Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; December 25, 2019)

Filmmaker Karan Johar’s banner is like home turf for debutant director Raj Mehta, who has been with it since 2013. Out of the eight films that he has worked on as an assistant/associate, three belonged to Karan’s production house. The Delhi lad, whose fascination for cinema started by watching films, had to tackle family opposition and get a formal degree before entering the industry. Talking about his directorial debut, Good Newwz, Raj tells BT what it feels like to be a debutant in the business, what he learnt from Akshay Kumar, and what attracted him to this film. Excerpts...

Good Newwz revolves around In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF). It’s an unconventional subject to make a directorial debut with. So, what drew you to it?
IVF was not the only attraction. The story and what happens to the couples in that dynamic drew me to Good Newwz. In fact, I was fascinated with Jyoti Kapoor’s story from the time I read it. Jyoti was undergoing IVF when she came across a real-life incident, which inspired her to write this story. Eventually, with a bit of work on her drafts, we had our script in place. The entire premise is unique. People are somewhat aware of what IVF is, but they still don’t know much. I am not married, and I didn’t know much about it. But after this film, I know how much this technology has helped reproductively challenged couples to become parents. For them, this method is godsend. If I ever face a difficulty having a child when I’m married, I will opt for IVF.

Do you think that couples, across economic and social strata, find it difficult to accept the fact that they can’t conceive through natural means? Sometimes, elders in the family also have reservations about couples opting for something that’s not natural...
It’s actually quite difficult to come to terms with the fact that you can’t have a child the natural way. It’s also true that often, IVF is not the immediate option. However, it has a high success ratio and Good Newwz might just ease the thought process for couples. It is probably a taboo subject or a matter of reservation within families and for the couple, because it’s not the natural route. Like there is an instance in the film where Akshay sir’s (Kumar) character, when advised to see a fertility expert, says, ‘Ab main kisi gupt rog specialist ke paas nahi jaaonga’. This line reflects on the kind of attitude people have towards treating a reproductive challenge. Men especially feel that the problem is not with them. It’s gradually changing, but will take a while before families stop having reservations about how a couple opts to conceive.

Reproductively challenged women often face social stigma, but what about men? How do they deal with the fact that they can’t have a baby without medical intervention?
I don’t know how many men even discuss the fact that there is a problem conceiving. They probably find it very embarrassing. In fact, discussing it with a doctor is also an issue for them, though the couple has to go through everything together. When you see that scene in the trailer where Akshay sir and Kareena (Kapoor Khan)’s characters are in the doctor’s clinic, you can tell that he is in denial about the situation and he’s there only because she forced him to. Men should just go with what their partner wants, especially in this aspect. That is the first step towards removing the reservation that the society has with treatments like IVF. Kami to kisi ki bhi ho sakti hai lekin usse dono ko ladna padta hai. It can’t be a lonely battle.

Though Akshay has been trying to balance his commercial entertainers with meaningful family films, how did he approach Good Newwz? Did he try to tone certain scenes down?
I was amazed to see how open he was to this story. In the last few years, he has done films like Toilet - Ek Prem Katha (2017) and Padman (2018). Given that he is a commercially successful star and producer, I was anticipating that he would tone down scenes attached to the plot where the couple is trying to have a baby. But he taught me how to stay true to the story without making the film inaccessible to families. That’s an art he taught me.

He enhanced the humour, some of it before we started shooting and some on the set, spontaneously. I find him crazy about his films, and I love him for that. He’s never thrown his weight around or done anything to hamper the film. It’s mind-blowing how he never gets complacent. In fact, Kareena and he set the precedent. They made it easy for everyone to function on the set. I am actually spoilt because of this experience.

This year has seen several new directors and yours is the last film that will release in 2019. It deals with a sensitive subject and features four top stars. As a debutant director, does this fact pressurise you?
Well, I hadn’t even thought about it until now, so I don’t know how to react to your question. Two years ago, I had written a script that Karan (Johar) had liked. We spent a year on it, but didn’t find an apt cast. In this industry, you need a miracle to be able to make your first film. I have friends who are still finding it difficult to get studios to mount their films the way they should be. I am just thankful that Good Newwz came my way. It happened on its own when Somen Mishra (creative head of the production house) sent me Jyoti’s first draft without giving me any details about it. In about four months from that day, we were ready to roll. It’s cliched, but true that your first film chooses you and then, you can decide where you head.