'Cricketers take acting seriously' !!

:) Victory director Ajitpal Mangat is ready with his sporty flick ;)

He is not new to showbiz. Ajitpal Mangat has made a number of TV commercials (Pepsodent, Lux, Ariel) and acted in noteworthy films and serials. But Mangat is ready to put his achievements behind and establish himself as a writer-director with the Harman-starrer Victory.

Did the success of Lagaan and Iqbal inspire you to make Victory?

Not at all, Lagaan is a different film. You can call it a period drama. Iqbal is an inspirational film where a handicapped boy is inspired by cricket. So you can't put both these films in the category of sport films. You can call Chak De a sports film, a film completely based on hockey. Since I am a great fan of cricket and cricket being a super sport in India, inspired me to do this film.

Will Victory draw the audiences to the cinema halls given that there is so much of cricket on TV anyway?

It is simple. On television you watch a game but you don't get a story. In my film you not only watch a game but also will get a story. In real life everyone wants to know the real life story of Sachin Tendulkar or other cricketers. Victory is the inside story of cricket. There is no emotion or drama in matches you see on television but you will get that emotion and drama in my film. I think my film has all the masala the audience needs.

What made you pit your film against Luck By Chance (releasing same day, Jan 30), which has Hrithik Roshan and Farhan Akhtar?

Honestly speaking I didn't think Luck By Chance would be clashing with us. I had planned my release date four months ago. In fact Luck By Chance was scheduled for January 23 but they changed their plans. I am not competing with anyone. Basically it makes no sense for two films releasing the same day and eating into each other's business. Just as I had my reason to release on January 30, maybe the makers of Luck By Chance have their reasons to release the same day. If both films are released independently, I am sure both will do good business.

It is said Victory is inspired by the life of cricketers M S Dhoni, Yuvraj and Sehwag?

No, it's not true. My film is inspired by cricket. If you notice, 10 out of every 11 players players come from small towns and that is what I have shown in my film. Victory is an underdog.