Niharika Lal (BOMBAY TIMES; December 17, 2019)

Anubhav Sinha has helmed socially relevant films like Mulk and Article 15 and he has also directed Tum Bin, a full-fledged romantic drama. While interacting with the audience at Jashn-e-Rekhta, Anubhav, who has received death threats and been a punching bag for trolls on social media, said that he believes in not thinking about consequences when there is a story that needs to be told. The filmmaker, who spent a year in Delhi, jobless and trying to figure out what he wanted to do with his life, revealed that it was the trolls who made him realise about the power he had as a filmmaker. Referring to his years before Mulk as a ‘past life’, he also said that being praised for Article 15 prompted him to go into hiding in Kashmir. Besides talking at length about filmmaking, Anubhav also discussed the current situation in the country.

‘I REALISED THAT I HAD THE POWER TO CONTROL WHAT PEOPLE SAW AND THOUGHT ABOUT FOR THREE HOURS’
While talking about how he decided to make Mulk, the filmmaker revealed that it was the Twitter trolls that gave him the push. He said, “Till two years ago, being a filmmaker was my profession. Mulk as a subject is something I felt very strongly about. I used to talk to people on Twitter. Paid trolls mujhse jhagda karte thay, Pakistan ka visa dete thay. It was a useless exercise, and that’s when I realised that as a filmmaker, I had the power to control what people saw and thought about for three hours. And that was when I decided that there should be a purpose to filmmaking, now it’s not just a profession.”

He directed Mulk because he felt strongly about the subject. What is the one piece of advice he would give to budding filmmakers? “Tumhare samaj mein jis baat ko le kar sabse zyada gussa hai usko le kar film banao. Film achhi banegi. Kyunki Mulk ko lekar main bahut naraz tha, phir banayi maine Article 15, woh bhi Mulk hai, next film bhi woh hi hai. Mulk ke baad bhi main bas Mulk hi bana raha hoon,” he answered.

Talking about the reactions he received for Article 15, the filmmaker said, “When I named my film Article 15, people in the industry were wondering, ‘What kind of a name is this for a film?’ But that film did more business than big films, but what’s more important is that Article 15 struck an emotional chord with the audience. People called me up to tell me how much they liked Mulk and Article 15. Usually, when a film is good, they just drop a text. I got so scared with all the praise and love that a few days after the release of Article 15, I went into hiding. Main bhaag gaya tha Kashmir kyunki wahan network nahi hota hai, aur ab toh bilkul hi nahi hota hai. Uska jab status change hua tha usse kuch din pehle hi main Kashmir ho ke aaya tha. That’s the first time I went to Kashmir.”

‘PEOPLE WERE READY TO SLIT MY THROAT FOR `1 LAKH, SO I WAS LIKE I WILL PAY `2 LAKH, DO NOT SLIT MY THROAT’
Before the release of Article 15, Anubhav Sinha received death threats. The filmmaker told the audience that the Police Commissioner of Mumbai had provided him with security a couple of days before the release of Article 15. He joked, “Zubaan kaatne ki dhamki mil rahi thi mujhe. People were ready to slit my throat for Rs 1 lakh, so I was like I will pay Rs 2 lakh, do not slit my throat.”

‘JO LOG MERA BHARAT MAHAAN KE NAARE LAGATE HAIN, MAIN UN SAB SE KAHIN ZYADA APNE DESH SE PYAAR KARTA HOON’
The director is not one to mince his words while expressing his dissatisfaction with where the country is headed. However, Anubhav revealed that his friends and well-wishers stop him from tweeting. When asked why he answered, “Phir aap kahenge siyasi baat kar raha hai. Bol doon?” Many from the audience shouted, “Bol ke lab azaad hain tere.” He paused, and continued, “Kyunki aaj kal virodh mana hai. Aur mujhe virodh pasand hai. Mera desh pareshan hai. Jo log Mera Bharat Mahaan ke naare lagate hain, main unn sab se kayi zyada apne desh se pyaar karta hoon. Log jab sadak par nikalte hain toh mujhe bahut taqleef hoti hai. Jab ek pradesh hum se baat nahi kar pata toh mujhe bahut taqleef hoti hai. Ye mera farz hai, aur yeh mera haq hai ki main uss taqleef ka izhar karoon. Aur woh main karta hoon, aur woh fashionable nahi hai aaj kal. Toh isliye mujhe daant padti hai.”

‘UNTIL I MET SHAH RUKH KHAN, I USED TO THINK I AM THE MOST HARDWORKING GUY ON THE PLANET’
Anubhav Sinha told the audience that after Cash (2007), people stopped answering his calls, and he thought that his career was finished. But then he got a call from Shah Rukh Khan to direct Ra.One (2011). Talking about his equation with Shah Rukh, the director shared, “Shah Rukh isn’t a star. It’s a privilege to know him. I always tell him that I am more interested in getting to know him than making a film with him, because I get to learn so much from him. I love how he’s humble and arrogant at the same time. He has continued to be a middle-class boy even at this stage of his life when he is ‘Shaaaaaaah Rukh Khan’. And until I met him, I used to think I was the most hardworking guy on the planet.”