With his upcoming directorial venture, Race 3, just a few days away from its release, filmmaker Remo D’Souza is enjoying this “mixed feeling” of excitement and nervousness. “It’s crazy. It’s exactly like when you know you’ve written the exam well but you are waiting for the result to know you’ve done well,” he says. Having directed an ensemble cast including Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor, Jacqueline Fernandez and Daisy Shah among others, Remo calls the film a “learning experience”. In a freewheeling conversation, the filmmaker opens up about taking the Race franchise forward and the pressure that comes along, directing Salman Khan, making him dance and more.

As a maker, yes, I’m under pressure. Both Race 1 and Race 2 have done well and they were directed by legends Abbas Mustan I’m a big fan of their work. And now, I’ve come in as the director, have Salman Khan with a huge star cast and the action is next level, so there’s a lot of pressure.

This was absolutely a surprise film for me. I still can’t believe that I’ve finished it before time and it’s also Salman’s fastest film shoot. It all happened because of him he was there, on time and would do everything leaving me pleasantly surprised, so it was very easy.

I’ve learned a lot from every actor in this film. But Salman sir and Anil Kapoor have taught me so much not only as a filmmaker but as a person too. They are so grounded and passionate about making films and so professional about the process that sometimes, it’s unbelievable. I remember once Salman had to fly back to Mumbai and he was reaching early morning. I said ‘you come, get some rest and then come on set by afternoon’ but early morning at 7, I get a call from him saying, ‘I’m at the airport, I’ve just landed and coming to the sets now.’ That was amazing and so unheard of.

My idea [from day one] was to make him dance. I know he’s got his typical style, which people love with those small steps he does, but I wanted him to do proper dance. So, in addition to that, I made sure that in the three dance numbers, he actually tried a couple of different dance styles. He loves dancing, so, it wasn’t much of a challenge.

You see, he’s got his fan following and people love him for what he is and the star he is. I’m a huge Salman Khan fan — the one who whistles, claps and jumps each time he comes onscreen. And I always wanted to do a film with him.