Satish Kaushik on his comeback as a director being road-blocked by corona
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 13, 2020)

In 2002, while filming Mujhe Kuchh Kehna Hai, Satish Kaushik read about Lal Bihari, a farmer from Amilo, Azamgarh, whose uncle had bribed an official to declare him dead so he could usurp his ancestral property. For 19 years, Lal Bihari tried everything possible, from abduction and bribery, to fighting elections and filing a case, to prove that he was alive and finally, the court ruled in his favour. Later, Lal Bihari prefixed his name with ‘Mritak’ (deceased) as a reminder of his struggle to exist, and founded the Uttar Pradesh Association Of Dead People to highlight cases like his.

“I was fascinated by his story and kept the newspaper cuttings. When real-life stories like Mary Kom and Paan Singh Tomar started finding their way to the screen, I decided it was time to bring Mritak Lal Bihari out from my files,” recounts the actor-director, whose black comedy Kaagaz, based on the story, is ready. When Coronavirus outbreak led to the lockdown, Satish had just two days of work left, and was waiting for his leading man, Pankaj Tripathi, to return from an outdoor shoot. The duo was to discuss promotional strategy as well.

“I wanted to come after the Gunjan Saxena biopic and ’83 since both big films feature Pankaj and Kaagaz is his first solo hero film. With Salman Khan agreeing to present it after listening to the story while we were shooting Bharat in Malta, I was gung-ho about my directorial comeback. It is performed and photographed beautifully. Then, Coronavirus hit our plans for a six,” sighs Satish, adding that Salim Khan and Lal Bihari saw the film at a trial and loved it.

When does he see the film opening now? “It will depend on the new lineup. With the big films waiting for a more opportune date, smaller films like ours may get a window earlier. It’s too premature to decide, but with Salman by my side, I am still hopeful for a good theatrical release.”