As 7 Khoon Maaf completes 15 years on February 18, actor Vivaan Shah, who made his debut with 7 Khoon Maaf, looks back at the film that shaped his understanding of cinema and confirmed his decision to become an actor.

With the distance of time, Vivaan places the film within a wider literary and cinematic tradition. He says, “I see 7 Khoon Maaf as part of a kind of Gothic trilogy by Vishal ji, which includes Maqbool and Haider. All three films contain elements of the Gothic and the macabre in the architecture, the aesthetics, and the emotional landscapes of the stories.”

He says, “Even Omkara and Kaminey carry shades of rural and urban Gothic respectively. 7 Khoon Maaf, Maqbool and Haider also hint at earlier classical literary influences such as Dante and Marlowe, who must have influenced Shakespeare himself. There is even a touch of Indian Gothic of the kind associated with Ismat Chughtai and Saadat Hasan Manto.”

Joining director Vishal Bhardwaj’s set at 19 proved to be a turning point. He says, “Working with Vishal ji was a dream come true. I had been a fan of his from a very early age. I never wanted to be a professional actor, but when this opportunity came my way, I plunged into it even before I had made up my mind.”

The experience led to an epiphany. He says, “On the sets of 7 Khoon Maaf, I decided that I was going to dedicate myself full-time to this profession. I learned an extraordinary amount, including language, speech, diction, tone, cinematic vocabulary, and the art of acting itself. Working with Vishal ji was like a masterclass, almost like film school. He is our Stanley Kubrick. The more you watch his films, the more you learn.”

The film demanded that Vivaan portray the passage of time, a challenge that went beyond prosthetics. He says, “We had an extraordinary prosthetics team from America, which helped immensely, but it was still a challenge from an acting standpoint. Watching Priyanka Chopra do this was one of the most illuminating experiences of my life.”

He says, “I have immense gratitude towards Priyanka for how kind, patient, and helpful she was. I was young, lost, and a novice, but she guided me through an extraordinarily complex character and story. She is one of the greatest actresses and human beings I know.”

Reflecting on her performance, he says, “She gave one of the most mind-blowing performances ever. It was almost like a Sunset Boulevard, Greta Garbo kind of performance. She has the grandeur of cinema icons like Bette Davis and Joan Crawford.”

Fifteen years on, Vivaan believes the film’s politics remain relevant. He says, “Great works of art remain immutable with time. 7 Khoon Maaf is extraordinarily progressive and forward-thinking. It is a punk-rock feminist film.”

It’s impossible to think of Maqbool without Irrfan, but few know that the actor was not the first or even the second choice for the role. Filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj shared, “Ek actor ke liye toh Naseer bhai ne bola tha ke tumhe goli maar doonga (laughs).”

After the recent screening of Maqbool at an event titled ‘Irrfan: A Retrospective’, filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj and Naseeruddin Shah shared many such anecdotes from the making of the film, which clocked in 20 years on January 30, and spoke about their association with the actor, who passed away in April 2020.

Remembering his first meeting with Irrfan, Naseer said, “I met him for the first time when he was rehearsing for a play with Ratna (Pathak Shah). People had told me that he liked me a great deal. When I was introduced to him, he was very matter of fact, there was no fawning. Like everybody, the first thing that struck me about him was his eyes. He had absolutely amazing eyes. I had no idea of the depth of his range. There couldn’t have been a better choice to play Maqbool than Irrfan. Personally, he was very affectionate towards me, and I was very fond of him, but we didn’t meet very often. So, I can’t say that we were close friends, which is something I missed out on, but I continuously admired his work and his attitude towards it.”

Vishal said, “During Maqbool, we were all discovering ourselves. Naseer bhai supported me a lot and did many workshops. The thing about Irrfan was that he was so effortless that at times, you would feel he hadn’t prepared for the scene at all. He understood the silences in the script so well. Dosti, dosti mein saara kaam ho raha tha, aur lag raha tha ke kuch special ho raha hai. We were grappling with many things, jaise ke paise kam the. Film release hone ke baad jo reaction aaya tab realize hua ke bahut extraordinary kaam hua hai.”

Talking about Irrfan’s brilliance as an actor, Naseer had once said that he envied him. Elaborating on that, the actor said, “He always seemed to be performing so effortlessly, never did I feel, while watching him perform, that he was straining for an effect or trying to make an impact. My feelings about his movies are uneven. I haven’t liked them all, but there has never been any moment of falseness that I have detected in Irrfan’s work anytime. I wasn’t being modest or anything; I genuinely meant it when I said that I envied him because I know that at his age, I certainly was not that capable or had that much of an understanding of the craft of acting.”

During the evening, Vishal played a song that Irrfan had sung and sent him during his cancer treatment that brought everyone to tears. The filmmaker said, “Irrfan had a great sense of humour. Even when he was unwell, he would make fun of the doctor. He had caught the doctor’s gestures and would mimic them. Sutapa would keep scolding him ke tameez se baat karo, tumhara ilaaj kar raha hai. Har baat mein Irrfan ka… Main toh andar se toot gaya hoon, kyunki aadha lagta hai Irrfan ke bina. Jab bimar the, tab mujhe messages bahut bhejte the aur gaane bhi gaake bhejte the…”

When asked if he would make any changes for better performance at the box office, Vishal said, “This reminds me of an actor who, after reading the script, said that the hero is a loser (laughs). No box-office success can match the pride that it gives me now.” Is there is anything he would change if the film were made today, Vishal said, “The only thing I would change is bring Irrfan back, but that isn’t possible.”

Reflecting on the relationship they shared over their many collaborations, Vishal said, “Abhishek Chaubey ki ek film thi Ishqiya, uske pehle Anurag Kashyap ki ek film thi No Smoking. Both the producer and the director wanted me to be associated with it, toh maina apna naam de dediya. That movie flopped badly. After that, when we started shooting Ishqiya, Irrfan told me that he had given away all the dates meant for Ishqiya. He said, ‘Aapki film toh flop ho gayi, toh mujhe laga aap toh aage banaoge nahi.’ Toh mein bahut gussa hua, aur hum dono ki do-teen saal baat bandh hui thi.

Phir main jab 7 Khoon Maaf bana raha tha, I was unable to cast for the part that he eventually played. When I called him for it, I told him that I had a small role for him. He said, “Aap jo bhi bolenge main karunga, mujhe toh aapko manana hai.” Par jab editing ka time aaya, toh woh role kaatna pada. He got angry.”

He added, “For Haider, when I spoke to him, tab unhone kaha ke pehli shart yeh hai ki jo part kaata tha 7 Khoon Maaf mein usse YouTube pe release karo. Maine kaha theek hai, par aaj tak woh nahi mila. Haider ke waqt unhone kaha ke main paise bahut loonga tumse, kyunki tumne mere saath yeh gadbad ki thi. I said the role is yours and the money is also yours because I knew nobody could play the Ghost. After the trial of the show, he said, ‘Agar aisi entry deni thi toh paise kyun diye?’”

Irrfan’s wife, Sutapa Sikdar, and son Babil were also present at the event. Sharing her memory of Maqbool, Sutapa said, “They were shooting the film in Bhopal, and I was pregnant with our younger son Ayaan. Suddenly, the doctor said that I might have the child. So, Irrfan rushed back, once he reached here, he started speaking to Ayaan, ke bahut nuksaan ho jayega Vishal ka, tu aisa mat kar. And the child actually seemed to have heard him. He was born two months later.”

Priyanka Chopra Jonas, who has headlined films such as Fashion (2008), Saat Khoon Maaf (2011) and Mary Kom (2014), feels that a lot rides on the success of these ‘women-centric’ projects.

Speaking at a film festival in Mumbai on Sunday, the actor said, “There’s a lot of pressure when you have a female-led film because we have so few [of them]. Today, we are seeing successes of such films more and more, but that’s tough [to happen every time], the 41-year-old says, adding, “When a female-led film doesn’t do well, I feel the collective failure on behalf of all women, as if we have taken them a few steps back. I feel like this has to work because there are a few of us who get the opportunity to do this, and we have to do it well... You just think, ‘I won’t let womankind down because we have such few opportunities’.”

Citing the example of Fashion — a film that was appreciated by critics and audiences alike — Priyanka recalled that naysayers had advised her against doing a female-led film in the early stages of her career. The movie, directed by Madhur Bhandarkar, turned 15 on Sunday.

“I was told ‘ladkiyan female-oriented films apne career ke end mein karti hain for National Award’. It was like, ‘You have just started, you have done Krrish (2006), Aitraaz (2004) and you are having your moment’. This was in the early 2000s,” she continued, “I liked the script [of Fashion]. We were working on it for six months; it was a passion project. We went to Goa, worked on the character graph of (her character) Meghna Mathur, her emotional and physical journey. All I focused on was immersing myself in this girl. I realised that you need to know your character like she is your best friend, before you walk on the set.”

Priyanka, who won a National Award for the film, went on to reveal that Fashion altered her viewpoint about acting and made her eager to join an acting school. “After this film, I was hungry to learn formal acting. I went to (actor) Naseeruddin Shah sir’s class, I trained for about 10 days with him. Then, I went to (actor) Pankaj Kapur sir, who was my neighbour. I was like, ‘Can you work with me on the script?’ At that time, I was going to do 7 Khoon Maaf with (filmmaker) Vishal Bhardwaj sir. He (Kapur) was like, ‘What work? Every answer you need is in your script. When you do a scene, think about how your character is feeling’.”

Currently based out of Los Angeles with husband, singer Nick Jonas and daughter Malti Marie, Priyanka also spoke about her hopes of building a diverse filmography in Hollywood. The actor, who has worked on projects like Quantico, Baywatch (2017) and The Matrix Resurrections (2021) in the West, shared, “There’s a variety of work that I have done in India, I haven’t achieved that in America. So, I want to expand that.”

Singer Usha Uthup’s first brush with acting happened with Bombay To Goa (1973). She also did a cameo in Rock On 2 (2016). And last month, she made her digital acting debut with the Tamil dramedy Achcham Madam Naanam Payirppu, where she played a pivotal part.

For Uthup, doing a film is enough and whether it has a theatrical or digital release doesn’t bother her: “I was just happy that I got the offer. The idea was wonderful. I’m a grandmother in real life, too, and playing one who is her granddaughter’s confidante made me feel so good.”

And going forward, she plans on essaying different characters on screen. “I’ve played myself in films. Being Usha Uthup [on screen] is easy, but I don’t want to do that anymore. I’m happy being someone else. I don’t mind playing a small character as long as it adds meaning to the story,” she says.

In Uthup’s words, she’s a “director’s actor” and looks at every film as “a learning experience”. The singer-actor elaborates, “I do what they (the directors) tell me to do. Whenever they asked me to improvise or play a character my way, I did that in 7 Khoon Maaf (Hindi film; 2011) and Potham Vava (Malayalam movie; 2006). I have been acting ever since my school days. Over the years, I have worked with actors like Mammootty, Kamal Haasan, Naseeruddin Shah, Amitabh Bachchan and Annu Kapoor, and all the experiences were marvellous.”

So, how does she plan on balancing acting and music? “It’s my audience and their love and support that keep me inspired. I have always maintained that if I get a job that involves entertaining people, I’ll happily do it,” ends the 74-year-old.

Vivaan Shah started his career with small roles in big multi-starrers, such as 7 Khoon Maaf (2011)and Happy New Year (2014). But looking back, the actor, who is the son of actors Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak Shah, feels he took the wrong approach. “I made the mistake early in my career of chasing stardom and success. I started off in the business thinking I am here to be a star. Somewhere along the way, I realised that no, I am an actor [first],” the 32-year-old tells us.

Speaking of what his parents think about his journey, he says, “They never bought into this business of stardom. But when I started in 2010, it was a very different climate in the industry. My peers were filling my head with all kinds of idiotic advice on how to be a leading star. My parents told me not to listen to the bulls**t. But as a young, immature person, I did not listen to them. Rather than trying to evolve as an actor, I was greedy to become a star. I wish that I had followed my parents’ advice.”

But Shah does feel fortunate to have done the big films that he did. “The projects of mine that the audience is familiar with, are the ones with big people. For the last seven years, with the exception of A Suitable Boy, the stuff that I’ve done has not reached an audience,” he says, adding that he has been constantly employed in the last 12 years. “I am still working hard and evolving as an actor. I hope that people get to see more of me,” he signs off.

“The best place to record is in a [walk-in] closet,” says K J Singh in the midst of this discussion, highlighting how the music industry was caught scrambling to comprehend technology during the Coronavirus pandemic. The National Award-winning Indian audio engineer, who has worked closely with AR Rahman, has been part of the industry since music was consumed on cassette. 

The advent of digital synthesisers, he says, was among the early factors that changed the course of music-making. “We no longer had to have all artistes gather at the same time to record a song. Early influences of the synthesizers can be seen in the works of R D Burman, and it became clear that listeners were enjoying those tunes. Technology made it easy to replicate acoustic sounds. I could create sounds of drums and bass on the computer, and we no longer needed live musicians for it,” says Singh, who hosted a session on the subject yesterday, as part of the Indian Performing Right Society’s (IPRS) session, New Era of Music. 

He admits that it was only during the pandemic that the worth of technology became fully evident. “Those on the fence needed to upgrade themselves, else they’d be isolated. In the first wave, the aim was to simply produce work that could suffice. In the next, people considered ways to enhance the quality of productions. Living rooms were reconstructed to minimize noise, blankets were used for dubbing, and better quality microphones were purchased.”

Singh makes several references to music gadgets and softwares that have revolutionized the final product of an audio file, however, it is development that has made the process of recording live from different parts of the world, that is noteworthy. “It is what enabled me to create a song while sitting in Bombay, with someone who was in Turkey. There’s something called latency, which is the time lag that can become part of a recording, should it be simultaneously worked on from distant places. We now have softwares to compensate for that, and that has made it possible to truly be mobile, as a musician.”

Of course, filmmakers have several commercial benefits to reap from such developments. “While working on 7 Khoon Maaf, we needed a Russian actor to record a few lines again, because, during post-production, we realised that something was amiss in that section. The team had planned to fly him down, have him record it, and send him back. Of course, it was going to be a costly affair. So, I told Vishal [Bhardwaj, director] that we could employ a software that, if simultaneously used from different parts of the world, and in similar studio settings, could create good quality output. The job was done over the internet. We could communicate with him as he lay his vocals on the file that we had in hands, at our studio.”

For director Manjari Makijany, it was a 2017 video of children skating in a Madhya Pradesh village that sowed the seeds of her first film. “That led Vinati [sister and co-writer] and me to delve deeper into how skateboarding is impacting rural communities,” begins Makijany, whose first feature film, Skater Girl, is set to drop on Netflix India this month. 

Over the next two years, the director — daughter to the late Mac Mohan aka Samba — visited skateboard clubs in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hampi to develop the material. She came across the 2014 movement in Kovalam called No School, No Skateboarding that encouraged girls to attend school. The incident made her realise that her protagonist had to be a young woman. “We had to capture the sense of freedom Prerna felt on the board even as the world tries to tie her down. We met hundreds of skater girls in Rajasthan to etch out Prerna. I met a girl who was married off at 13, and was home-bound since. Her story brought me to tears. After a screening in Film Bazaar Goa, a lady in her 40s told us that some of Prerna’s challenges stand true for her.”

Through the arc of protagonist, the film challenges gender norms while depicting how the sport is giving agency to young girls. “Skating is not restricted to a gender. Neither are other sports, but we raise our girls to believe that things are demarcated based on gender. I hope the film breaks the perception because India has such fantastic skater girls,” asserts Makijany, who served as assistant director to Vishal Bhardwaj on 7 Khoon Maaf (2011) and worked with Hollywood filmmaker Christopher Nolan on Dunkirk (2017). “From Vishal ji, I learnt the language of cinema. As homework, I would do my shot breakdown and match it to his shots.”

When you have style, oomph and unmistakable 'cool' quotient, you have it all. Usha Uthup is known for her unique personality; be it wearing a mirchi print sari, Kanjeevaram sneakers, large bindis or even when she belts out numbers in the voice of a sexy young siren.

With a career that spans over four decades, the singer, who was last seen in 7 Khoon Maaf, is raring to go as an actor. “Just to be on the set with Naseeruddin Shah, Annu Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra was such an amazing experience. I have acted with big names like Amitabh Bachchan, Mammootty and Kamal Haasan. When people saw me with Mammootty, they assumed that I was a trained actor. Actually, I am a director's actor and emoting well is my USP. This, I believe, comes from my music, where the emotional quotient is very high. Acting is an extension of my music and I just love it,“ she says. A grandmother of two, Usha adds, “I think I am good at it. Make me a bartender, mother, sister, lover or grandmom - I just want to act.“

She has been an icon when it comes to making fashion statements. “My middle-class upbringing was the reason I stuck to saris and later, when I could afford it, I would hunt for silks and mix and match the styles and borders. Tall border saris began to be called Usha Uthup saris,“ she reveals. Her fancy sneakers also have a story behind them. “Earlier, during shows, I had to stand for hours in stilettos. So, I began wearing sneakers on stage.One day, I experimented by sticking a border of a Kanjeevaram sari to my shoes, and now I have a series of such sneakers,“ she adds.

On a parting note, the powerhouse stage performer, shares, “The secret of my energy is what I get from my audiences. It is a give and take. I give everything I have on stage, I do my best and leave the rest to God.“

Vivaan, 24, may look like a child when it comes to his physical appearance, but is otherwise mature as a human being. He is emotional, has interests and has the ability to get along with all kinds of people. He loves to observe and study cinema and while he may be much more of a conformist unlike his rebel father, Naseeruddin Shah, he has learnt his values from him. Ahead of his upcoming heist and dance film Happy New Year, he opens up to Bombay Times about his need to adapt to society , his bond with Shah Rukh Khan and his continued fondness for his ex-girlfriend Akshara Haasan. Excerpts:

Were films the obvious choice for you?
I was born and brought up in Mumbai and studied here till class VI, after which I was sent to Doon School into a boarding, where my older brother Imaad was also studying. Boarding school is a very good thing as it toughens you up and you tend to cultivate a lot of interests, which you otherwise may not have, studying in a Mumbai school. Also, you meet people from all over, so, your understanding of people and India broadens. I was a very good student and wanted to be a historian. Being a part of a film family, it is assumed that you become an actor, but in reality, I never wanted to be one and wanted to always lead a so-called normal life. When I would study, my friends would come and say, 'Why are you studying? You will toh become an actor.' So, I would get pissed and say, 'Nahi, main engineer banoonga.' While I got admission in St. Stephen's College in a regular BA Honours, I missed getting History Honours by a mark. Doing the regular BA was not a stimulating experience and I did not enjoy it at all. I was also missing staying away from home for so many years, and thus, I took a transfer to Jai Hind College back in Mumbai after the first year and that's when 7 Khoon Maaf happened out of the blue.Acting had always been there in my DNA and been my passion. But there is a difference between loving acting and getting into the business. Also, I was shy and did not have the confidence that I could be good at it. But 7 Khoon Maaf came at a time when I was very confused. Vishal Bhardwajji knows my father and had composed some beautiful music for all our Motley plays. One day, he came for one of our plays in which I was acting and told baba that I want Vivaan to play a 45-year-old. Working on the film, it was an epiphanic moment and I found it to be a blessing to be a part of cinema. I was 21 and went back to completing college, doing theatre alongside.

How did Happy New Year happen?
I was called for a screen test by a casting director and later learnt that it was for a film directed by Farah Khan starring Shah Rukh Khan. I gave the first round and then met Farah for a second round. She asked me, 'Are you a good dancer?' I lied and said, 'Ya, ya' thinking that it would help my chances of getting the role. But she said, 'Shit, we needed a bad dancer.' I said, 'No, no. I am actually a bad dancer.' And I got the role.

Who are you most attached to?
My older brother, Imaad. He and I share the same interests in films and music. We have grown up together and he is my best friend. He has been an influence on me and for me, he is the voice of reason and the most sensible human being. Another inspiration in my life has been my stepsister Heeba aapa, who is 42. My father married her mother, who was older to him when he was studying at the Aligarh Muslim University at 21. He later divorced her after Heeba aapa was born. For a few years, she went and lived with her mother, who was a Pakistani in Iran and after her mother died, she returned to India to live with us. I am very attached to her. She also does a lot of theatre and dance, and plays Ismat aapa in one of our plays.

Talk about your parents Naseeruddin and Ratna Pathak Shah?
Everything I am today, be it my interest in literature, theatre or films or exposure to current affairs, boils down to what they have taught me and exposed me to. They taught me to basically have a healthy mind and are also my sharpest critics. I am too attached to my mother and am considered a mama's boy. She is the most rational and logical person. Whenever I have a dilemma of any kind, I have learnt over the years that my parents will give me advice based on their understanding of the world and with a practicality and rationality. My dad has taught me empathy and the ability to be able to stand by your guns and not sell out, to constantly be curious about life and be disciplined. My mother has taught me to listen to everybody's point of view and to think about others before you think for yourself. My parents are idealistic and that becomes a constant dilemma for me as sometimes, it may be difficult to apply it in today's day and age.For instance, it is very difficult for me to drive the car when my parents are sitting with me. They will want me to always toe the line and do it correctly and my mom will say this repeatedly, even if it is in the middle of the night where no one is watching that, 'Don't throw litter on the street. Don't jump a red light.' I will tell her, 'No one is watching' and how everyone does it and I have done it so many times but she will say, 'No'. So, often it leads to battles but at the end of the day, I learn my values from them and I know that they practise what they preach.

While you stay with your parents, why does your brother live alone?
My mom has a simple rule. You stay at home till you are 25, after that I will kick you out and you fend for yourself. You can't be living off your parents and need to financially take care of yourself.

Talk about your relationship with your father?
He is the most sensitive human being ever and someone who genuinely empathises with people. He has always told me that acting is all about empathising. No one can have the interest and passion that he has in his craft. He is constantly learning and reading and right now, he is at a stage in his life where he feels like teaching acting. We have a very honest relationship, but I am intimidated by him as well. And it is something that bothers him as well, as he would like people to be able to be more free with him. Though it's not a formal relationship and I can totally be myself with him. He is the silent type and very short-tempered just like I am, but with me, he really talks his mind and pours his heart and soul out. I am a conformist, but my dad is a rebel at heart. I am more emotional than anyone else in my family. I am not a sell-out, but am someone who feels the need to adapt to society. My favourite film of my father is Jalwa. He was the first actor in the industry to make a body. That is even before Salman Khan. Salman Khan was not the first person to build his body. My dad was. People keep going on about how he is anti commercial cinema and how he is art house, but let me tell you that when he did commercial cinema, he did it as good as the best in the business. He believes that there should not be a category such as commercial and art-house films. There are just good films and bad films. We should make films which are interesting and tell great stories.

Talk about Farah Khan?
She is like a mother on set. Shah sir (Shah Rukh Khan) says, 'She is like a director and mother on set'. She scolds you as a mother and a teacher and everybody is happy working for her. She has a great sense of humour and amazing perception of the world. She is a tough woman with a tough exterior but a heart of gold. I once cried on set as I could not get my step properly and got scolded by Farah ma'am. But immediately after that, everyone tried to cheer me up in some way. Working on Happy New Year has changed my life in just not the obvious way, but I have learnt so much spending so much time with them, watching them work.

What about Shah Rukh?
He is the most sensitive, stimulating person I have ever met in terms of his interest in people, work and every aspect of life. One thing that I learnt from my parents, which Shah sir reinforced, was to have interests. He is so approachable and that is so amazing, given his calibre. He is intimidating and I am still intimidated by him as I have grown up watching his movies, but he is a very perceptive person. He knows that and so, he tries to make it easy for you, which is why he is so free in the way he talks to you.

You were allegedly in a relationship with Akshara Haasan. Are you single now?
Yes. We were dating for about two years before she broke up with me a year back just after I had begun to shoot Happy New Year. We are still very good friends and she is the most amazing person in the world, very talented and a beautiful human being. I learnt a lot from it and have become more mature now. Both my real family and my family from Happy New Year helped me a lot. Shah sir and Abhishek kept telling me, 'The pain you face in your life is your ammunition as an actor and this is what you have to hold on to.'

What next?
I am doing Mastan that I have been working on for a while. I will continue doing theatre and regardless of whether I do get offers or not, I will go on making movies. It is my dream to some day direct a movie.