By Joginder Tuteja
Mumbai, Oct 30 (IANS) “London Dreams” is Vipul Shah’s first film that doesn’t star Akshay Kumar. While the filmmaker missed his favourite actor, he says he thoroughly enjoyed working with Salman Khan and Ajay Devgn and loved their dynamism.

“When you work with people with whom you have never worked before, there are two ways to look at things. Firstly, you do miss your favourite actor and…I have been associated with Akshay for so long. On the other hand, you have to start enjoying the process of working with the new bunch of people. Thankfully, both Salman and Ajay allowed me that comfort level,” Shah told IANS.

Shah teamed up with Akshay in his directorial debut “Aankhen”, followed by “Waqt - Race Against Time” and “Namaste London”. Later when he decided to rope in Anees Bazmee as director for “Singh Is Kinng”, Akshay was once again by his side. All these films worked well at the box office.

“Akshay and me go a very long way. It is absolutely a great rapport that both of us share and it’s a treat to work with him. However, I have to admit that since I was working with Salman and Ajay for the first time, I had to be on my toes all the time. That further made it an enjoyable experience for me,” he said.

The director has brought Salman and Ajay together 11 years after “Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam”.

Talking about the two, he said: “In any case, both these actors are beyond hits and flops today. They have been there for 20 years now and seen the industry and its trends quite closely. Moreover, they enjoy worldwide popularity and are known all over.

“They have a huge reach and impact which should bring in audiences. After they get an opening, it should be the film which should do the talking. If it is good, it would work. Period.”

Shah is also all praise for Asin Thottumkal, who would be seen in “London Dreams” a year after her debut Bollywood flick “Ghajini” opposite Aamir Khan.

“It is challenging for any actress to stand in front of terrific actors and stars like Salman and Ajay. However, the best part is that though she is a fresh face for Hindi audiences, she has worked with Kamal Haasan and other big stars down south.

“She knows how to make her presence felt amidst big stars and not to get conscious, upset or scared. It’s that kind of confidence that puts her at par with the actors,” the director said.

“She comes with that definite advantage. Since she has already dealt with one huge star like Aamir, her confidence shows. She is not scared of stars and comes across as so fresh on screen. This is so good for any director,” he said.

With an intense drama like “London Dreams” in front of audiences, Shah knew that he had a task in hand.

“While making the film, I had to work towards creating a comfort zone for my actors. Audiences should walk out of theatres saying that other than just Akshay, Vipul can extract good work from Ajay and Salman as well. That would be my win from the film,” Shah said.