He won the National Award in 2006 for Dombivli Fast in which an ordinary bank worker snaps when the world around him gets too much and turns into a vigilante. Made in Marathi, Nishikant Kamat?s film touched a chord and became a cult hit. He went on to remake it in Tamil with Madhavan in the lead (Evano Oruvan). Then, moved by the 2006 Mumbai train blasts and the impact it had on the common man, he made Mumbai Meri Jaan in 2008 which got mixed reviews. The process of making Mumbai Meri Jaan affected Kamat emotionally so much that he stopped making films for two years. Now, he is back with a mainstream commercial film, Force, starring John Abraham and Genelia D’Souza, a remake of Tamil hit Khakha Khakha. In a chat with FE, Kamat explains why the film, set to release on September 30, is outside his comfort zone but that he needed to make it. Excerpts:

What made you want to remake a Tamil film? We are used to seeing your films being remade into Tamil.

Force is a remake of the Tamil Khakha Khakha; it was given to me by John Abraham. He asked me whether I would like to remake it in Hindi. I saw the film and liked it but I needed three-four months to rewrite it according to my sensibilities. Culturally, we are different and I wanted to adjust the story to the mass Hindi-speaking world. Both John and Genelia have great chemistry and I am satisfied with the outcome.

Was it difficult to make a mainstream commercial film?

It was very tough. This is my first film where there are five songs and dances. But I wanted to make something different. I am used to making films which are steeped in realism and social issues, but the process takes a toll on me. For example, after Mumbai Meri Jaan I had to take a break for two years. There were at least ten producers sitting on my head to make a film but I was not in the right frame of mind to make a film. That’s when I thought I should try something different, tread on alien waters. It was a tough film to make and I pushed myself beyond my boundaries. Realism comes easily to me, not a full-on commercial film. We live only once, we should take risks. Force is outside my comfort zone, but it’s a risk I wanted to take.

Do you watch mainstream films?

I have grown up watching the popular films of Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra. I have sometimes watched the same film six times. Who am I to alienate that form of film-making?

Are you happy with how Force has turned out?

I think it is an engrossing film and there are at least seven major action sequences which I am very proud of. I was a pain for everybody in this film, including famed action director Allan Amin (Dhoom 2, Race). I harassed him a lot, sat with him for hours, but in the end I am happy with the action sequences. We had great support from Fox Star Studios and Vipul Shah, who are producing the film.

Do you find a change in the audience? Are they open to watching a variety of content?

Yes. Now, there are various types of audiences. We have a pan-Indian, regular, mainstream audience and we also have a niche audience which likes to watch films like Shaitan. The new audience is exposed to world cinema from a very young age and tastes are very well defined. This has led to a new cinema being made. It’s a process of evolution. I don’t know where we have reached, but the journey has started towards making a variety of content. Also now you can make films in ten different formats at various budgets. If you have a good story, you can tell it.