequences. But it won’t be like any of his other movies like Singham (2011). He’s very involved with all the action in the film,” says Sajid, who has also roped in Prakash Raj of Wanted (2009) and Singham fame.

Despite clarifying umpteen times that his Himmatwala is not exactly a remake; it has been constantly called exactly that. “It’s not true. I can only say one thing about my film — that it is loosely based on the yesteryear film. It’s a completely new story in a contemporary set-up with several new characters,” says Sajid.