Debutant director Mikhil Musale on his ‘most collaborative’ leading man, getting his dream cast in place and telling an unusual story of a Gujarati businessman
Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 17, 2019)

In debutant director Mikhil Musale’s social-comedy Made in China, Rajkummar Rao plays a Gujarati character for the second time in his career, after Kai Po Che. And according to the filmmaker, he was rather keen to get under the skin of Raghu Mehta, an Ahmedabad-based entrepreneur in the film, which also features Mouni Roy as the female lead.

Mikhil goes on to inform that his leading man slipped into the character the day he heard the script. “When he signed the film, he was already thinking ahead and making mental notes about the aspects he would need to work on,” says the director, adding, “Raj and I had many conversations to crystallise Raghu’s world. Next thing I know, he calls me to inform that he is in Ahmedabad. This was a month before the shoot.”

As part of his prep, Rajkummar went to the busy streets of Ahmedabad to get a hang of the Gujarati culture and get the nuances of his character right. “He took a video camera and visited the busy areas of Ahmedabad, from Lal Darwaja to Gandhi Market and Manek Chowk, and talked to local store owners and young people shopping in those areas,” Mikhil reveals.

The film, produced by Maddock Films and presented by Dinesh Vijan and Jio Studios, went on the floors in September last year with a startto-finish schedule and is slated to hit the big screen this Diwali. “When I met him closer to the shoot, I saw a completely different man. Raghu had evolved even beyond my script. Right through the shoot too, Raj asked me and my co-writer Karan Vyas to talk to him in Gujarati so that he develops an ease with the language and accent,” Mikhil recounts, describing his first Hindi film—he has previously directed the National Award-winning Gujarati feature film Wrong Side Raju (2016)—as a “an unusual entrepreneurial journey of a Gujarati businessman.”

Besides diction, Rajkummar also worked on his physical appearance for the turn, piling on eight kilos. “I don’t know how he did it in such a short span. That’s his secret. I think, he has spoiled me as a director; I was fortunate enough to work with possibly the most collaborative artist on my first Hindi film,” Mikhil shares with a smile.

The film features an ensemble cast, comprising of Boman Irani, Paresh Rawal, Sumeet Vyas and Gajraj Rao. “It’s a dream cast for me because this is my first Hindi film. All these are my favourite people, and I look up to them as actors. They have been cast for very particular characters in the film. Characters that are written in a way that could only be played and justified by them. Apart from the roles, the script and Dinoo (Vijan) sir’s credibility was instrumental in getting all of them on board,” the filmmaker signs off.

On getting the ensemble in place for the film, Dinesh Vijan says, “I am a strong believer that certain energies gravitate towards each other and that’s how this film has been made. We are excited for the audience to see the endearing chemistry between Raj and Boman and also the special part that Gajraj and Paresh play in Raghu and Dr Vardi’s (Boman) entrepreneurial journey.”


Mouni Roy; Mikhil Musale; Rajkummar Rao in the film (above)