Aashiqui 2’ not erotic like original: Mahesh Bhatt

In a departure from the original musical blockbuster ‘Aashiqui’ which had an erotic-thriller component, Director-producer Mahesh Bhatt is slotting the upcoming sequel ‘Aashiqui 2’ as a family entertainer.

"After the successful run of ‘Aashiqui’ in 1991 and in following years due to repeat runs at theatres and on TV and the music ruling the chart for years, we must make a departure from the previous genre," Bhatt said.

‘Aashiqui 2’ needed the departure as the audience has changed and a whole new generation now flock to multiplexes for wholesome entertainers, Bhatt said after a promo meet.

"`Aashiqui` was a cult movie. It will sound cliche if you say you want to reach that level. You can`t repeat the success of any movie. So let`s call it another movie, with a fresh cast, a whole new look, a whole new content and a rocking music director (Jeet Ganguly) who is a household name in Bengal and also making his mark in Mumbai," he said.

"`Aashiqui 2` ushers in the glorious golden period of cinema... The phase of films like `Abhimaan`. It rekindles the feel of the `70s and `80s -- which celebrated middle class values -- and seeks to bring back that kind of cinema. But it`s set in the contemporary world," he said.

On the reason behind casting Aditya Roy Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor, Bhatt said, "You cannot repeat Rahul Roy and Anu Agarwal in the present age `Aashiqui`. Can you? For the simple, emotional flick high on adrenalin, we needed two fresh faces in the lead as well as in music," he said.

Stating that all the tracks of ‘Aashiqui’ like `Nazar ke samney` were his favourites, Music director Jeet Ganguly said he was hooked to the music created by Nadeem Shravan when he heard it for first time at a young age.

"Once Mr Mahesh Bhatt approached me for `Aashiqui 2`, I stopped listening to those tracks. That was needed to impart freshness to the music," Ganguly said.

"As `Aashiqui 2` songs like Tum Hi Ho and Sunn Raha Hai are topping the charts, I hope this will also strike a chord," he said on the music of the Mohit Suri directed film that releases on April 26.