I am taking forward the legacy of Manmohan Desai: Dhawan

New Delhi: He has been often derided for his formulaic approach to filmmaking but director David Dhawan says he is happy and proud to take forward the legacy of Manmohan Desai in Bollywood.

With a career spanning 20 years and 40 odd films, Dhawan is happy that he has managed a long innings with his `masala` entertainers. And if he is to believed, he has no intentions of leaving that trait behind. "A few years back when there was a wave of this so-called new age cinema, people used to wonder whether I too would be shifting gears. Why should I? It is the formula that works and I am so glad that something that I have always propagated over all these years is so much in vogue today. "My formula is running strong and it is just that today`s new directors are presenting it with their own style.The challenge now is for me to go over and above what the new breed is doing. I have to set my own benchmarks," says Dhawan, who recently wrapped up a major schedule of `Rascals` with Ajay Devgn. Talking about his approach to films, Dhawan says that rather than regretting his journey, he feels proud of the fact that he has managed to take forward the legacy of Manmohan Desai. "When I joined the industry, I took forward Manmohan Desai formula. He was my guru, he is my guru even today and he will stay on to be my guru. He had actually signed me on for `Deewana Mastana`. It was a great loss for me when he passed away as I lost my mentor. Later I went on to complete the film with his son." Dhawan, who is also remaking Sai Parnjpe`s `Chashme Baddoor`, feels that some of the biggest hits in recent times have been `masala` affairs. "Look at `Dabangg`. It was a film which came from the soil of our own country. No one started singing and dancing in foreign locations. Same is the case with `Golmaal` series as well." He attributes his own long stint in the industry to the "connectivity" that he has established with his audience ever since he made his debut as a director with Sanjay Dutt and Govinda starrer `Taaqatwar` (1989). PTI