"I am happy that there is something happening in this country which will mark the remembrance of senior actors," he says. The time is right to touch upon the controversies that his production house, Balaji Motion Pictures, has been embroiled in."Look, I am not dealing with any creative decisions made by the company. But yes, I deal with people when it comes to higher decisions. Things happen, but nothing is permanent," he reasons.
There was a rather public fall-out with Shah Rukh Khan during the release of Balaji's 'Once Upon Ay Time in Mumbai Dobaara', which opened a week after SRK's 'Chennai Express'. Reports claim that the latter's producers, UTV and Red Chillies Entertainment, agreed to pull out of a fixed number of theatres to facilitate the release of OUATIMD. However, after the phenomenal opening weekend, they allegedly reneged on their promise and Kapoor's OUATIMD had a tepid opening in 1600 screens.
Jeetendra brushes away the past and insists all is now well between SRK and him. So is SRK a friend today? "Why not?" he retorts. Did they get in touch after the 'Chennai Express' Vs 'OUATIMD' war died down? Not surprisingly, he answers in the negative. The disagreement which stuck closer home was the one with Abhishek Kapoor. Ekta backed out from her cousin Gattu's film 'Fitoor', much to everyone's surprise. Why?
"Firstly, let me tell you that Gattu is family and shall remain so. What happened between Ekta and him can never change our equation with him," asserts the senior actor. So is he open to Gattu directing for Ekta again. "I would love it if Gattu would make a film with Balaji as and when he can."