After the lavishly shot Mirzya in 2016, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's next is a modestly-budgeted film with an acknowledged actress (Anjali Patil) and some children whom he personally selected from the slums where he was shooting. The director-writer was shooting in the slums of Mumbai for a film that highlights a son's love for his mother and his fight for her dignity. In a candid chat with BT on the sets of the movie, the filmmaker opened up on the failure of Mirzya, why most of his films are set in North India and his commitment to the cause of sanitation. Excerpts...

After a much-publicised project like Mirzya, your next is a smaller film titled Mere Pyare Prime Minister. Can we safely call this your attempt at reinvention?
Yes, I am trying to reinvent myself as a filmmaker. Of course, I have always avoided repeating myself and have attempted different genres and subjects, right from my first film, Aks. After that, Rang De Basanti was about being the change you want to see in others, while Delhi 6 addressed religious intolerance and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag was about a boy, who braved odds to break a world record. Mirzya was about women and their illogical behaviour when they're in love. We mounted the film well, but couldn't nail it. I am sure that with my second, third or fourth attempt at a musical, I will finally get the genre right. I am not letting it go till I crack it. Also, financially, Mirzya didn't just pinch me; it knocked me out. But like they say, you live and learn. So, I continue to tell stories.

You have shot Mere Pyare Prime Minister inside some remote pockets of Mumbai. Considering it's the first time you have set a film in such areas, how was the experience?
My films have been largely shot in North India because I am a Delhi boy. Though I migrated to this city about 30 years ago, most of my stories except Aks belong there. When I came to Mumbai, there was just one slum - Dharavi. Now, there are hundreds of such colonies. When you walk through them, you realise how big an issue sanitation is. There are very few public toilets, and women are the worst affected. While men can opt to defecate in the open, women have to find enclosures, or relieve themselves when hopefully, no one's watching. It's not only extremely unhygienic, but also raises a question on their safety.

Your team has built a toilet in one such area where you shot the film. Looks like you are strongly committed to the cause...
While I was researching on the issue, I got associated with an NGO. During one of our visits to Sabarmati, I found that even Mahatma Gandhi was associated with the cause of building toilets and improving sanitation in India. That's when we thought of supporting the cause till we die. In the next two years, we want to cover as many as 5,000 sites in India. We started with Gujarat, travelled to Rajasthan and then, Maharashtra and Telangana. It's a self-sufficient module that sustains itself.

Eventually, my team also came up with a story revolving around the acute shortage of toilets. We've have built toilets smartly. When we started building them in Gujarat, we realised that in a lot of remote pockets, girls would quit studies after puberty because the schools lacked sanitation. However, after building a few toilets, they started coming back, and that felt great. The situation is worse in cities like Mumbai where there are plenty of unauthorized colonies. The BMC cannot give them permission to construct toilets as these colonies are built on encroached land. Fortunately, the colony where we shot the film had a water connection, so we could build a loo for the residents.

Few filmmakers have shown Mumbai's slums in a positive manner. Was that ever a worry for you while writing the story?
The film doesn't look down upon slums. On the contrary, it celebrates the life that people lead here, despite all the odds faced by them. My film is about a boy's struggle for his mother - he wants to build a toilet for her. I've also realised that these slums have a concept of neighbourhood...khule ghar aur khuli Diwali hoti hai yahan. When I was shooting at this slum (in Ghatkopar), I filmed inside real homes and the people there fed me from their kitchens. I even stayed in these houses for six days to understand what it is like to wake up here in the mornings. I even used the toilets, which are used by them. Unless you understand a situation, you cannot project it correctly. Most of my stories are based on my experiences and so, this too, had to be experiential.

Moving on, for the last couple of years, you have been toying with the idea of a film centered around the education system and the school admission racket in Delhi. Since a few movies in recent times have already tackled the issue, do you still plan to make your film?
I am not just toying with the idea, I am working on the story. So much has changed over the last three years. Our education system needs to cater to students as individuals and not as a bunch; it's about learning, not competing. We have to abolish grades. Today's kids are smart, but they are under a lot of pressure - societal, peer and parental. As far as my children are concerned, I always tell them that grades are not important, learning and becoming a good citizen is.

Talking about learning, what did you finally learn while making a modest-sized film, in an environment you are not as familiar with?
It taught me a lot about my own craft. I experienced indie cinema first hand, and it was poignant and in-your-face. I feel, we've lost social and socio-political cinema to escapist films. We need the latter too, but I wish we could strike a balance.