Writer-director Abhishek Chaubey exchanges notes on his cinematic world of women and the actresses who inhabit them
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 27, 2019)


ISHQIYA (2010)
The genesis of the film began with Krishna, a seemingly powerless woman with great reserves of inner strength and courage. In my head, I built her up to be what you’d call a femme fatale in cinematic terms. Then, I brought in two conmen Iftikhar aka Khalujaan and Babban, wove a story around them where Krishna uses her sexuality to manipulate them, but does it for love and not money.

Vidya had got a lot of acclaim for Parineeta and the films that followed. She was at an interesting stage in her career, ready to go a notch higher. Quiet, introverted Krishna with her sharp tongue was different from the outgoing Vidya whose laugh rings out on the set, but she spent a lot of time with me trying to understand and internalise the character. I remember Vidya pottering around Krishna’s house a few days before the shoot in costume, picking up a broom to sweep a room or trying to cook on the mitti ka chulha. It was her way of living the role and by the time we started shooting, she owned Krishna, made her a brand.

The look and feel came from the women I had met in small towns who looked beautiful in inexpensive, synthetic saris and were not shy of wearing bright colours. I couldn’t understand why we’d doll up our heroines in western wear when they looked so sensual in the six yards. With my costume designer Payal Saluja I wanted to break the stereotypical concept of a small-town woman and Vidya carried off the sari really well.

Almost a decade has passed since I shot my first film, but people still talk about Krishna’s frank sexuality, completely fresh at the time. They rave about how alluring Vidya looked and how she managed to hold her own against two macho, dominating men. Krishna still brings me a lot of love.


DEDH ISHQIYA (2014)
Though a sequel, Dedh Ishqiya was a different adventure for Khalu and Babban. The only other common factor apart from the two gentlemen, was that it was a caper. In look and feel, it was almost like a costume drama, set in a rich, textured world of Muslim aristocracy and Urdu poetry.

I approached Madhuri ji (Dixit) first, even before Naseer and Arshad (Warsi), with just a bare outline of the story. She found it exciting, agreed to do the film if the script panned out and set the ball rolling. Usually I don’t write scripts with an actor in mind, but in this case since the trio entered the picture early, I had that advantage.

Madhuri ji’s Begum Para and Huma Qureshi’s Muniya were more complex characters than Vidya’s Krishna, and what made it more challenging was that their world was soft and subtle, where nothing was spoken aloud and everything was underplayed. Both had been through troubled marriages, been betrayed and wounded in love, Begum more so. In the company of people, she was charming and confident, alone she was depressed, prone to self-harm. She’d lost a part of herself and Muniya, who was younger, sharper, more energetic, tried to bring it back for her. All her scheming and even the kidnapping plot was for the love she feels for her soulmate. Love is the core of this franchise. The characters miss romance and seek it, so the title Ishqiya.

SONCHIRIYA (2019)
I was impressed with Bhumi (Pednekar) in her debut film, Dum Laga Ke Haisha, and I am even more impressed now, having worked with her in Sonchiriya, in which she plays a housewife from a village in Chambal. She’s a girl of explosive talent and looks beautifully Indian, a prime criterion for my film. But since she’s actually a Versova girl she had to travel greater distances than Vidya (Balan) as Krishna in Ishqiya who, for me, was a graduate. Bhumi’s Indumati in contrast is an uneducated girl, married at 13 and a mother of two by 16-17.

To get into character, Bhumi had to do extensive physical prep over two-and-a-half months, starting with changing the way she normally walked because her character walks six km, barefoot, to fetch water every day, with a pot on the head and another on the hip. There were other chores too which she had to learn, from grinding grain and mirchi to cooking on a chulha and firing a gun. She was diligent, and even wrote an eight-page character brief to understand where Indumati came from, how she thought, felt and behaved. This is stuff you won’t see in the movie.

The film at its core is Indu’s story. She is the female protagonist and since there are very few women characters in the film, Bhumi was often the only woman on the set amidst 45 men. To add to that, for a city-bred girl to run around, jump and shoot on a harsh, unfamiliar terrain like Chambal can be hugely challenging, physically. The intensity of the role also made it emotionally exhausting. There were days when by the time we finished, she was so drained she couldn’t move from her chair. But not once did we hear her complain, in fact, when things got too intense, she’d deflect it with her humour. She is charming, a ball of energy and great fun. And through this journey with one of the most difficult characters I’ve created, we have become good friends.


UDTA PUNJAB (2016)
This was a film on drug abuse, with two tracks — Shahid (Kapoor) and Alia’s (Bhatt) underlining its effects on the mind and the body, and Kareena (Kapoor) and Diljit’s (Dosanjh) highlighting the social problems that stem from it. Alia’s Mary Jane aka Bauria was a symbol of strength. For this 19-year-old aspiring hockey player from a very poor family, a mysterious packet comes with the dream of a better life. But it leads to her being abused, imprisoned and drugged. Unlike Tommy Singh (Shahid) who takes drugs recreationally, Mary Jane is forced into it and what she undergoes can break anyone, even kill them, because heroin is one of the most addictive of substances. But this chit of a girl shows tremendous strength to come out of the hellhole and in the end when you see her on a beach in Goa, you believe her time will come.

For me, it was a leap of faith to cast Alia in the role because she’s basically a Mumbai girl from an affluent family. But among all the actresses I’ve worked with, Alia has the highest emotional quotient. She empathised with her character and brought her to life with great conviction. It took emotional strength, apart from the drama, to carry it off and took a toll on her. Alia is a petite girl but during the shoot she shrunk so much it was hard to spot her in a crowd. She deserved every one of the rave reviews and awards she got for that performance.

Helming the other track was Kareena’s Dr Preet Sahni. I’d met doctors and social workers like her during our research. They work 13-14 hours in small hospitals, seeing 300 patients a day, not for money but because “someone has to do it”. Preet could have got married and had a comfortable life, but she is intelligent enough to see through the rotting system and selfless enough to want to save lives.

I had worked with Kareena in Omkara, a film I wrote, and her, Dolly Mishra had been an angel too, reflecting the same innate goodness you see in Dr Preet. That’s why when tragedy strikes, it’s heart-breaking.

Kareena was happy I’d thought of her for the part and played it with dedication. Honey (Trehan), who is from that part of Punjab, gave her diction lessons. She never sat on the sets but would stand beside me, watching as I set up the shots. 

Abhishek Chaubey on his upcoming dacoit-drama, future of the Ishqiya franchise, after-effects of the Udta Punjab row and life after marriage
Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 11, 2019)

Over the years, Abhishek Chaubey has carved a niche for himself in mainstream Bollywood cinema with characters drawn from the heartland of India. After Ishqiya, Dedh Ishqiya and Udta Punjab, the director is all set to take his brand forward with Sonchiriya, an upcoming dacoit drama set in the1970s.

Excerpts from an interview:

What takes you back to small town characters?
Primarily my small-town heritage. Before we went there for the shoot, I hadn’t visited Chambal in a while, but I’ve seen life in the heartland and believe it’s not well represented in our films. That’s why I’m drawn to cinema that’s true to the real India and entertaining.

But how do you define entertainment?
I don’t really understand the term, if it means humor, song and dance, then I don’t subscribe to it. For me, entertainment is derived from a story. So, it’s important to tell an engaging story.

How tough was the casting?
It was a long process. For me, it’s a film with five primary characters and fortunately, all the actors came on board because of the script. My team flew to various parts of North India and picked out actors from local theatre.

Why do the characters need to speak in Bundeli? Won’t it alienate the audience?
People in Mumbai believe the entire country speaks one language, but the dialect changes every 200 kilometers. That’s why I create characters who speak different dialects, I don’t see it as alienating the audience because Bundeli is very similar to Hindi. But everyone in the cast, apart from Manoj Bajpayee and Ashutosh Rana, struggled to get it right when we started the workshops. Language aside, all actors also had to learn how to handle a gun as it is a battle film with a lot of action.

Was there any threat from the local dacoits in Chambal?
The dacoit culture died some time ago. You don’t see them roaming openly now. Yes, we were warned by the officials to avoid shooting in certain places.

Critical acclaim or box office collection – what’s important?
I would be lying if I said numbers don’t matter but I can’t make a film with the singular agenda of making money. I’ve to stay true to the script without compromising on my vision. I can’t let anyone force me into adding an item number just to lure the masses and make some extra bucks. I’d prefer to convince the audience through my promos that the story has ample scope for entertainment.

Many believe it was the censor controversy that brought an audience for Udta Punjab…
This is a high-profile profession and one of its curses is that people will say whatever they feel like. If you take such things seriously, you end up depressed. The controversy wasn’t my doing nor my intention. I suffered a lot during that phase. There was nothing to take back except plain suffering. Irrespective of whether anybody believes me or not, I didn’t want the film to be controversial. We couldn’t stick to our marketing plan as everyone was busy fighting with the CBFC.

Were you satisfied with the audience reaction?
Some loved it, some hated it, but one thing I can say, the film was effective in creating awareness about substance abuse in Punjab. So, the purpose was served.

What did you learn from it?
As a filmmaker, I don’t dissect my previous work. If I get too satisfied, I will lose the will to grow. My goal is to learn from my mistakes and try not to repeat them.

Were you disheartened when your first production, A Death In The Gunj, failed at the BO?
I don’t have any illusions about the box office. I have an idea of what will work and what won’t. I knew my target audience and they responded exactly the way we expected. The film was applauded at international film festivals which helped us crack a good deal with the digital platform as well the overseas market. It’s a beautiful little gem for us and no one lost money on the film.

What’s happening with the Ishqiya franchise?
It’s difficult to comment at this point because the last film came out five years ago. Given an opportunity, I’d love to take the franchise forward, but someone needs to come to me with an interesting idea.

Anything you learnt from Vishal Bhardwaj?
He advised me to develop an understanding of screenplay writing before moving to direction. That’s why I worked with him as a writer and associate director in early 2000’s. Without his guidance, I wouldn’t have been the filmmaker I am today. A lot of people tell me that my films have a flavor similar to Vishal Bhardwaj’s films, that’s because I have grown up working with him. Apart from films, I learnt how to interact with the team on the sets, deal with problems and stay calm.

Any plans to team up again?
He scored the music of Sonchiriya, but there is nothing in the pipeline as far as films are concerned.

How’s life after marriage?
Chetana Kowshik and I got married two years ago, but we have been together since a long time. We were college sweethearts, and the most interesting part of our relationship is our friendship. I am less anxious as a person today because of her.

Do you discuss films with her?
Yes, we discuss work all the time.

What next?
I am doing a digital show with Junglee Pictures. It will happen sometime this year. 

Junglee Pictures and the Udta Punjab director — who also co-wrote Omkara — step into the world of web series with a show, which explores a social order that allows gruesome crimes to become commonplace
Abhimanyu Mathur (BOMBAY TIMES; June 28, 2018)

Having enjoyed success in the world of cinema with back-to-back hits in Talvar, Bareilly Ki Barfi and Raazi, Junglee Pictures is now entering the exciting new world of web series with their first offering, Dus Assi, a crime thriller. The series will be directed by Abhishek Chaubey, who has earned critical acclaim with films like Udta Punjab and Ishqiya. A web series is new territory for the filmmaker, but he says what attracted him to this format was the freedom it gives creatively. He tells us, “Indian audiences have now developed a taste for streaming platforms and they are enjoying a different kind of entertainment from them. What attracts me as a filmmaker is that it gives me the opportunity to tell stories in the long format. We are restricted by a two or two-and-a-half hour length in cinema, because of which we structure our story in a certain way. Whereas in this format, I have much more time to explore characters, plots, themes, and all the narratives. It’s very interesting purely from a craft perspective for me.”

But the change of medium does not mean that the director will change his tone. From Ishqiya to Udta Punjab, his films have been earthy and rooted, set in non-metro locales, which will be a mainstay of Dus Assi, too. Abhishek elaborates, “This is a story that’s set in western UP. I have been to western UP before. I wrote Omkara, which was set there. But this is a different world from Omkara. It is more in the urban areas of western UP, in towns like Meerut, Muzaffarnagar and Moradabad. It is not set in the rural areas, but it’s definitely rooted.” Abhishek adds that in order to capture the rustic essence of the region, the team is planning to shoot the series in real locations in UP. “There is no question about the fact that we have to shoot it where it is set,” he says, adding, “Very soon, we would like to go there (west UP) and check out locations to shoot there. I don’t think there is an alternative to shooting in real locations.”

Dus Assi deals with a real-life incident that took place in western UP and dabbles in crime and criminals from the state. But Abhishek is clear that the story does not aim to glamourise crime. “I have a big issue with it in the sense that glamourising criminals is something we do very often,” he says, adding, “We need to be very sensitive about it. When we talk about a crime story — the kind of crime story that this one hopes to be — we don’t want to talk about a particular crime or even a set of crimes. What we want to talk about is what is happening to our social order. What is afflicting the society so much that gruesome crimes have become so commonplace? The story needs to explore that in a very frank and honest manner and yet be gripping and riveting while doing that. It does not have to glorify and glamourise crime to be appealing.”

Indian web series, with only a few exceptions, have been set in urban India. By setting a series in the backwaters of western UP, the Dus Assi team will certainly be bucking a trend. But the director feels the audience will like this change. “There was a time when we were setting all our films in Switzerland, New York, London, and all of that. In no time, the stories changed from there to the interiors of Delhi and UP. What people really look for is a compelling story and if we manage to pull that through, we will be quite all right. It’s a story about real people, our own people, and the audience would want that,” he says.

The Udta Punjab director says that even he used to be sceptical about the future of web series in India when the trend first began, but the willingness of production houses like Junglee Pictures to produce shows on this medium shows that there is an audience for it in India. He says, “When this trend started a few years ago, I was very sceptical about it. I thought, just because web series are so big in the West, it doesn’t mean that India is going to catch on to it. But over the years, I have seen that the most reputed production companies and studios are interested in this medium. This means that there is an audience for it. Production companies are going out on a limb and producing content which is new and different. It doesn’t matter whether we like the shows or not, but one thing we have to admit is that it is not ordinary content. It’s very different from what we are seeing in films. It’s much bolder and much more frank. I think that’s great.”

Udta Punjab director Abhishek Chaubey on the film being cleared by censors for television with a mere three-minute edit; CBFC’s decision mocks own earlier stance of 89 cuts for theatrical release
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; April 21, 2017)

Abhishek Chaubey recalls the trying phase prior to the release of Udta Punjab last year. The Central Board of Film Certification, infamous for demanding excessive cuts in films, had invited the wrath of industry insiders, when it came down hard on the dark drugs drama, demanding 89 cuts to award certification.

Given the ordeal that the team endured before it hit screens, procuring satellite rights became harder, since channels were wary of acquiring permission. But, in a development that can only be termed ironic, the Shahid Kapoor, Alia Bhatt and Kareena Kapoor-starrer has now been cleared for telecast with a mere three-minute cut. Ahead of the film’s TV premiere on April 30 on & Pictures, Chaubey discusses his love for Punjab, the effect his film had on the masses and of course, having the last laugh.

While the CBFC eventually demanded 13 cuts for the theatrical release, they have suggested only a three-minute edit for TV. Feeling vindicated?
Yes, I feel vindicated. I accept the cuts requested for telecast, as opposed to what happened before the theatrical release. In theatres, there is a provision for only adults to walk in, and when that happens, we [filmmakers] should have the ability to express ourselves in the best interest of the film. But TV is a different medium, accessible to everyone. I understand that the content of my film can’t be shown to a child in entirety. So the cuts were acceptable. They even wanted me to be part of the process, and in fact, I made a few suggestions.

Why did you base your story in Punjab?
As part of research, I came across reports that said young Indians were addicted to harmful products. There was no film around the topic, and as a filmmaker, and citizen, it interested me. My co-writer Sudip Sharma asked if I knew anything about the Punjab crisis. I realised this might be a great setting. Punjab, given the large number of people using drugs, could represent the problem better than any other state. Being a border state, smuggling is also rampant.

How challenging was it to portray a state that’s usually glorified differently?
I did not intend to change the image. If a filmmaker talks about a prevalent problem in a particular area, he talks out of love and concern. Since I love Punjab, I made the film. Those who deny the existence of the problem cannot love the state. I shot Punjab for what it is.

Did you stumble on interesting insights?
The number of youngsters addicted to drugs was surprising. We went to various rehabilitation centers and saw patients from different social circles. People from all walks of life were ailing because of this problem. But, more than the challenges of the addicts, what I took home was the spirit of the activists, doctors and healthcare professionals. Their strength and zest to fight the drug menace inspired me.

How will India wake up to an addiction eating into Punjab’s gut? Abhishek Chaubey is confident a film made over two trying years can do it
Aastha Atray Banan (MID-DAY; May 22, 2016)

Abhishek Chaubey, 39, doesn’t get teary-eyed easily. In fact, deep into our conversation, he will recollect how he laughed at his maternal grandmother’s funeral. But, while researching his upcoming release on drug abuse, he came face to face with heroin addict as young as 17. “It was hard just watching them,” he admits.

He and Udta Punjab’s writer Sudip Sharma were at a police station in a small village in Punjab. The lock-ups were packed with addicts, all aged 17 to 24. “It was a make-shift rehab centre. They were brought into the room we were waiting in one by one. It wasn’t as if they told us a sad story; they were too dazed to speak. But it was heart wrenching.” Sharma walked out with him, saying, “If a movie deserves to be made on a subject, it is this.” The ‘drug film’ set to release on June 17 is one he has wanted to make for long. The young man from Faizabad in Uttar Pradesh, who after assisting Vishal Bhardwaj on Omkara, went on to direct the acclaimed Ishqiya, then Dedh Ishqiya in 2014.

It has taken two years to get Udta Punjab ready. He made Amritsar his base, roaming the Majha area of Punjab, skirting the border Pakistan, including the towns of Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran, Pathankot and Sialkot, together with scores of villages. It was in one of these villages that Chaubey and Sharma met the most interesting characters. “In a small village, some kilometres away from Amritsar, we met a farmer. For no apparent reason, he had decided to take on the establishment. The locals see the establishment as one that promotes the drug trade in Punjab.” In Tarn Taran, they met a doctor of psychiatry, who travelled every day from Amritsar to see addicts hooked to drugs. “We went to a hospital where he practiced, and 90 per cent of patients were there to see this doctor.” When they asked him why he chose to drive a couple of hours every day to get from Amritsar to Tarn Taran, he said what the farmer had: “Someone has to.” This doctor became the inspiration for Kareena Kapoor’s character. “We also met families. The movie, then, is about everyone who who is affected. If you look at the northeastern states and Punjab, you know why the problem is grave there — people are grappling with the after effects of insurgency,” he says.

This is made worse by Punjab being a key spot on the world drug highway. “Research revealed that heroin is now manufactured in Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is pilfered through the border, using innovative containers like PVC pipes. The situation in Pakistan Punjab is worse.”

The Pathankot airbase attack turned the spotlight on the nexus between terrorists and drug smugglers in Pakistan. A recent survey by the National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre (NDDTC) at AIIMS found that opioids valued at Rs 7,500 crore are consumed annually in Punjab. Heroin alone accounts for Rs 6,500 crore of this amount.


For Alia Bhatt’s character, the inspiration came from daily wage farm labour that arrives in Punjab from UP, Bihar and Uttrakhand to serve moneyed landlords, says Chaubey. “Later, she gets involved with drugs. They all do!” But the protagonist, played by Shahid Kapoor, is a musician called Tommy Singh. “And no, he is not inspired by Honey Singh!” Chaubey clarifies. He, in fact, was Chaubey’s version of a DJ from a Delhi nightclub. “So, here is a guy who is from Punjab who goes to Birmingham and becomes a part of the underground Asian dub movement. And, as we always think, DJs at a Delhi nightclub will either be around drugs or be surrounded by it. That’s who he is.” Thanks to Shahid’s character, the music of the movie (composed by Amit Trivedi) is funky with a Bhangra dance influence.

What Chaubey wishes the audience takes away from his latest project is that Punjab’s drug problem is a national issue India is compelled to discuss. “The movie hasn’t even released and people are talking about it,” he says. The trailer, although dramatic, also carries a hint of humour. Chaubey says it’s a reflection of the film — discussing a social evil, but in a light vein. “I don’t believe in making movies that are one-toned. Life isn’t like that. I laughed at my nani’s funeral because nana cracked a joke. Life has so many shades, and that’s how my movies are too.”

Roshmilla Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 11, 2014)

This jeans and sneakered guy couldn't have made Dedh Ishqiya is my first thought. My next is: Why are we so prone to stereotyping? Abhishek Chaubey may be urban and urbane, but, as I discover during the course of a 60-minute conversation, UP and its hinterlands are not unfamiliar to him.

He recalls a bus journey from Lucknow to Faizaabad that he took when he was just a 13-year old. He had encountered a lone passenger who was sweetly docile till a fellow passenger touched her inappropriately. "Then all hell broke loose! Pallu still covering half her face, she launched a 20-minute tirade with gaalis which would put even a kamina like me to shame,” Abhishek grins. Krishna, Vidya Balan's character in his directorial debut Ishqiya, perhaps had its genesis in this firebrand.

Coming from an orthodox Brahmin family, Abhishek soon understood that while men were the constitutional heads, the real power rested with the women of the household. “In the outside world they play supporting roles, but all major decisions are taken when the husband and wife have their heads on the pillow and she’s telling him what has to be done,” he says.

From this epiphany the germ of an idea grew which he narrated to mentor-friend Vishal Bharadwaj, a couple of months after Omkara. “I didn’t even know then if it could be a film, forget flagging off a franchise,” he admits. It turned into Ishqiya, a film about woman power.

“Krishna is a typical small-town woman yet also a femme fatale in a polyster sari who could very well fit into a Western movie,” he says, recalling how Arshad Warsi had told him she’s like Sholay’s Thakur. She hires Khalu and Babban,who in their own way represent machismo, to avenge her humiliation and then takes the pants off them.

The encouraging response to his first cinematic gamble prompted Abhishek to script a sequel with the trio. But he soon realised that Krishna’s story was over and introduced two different women characters, Begum Para and Muniya, with a delicate hint at the end that they could be in a homosexual relationship.

“The lesbian strain came in a few months into the scripting when we hit a roadblock following our inability to reach an interesting and powerful resolution. Looking beyond market forces and a conservative audience it made sense,” he says, admitting the first few scenes were very direct. “Had we gone with them we’d have got plenty of backlash. But after discussions with a few learned friends, we got the perfect pitch. Eventually, the hint was so subtle that if you got it, you left the theatre with a sly smile, and if you wanted, you could ignore it and still have plenty left with to enjoy.”

Madhuri Dixit, happy with the final draft, played Para more emotionally than sexually. “That was the way to do it because the two women share a deep bond which comes from being together for a long time,” he reasons, admitting he was distracted by Madhuri's beauty and who she was, when they met but soon the awe turned professional. “I’m not star-struck and on the sets Madhuri is a giver who comes to you like an empty glass,” he says. Abhishek was equally at ease with Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad who hit it off from the first day, first shoot, in 2008. Four years later, when they reunited for the sequel, it was as if they’d never left. Can he make an Ishqiya without them? “Not in 2016 or 2018, but 15-20 years from now. may be the audience will accept a new jodi,” he rationalises.

Interestingly, Dedh Ishqiya whose language is mostly chaste Urdu, has subtitles to increase its reach. Abshishek who had grown up watching sub-titled films, had no issues. “I make UP-centric regional films, if I can make them intelligible to people in Tamil Nadu without losing out on realism, why not?”he says, recalling 50 people, all men, enjoying Omkara in a video parlour in a kasba in UP. “If it had sub-titles Omkara’s revenue would have been much larger.”

Abhishek who has co-written four scripts—Blue Umbrella, Maqbool, Omkara and Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola--with Vishal told him during Maqbool that he wanted to do something different. "He told me to write a script and he’d produce the film. He kept his promise twice," says Abhishek.

Many believe Vishal directed Ishqiya and Dedh Ishqiya.... “I wish!" he sighs, "Then I’d have got money and name without slogging. Vishal sir came twice on the sets of Ishqiya and for an hour during Dedh Ishqiya. That too because my co-writer and I insisted he see the film before the final cut. He told me Dedh Ishqiya was a better film," exults Abhishek, admitting that a day may come when he starts working for outside banners. "I'm waiting to finish my next script in a couple of months and narrate it to him. Then we'll see. It’s not Ishqiya 3 but a film set in Punjab with an ensemble cast and one kickass woman character."

With Dedh Ishqiya , director ABHISHEK CHAUBEY has cracked a tricky formula of marrying a masala film with chaste Urdu culture. He tells KAREENA N GIANANI why the film never loses the plot when it comes to the attitude he wanted the film to carry
Kareena N Gianani (MID-DAY; January 19, 2014)

You’ve maintained that you did not make Ishqiya with the intention of taking it ahead as a sequel, and the decision was nerve wracking. When, then, during the making of Dedh Ishqiya did you feel that you had a fine film at hand?
I think it happened sometime in the scripting stage. I remember working on it with Vishal Bhardwaj and having a moment when it hit me. I thought, ‘Hey, so I am not simply making a sequel, I have something original in hand now.’ This epiphany had something to do with the fact we were creating an alternate world of Mahmoodabad in Dedh Ishqiya . For a director, there is nothing more exhilarating than having the liberty to create an alternate reality, craft new characters and explore a lost culture, a time warp.

Tell us about creating the alternate world of Mahmoodabad, its codes and its attitude.
I was really charmed by the location and the decrepit palace we were shooting at. Ishqiya was a more intimate film. There were these obtuse references to the jungle and a war, but the film was shot in a house with mainly three characters. We went all out in Dedh Ishqiya , and, at the end of it all, making this film was more wholesome.

The world of Mahmoodabad stands on the chaste Urdu we decided to use in the film. The credit for that goes entirely to Vishal. He has grown up with that language and culture, and he loved that kind of poetry. A few years ago, he introduced me to Dr Bashir Badr (whose poetry has been used in Dedh Ishqiya ) and I was hooked. Dedh Ishqiya is our way of paying homage to his work.

When you create an alternate world, I think the most exciting part is to create its code, its dos and don’ts. I knew I wanted the world of Mahmoodabad to be entertaining but not vacuous. Before being anything else, Dedh Ishqiya is a comedy, and I knew exactly the attitude I wanted the actors to carry — quick wit, care-a-damn-attitude and willing to make light of the most serious things. For instance, when Babban (Arshad Warsi) is chasing Khalu (Naseeruddin Shah) after the latter swindles him, and finally catches up with him, he first greets him with all the tehzeeb . Khalu, too, who knows he is going to be questioned, returns the greeting. That’s the spirit of Dedh Ishqiya , tongue-in-cheek; that’s how the characters see the world.

… As compared to the slapstick comedies, which go on to make it to the R 100- 200 crore clubs?
(Laughs) Sab ke sau crore sab ko mubarak hon.

Did you think Naseeruddin Shah was best suited for the role because he has experimented with a similar culture in his plays? And what about Madhuri Dixit?
Dedh Ishqiya is my fourth film with Naseer, and I think we are at a stage where we understand each other without even trying. He thrived on the sets because he was playing these two different kinds of characters — Khalujaan, the rogue and Iftekhaar, the nawab. He was simply having a ball and I have never seen him this focussed and excited.

As far as Madhuri goes, I so desperately wanted her to agree to do this film, because she was the only person I could see essaying Begum Para’s role. I observed that she is a very relaxed actor. In spite of the work she has behind her, she is still the sort of actor who wants a director to step in and fill her in on the character’s shades. However, she’s also very instinctive — so if you tell her to do something that she thinks might look fake on screen, she’ll tell you that. I think what amazes me the most about Madhuri is that she does not theorise and is very subtle at her craft. Many a time, I’d think she was being too subtle and might miss the point, but later, when I saw it on screen, I realised she knew just what she was doing by putting in just the perfect amount of emphasis on her expression or style. I don’t think too many actors can boast of that.

The supporting cast in Dedh Ishqiya — Vijay Raaz, Manoj Pahwa and Salman Shahid — were equally well- etched, irrespective of the screen time they may have had.
I am glad that came across, then (smiles). I think the writing did it, again. They don’t have three hours to tell their stories and their motivations, but the writer must, at all cost. You don’t want to fall flat when a supporting actor looks at you and doesn’t understand why he is doing something in the film. He must know it in his head, even if he doesn’t spell it out on screen.

What’s next for you?
I am working on another script, but it would be too premature to discuss what it is about. But it will be entirely different from Ishqiya and Dedh Ishqiya , in every way possible.

What do you want to do better, then?
Improve my strike rate, for one!