Not happy with acting, Sohail Khan to focus only on direction- production

Actor-turned-director Sohail Khan says he wants to focus more on directing and producing films as he was not happy with the kind of roles he was getting as an actor.

“I was not getting good work as an actor and I don’t want to act just for the sake of it. I had a couple of films in the past but I realised I had a good production house to fall back on. I thought let me direct, let me produce,” he told PTI.

Sohail, 46, said he would act only if he gets good roles otherwise he would stick with directing and producing movies as he finds they come naturally to him.

“I wanted to slow down and did not want to do unnecessary work for the actor’s tag. I’m very happy producing and directing as they come to me naturally,” he said.

When asked about who inspires him the most in terms of filmmaking, Sohail said, “I am a huge fan of Rajkumar Hirani.  He really works hard on his scripts and knows how to present an inspiring story with entertainment which is his USP.

“He has so far made four films in ten years and each of his films is better than the other one and it is unbelievable.  I’ve learnt a lot from his movies.”

Sohail, who made his directional debut with the 1997 film “Auzaar” and has directed Nawazuddin Siddiqui starrer comedy “Freaky Ali”, said, “I still have to learn so many things in the field of direction. There is a long way to go and I want to keep evolving as a filmmaker.”

While talking about “Freaky Ali,” he said, “I wanted to make a film on sports for a long time because I have a huge interest in that. I came across the idea of golf and thought of weaving it into reality with the help of my film’s writer, Raaj Shaandilyaa.

“Also, Nawaz was perfect for the character of Ali in the film as he is a big freak in real life as well and only he could have played it so well.”

“Freaky Ali” is a story of a debt collector (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) who becomes a golfing sensation. It also stars Arbaaz Khan, Amy Jackson and Jas Arora. The film will hit theatres on September 9.