Sneha Rajani on her Bollywood beginnings, Piku’s success, why she won’t make sex comedies and her Rajesh Khanna connection!
Sarita A Tanwar (DNA; June 7, 2015)

The film industry has been predominantly male-dominated from as long as I can remember. And that’s why, each time a woman makes her mark, there’s a feeling of euphoria. The sense of achievement feels almost personal. In front of the camera and at the ticket counters, talents like Deepika Padukone and Kangana Ranaut are creating a storm. And behind it, people like Sneha Rajani (Deputy President and Head, MSM Motion Pictures) are making their presence felt with their creative and business acumen. Rajani made her ‘debut’ as producer this year (after a long stint in the television industry) with a certified hit like Piku. Even though it was an unconventional film to start her journey into showbiz, her belief paid off big time. The woman behind Piku tells how it all happened…

Let’s talk about your journey into films. Was it planned or intentional?
I moved to India wanting to make movies. That was always a childhood dream. Since the time I was a little kid, I always wanted to make movies. I am originally from Tanzania. I was born there and the education system over there is quite poor. So my father always wanted to send me to a boarding school in Bombay, also since my two older siblings were studying here. But I was very adamant about staying back there. At that time (in 1975), Haathi Mere Saathi was a very popular film in Tanzania and I must have seen it about 15 times as a kid. My dad wanted me to go to India but I was adamant about not moving. One day he said that if I went to Bombay, Rajesh Khanna would come on an elephant to pick me up at the airport. So I agreed. When the plane landed in Bombay, I got off the aircraft and kept looking for Rajesh Khanna on an elephant and when I didn’t see that, I sat on the tarmac and started crying. The security guards had to actually lift me and take me inside the building. I did not eat for the next three days.

So how did you finally recover from that?
I just kind of got over it after three days of crying non-stop. I think the germ of getting into movies came into me around that time. Haathi Mere Saathi and all of Mr (Amitabh) Bachchan’s films was my staple diet in movies. I must have seen Sholay more than 25 times. Haathi Mere Saathi was my favourite film as a kid but throughout my growing-up years, I’ve always been a crazy Amitabh Bachchan fan.

Being a woman is always tough in the film industry. Have you faced that yet?
That’s never happened. Maybe it’s a reflection of who I am. I think I scare people off.

You started your film journey with an unconventional film like Piku, which was not exactly a commercial bet. Did you face any resistance?
Piku was first mentioned to me by Wing Commander Ramesh. He is the CEO of Mr Bachchan’s company. He narrated a one-liner to me. When I read the script, I immediately knew that we had a winner and this film had to be made. Fortunately, it didn’t require much convincing with everybody else within the system. At that stage, Piku was about the wonderful writing. The way the scenes had been conceived, I could just see them all playing out in my head while I was reading it. It was that powerful visually. I am very clear that I will never back a ‘project’. I will always back a script and that is what we intend doing going forward.

The success of Piku has stunned the industry. Did you expect it?
I didn’t think it would be such a huge blockbuster but I had always said it would do 100 crores worldwide. The fact that it’s actually done that, is a nice feeling.

You’re a big Bachchan fan. Is that why you had him in your first film?
I actually mentioned this to Mr Bachchan when I was moving out of television and stepping into this role. I went to meet him to say I wouldn’t be a part of Kaun Banega Crorepati anymore and I left that meeting saying, “I hope that my first film is with you.” I think God really likes me because he made it happen.

You’ve known AB closely from the KBC days. Any memorable anecdotes?
There are far too many of them. But I mean, we have heard this so many times. He is a thorough professional, he is thorough gentleman and he is extremely punctual. Even after all these years and having done over 500 episodes of KBC, he meticulously follows a rigid pattern for every episode. And he will not compromise on that for anybody’s sake.

And what is that?
He will arrive on the sets, he will get a briefing from the team, he will get the script, he will go through the script, and he will go to the script room then where it is being fed into the teleprompter. He will go and read it through the teleprompter over and over again. Then he will go and read about a 100-odd questions that could come up. He will go and rehearse those. Then he will go back to his van and he will read the script yet again. It’s a pattern he follows. At times, we say, “Sir, you have already done this, so let’s start rolling.” And he’ll say no until he is completely satisfied. It obviously works for him and I don’t think he should move away from it.

The success of films like Piku is changing the definition of commercial cinema. Agree?
I don’t think it’s just about Piku. This trend frankly started off more or less with Kahaani, followed by Queen. I think those films actually started this whole trend of offbeat films doing commercially well. Yes, Piku has done exceptionally well and I’d like to believe that somewhere along the line, this will help make more of such films. I’d like to make a variety of films, which is why our second announcement has been Azhar with Balaji and that’s dramatically different.

You also released Piku yourself through Yash Raj Films. You didn’t sell the film in parts like most producers do.
It was my belief in the film and I think YRF is certainly the best in the business as far as distribution is concerned worldwide. Because I’d always said that Piku would do 100 crores and I wanted that to come true, I thought YRF could make that happen. I’m glad that worked.

As a producer, what drives you?
Making good cinema. Cinema that I believe will work at the box-office and also be loved by people. But for me, it has to make commercial sense.

Do you believe Bollywood is set for a massive change in terms of the kind of films being made?
2014 has been the watershed year of the film industry. I think last year was going to be a defining year with so many films not doing well. I think the whole focus on content has come back, which is great news for the industry.

Is there any kind of film you wouldn’t ever make?
I wouldn’t want to do a sex comedy. I’d like to make family-friendly films as much as possible. I may make a horror film — not necessarily a family film — but I won’t make a sex comedy.