Arbaaz Khan has taken over the reins from Abhinav Kashyap in the eagerly anticipated sequel of 2010 blockbuster hit ‘Dabangg’ ‘Dabangg 2’. Arbaaz Khan, who produced the original, is all set to make his directorial debut with the sequel.

Actor turned director said that he understands and accepts the challengers the sequel poses.

“Of course, every sequel comes with its advantages and challenges and even more so with a film like 'Dabangg' that has established a legacy. But I have had all of this sorted in my mind for long,” said Arbaaz Khan to a daily.

But Arbaaz Khan is sure that the legacy that ‘Dabangg’ holds will at least make sure that the movie runs to packed houses on opening days.

“On the brighter side, 'Dabangg' has a huge fan base, so people will come to watch my film for sure. It has a loyalty base and the director is expected to maintain the quality to meet the expectations of those people. But yaar, legacy kahaan tak chalegi? (But till when will legacy help) A film has to run into the second week also, na? Log toh Friday, Saturday ya Sunday aa jaayenge hype pe (people will come on Friday, Saturday and Sunday), but what about the next week,” said Arbaaz Khan.

“If I don't make a good, strong film, people will say, 'Isme mazaa nahin aaya' (the movie isn’t entertaining). And I am very conscious of that since, of course, this is my debut as a director also. I want to make a worthy sequel and show my expertise,” he added.

Arbaaz Khan thinks that ‘Dabangg 2’ is a logical extension to ‘Dabangg’ and said that had no second thoughts in making the film.

“I'm sure of my abilities, and I know my film has a scope. As a producer too, I was aware of the scope of my characters of my story and my setting. 'Dabangg 2' is a logical extension. I'm very sure I can take this franchisee forward. See, here sequels are made only when the initial film has been successful, which my earlier film was. And trust me, turning director is a well-thought out decision, it did not happen overnight. I was thinking of direction even when I was acting,” said Arbaaz.

Though Arbaaz Khan knows that his brother Salman Khan is a bankable he feels that a good script is very essential for the movie to run packed houses.

“Salman Khan is like having Sachin in your team. The people love him, the camera loves him... One would say, 'Yaar Sachin hai toh century toh bana hi lega' (Sachin will definitely hit a century).But think about it, Sachin ne century bana liya but the other players in the team were not able to play... What then? Match toh log ek run se bhi haar jaate hain na (we can lose the match even with a single run)... what I'm trying to say is that my script and my work has to be tight enough also,” he said.

When asked if his wife Malaika Arora Khan, the original Munni from ‘Dabangg’, will make an appearance in the sequel he said, “Malaika is my lucky charm. Main uske liye kahin toh jagah banaunga (I will definitely make space for her in the movie).”

‘Dabangg 2’ is sequel to 2010 blockbuster hit ‘Dabangg’. The movie stars Salman Khan and Sonakshi Sinha in lead roles. They will reprise their roles from the previous movie. The movie is scheduled to release this Christmas.