Homi Adajania, Dimple Kapadia during the London shoot of Angrezi Medium

The self-taught filmmaker retraces his 14-year journey on 70 mm through a quartet of films
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 12, 2020)

BEING CYRUS (2006)
For three months, I was sitting around working on a book—it’s on some shelf at the back of my house now—with no publisher in sight, when Kersi Khambatta, who was my writing companion, penning travel pieces for foreign websites, asked if I could read a piece of fiction he’d spun. A magazine had rejected it for being profane, but as soon as I finished it, I knew that this was going to be my first film. Everyone thought it was another crazy whim, but six months later, I was shooting Being Cyrus.

I have to admit that the black comedy was my most fearless film because I had nothing to lose and was running on pure instinct. I don’t know if it was over-confidence or my ability to bull**it, but everyone presumed that I was an ad filmmaker and didn’t think to ask if I had made a film before. Had they known I was just a scuba-diving instructor who’d taken off his lungi and walked onto the set, they might have had some misgivings because I knew nothing about the medium. I loved telling stories and direction started as a life experience. I slowly got sucked in because the power of a movie is so bizarre. As rational human beings, we know it’s not real, yet we are able to suspend our sense of disbelief and laugh and cry at what is happening on screen.

I was working with some of the finest talents. It was a privilege for me, but I never thought about it that way. For me, Naseer (Naseeruddin Shah), Dimple (Kapadia), Saif (Ali Khan), Boman (Irani) were actors, but since I was poorly versed with their work, at some level, it helped me because I had no pre-conceived notions and no reference points. Plus, I don’t have the fan gene in me and never look at someone in any other way except than as a fellow human being who excels in their craft.

I was told to meet Dimple and I walked into her house to find her on the treadmill, screeching at Twinkle’s dog who had pooped under it. And I knew instantly that she was my Katy Sethna, a loud, bossy, incredibly abrasive and slightly crazy woman. What was even more special about her was that when she turned around and saw me standing at the back, she was unapologetic. She is totally uninhibited, brutally honest and one of my closest friends today, who doesn’t care if the role is big or small. If I am directing the film, she has to be in it or I will get kicked in the ar**.

As an actor, she’s not insecure; she submits completely. All she needs is some validation that I’m satisfied with the shot, then, it’s “Okay chal, aage badh.”

In our upcoming film, Angrezi Medium, there is a scene where Irrfan (Khan) and Deepak Dobriyal find her passed out in her house, wrap her up in a rug so she will not get hurt when they are ferrying her to the hospital and try to flag down a car for the ride. We were shooting on the streets of London and while I sat on the pavement there waiting for the car to drive up, Dimple napped behind me, wrapped in the rug. She was totally chilled out, telling me, “Jab shot ready ho toh mujhe bol dena.”


COCKTAIL (2012)
I had never done a commercial Bollywood film with song and dance. To start with, the story did not appeal to me because it was not my space. So, when Dinoo (producer Dinesh Vijan) brought it to me, I told him, “It’s just another romcom, dude, why are we making it.” He didn’t push, but after a month I went back to him and told him I’d do the film. What pulled me in was that it was something new for me to explore, figure out and make my own. And when I saw the palette midway through, I admitted even to myself that it looked good. That’s when Dinoo revealed that the reason he’d wanted me to direct Cocktail was because he’d wanted to repackage the genre and present it in a fresh way. The shoot was raucous, the film was filled with outtakes because many times the actors had no idea the camera was still rolling so the fun we were having for real was carried to the screen.

It was the beginning of a lifelong friendship with Deepika (Padukone). It took a while for us to get on the same page because the character of Veronica was far removed from the real Deepika. She was cool, and I pointed out to her that you can’t act cool, you have to be cool because the audience can pick up a false note. She’s an incredibly hard-working and intuitive actress. After some time, she gave me her blind trust and we saw what she is capable of. Since then it’s only been up for her.


FINDING FANNY (2014)
Deepika’s character Angie (Angelina) was the polar opposite of Veronica and yet they were similar, too, in that both girls grapple with loneliness and wear a mask to survive. I told her about Finding Fanny while we were shooting Cocktail and Deepika told me that whenever I made it, she would do it. I pointed out that it would be an off-beat, indie film and she retorted, “I don’t care, I’m an actress.” We love working with each other, we have such a blast and that laugh which comes from the belly is so rare and precious!

I met Pankaj Kapur for the first time, having been told that he was solemn and a hard nut to crack. In two meetings, I discovered that he really is a shy guy who is largely misperceived by the world because of the front he puts up. His only concern was the scene in which his character, Don Pedro Cleto, gets accidentally shot in the head and drowns in the sea. He was not fond of water, having had a slightly bad experience while filming Maqbool. I assured him I’d use a prosthetic dummy for the sequence and promised that by the end of the film, I’d teach him how to swim. So, every day, after pack-up, we’d return to the hotel and start our swimming classes. After a few days, I started Naseer on it and it was the cutest sight seeing the two oldies splashing around in the pool.

Finding Fanny was like a small picture book; I wanted every frame to be edible, so you feel like taking a bite of it. I always wanted to make a film like that, but I think it flew over the heads of a lot of people, who thought it was funny, when really it was a very sad film about loneliness and longing.

The other day, when Deepika and I were talking about it, she pointed out that the problem with me is that my movies are ahead of their time.

“So, does that mean I’ll get my due when I am dead?” I retorted, and she laughed, “Probably.”

ANGREZI MEDIUM (2020)
I was working on a very dark project that a writer had brought to me, about a schizophrenic serial killer, ironically called Anand, when Dinoo called me for a narration of Angrezi Medium. Soon, I was rolling on the floor, laughing, then, I was crying. By the end of it, I had realised that it was time to spread some joy and make people laugh because that feeling of fulfilment is unparalleled. I asked Dinoo if any director was attached to the project and when he said “no”, I told him I’d do it.

Again, it was a space I was uncertain about, but I’ve never been comfortable in my comfort zone when I’m creating. Also, I’ve come to understand that for all the divisiveness there is in the world, when it comes to the primal emotions of love, sorrow and pain, it’s the same no matter where you are from. Angrezi Medium is an opportunity to do something I might never get to do otherwise... And also work with Irrfan Khan.

I’ve never worked with an actor with this kind of ability to be the character. Even when he is not doing anything in a scene, he is doing so much. While shooting, I discovered he’d given me 10 times more than what I’d wanted. While editing, I noticed 100 more things which I hadn’t seen while we were filming. That’s his magic!

And more than a genius actor, he’s a genius human being. Watching him play a single parent, I realised Irrfan is a feminist without trying to be one and that was beautiful. As Champak Bansal, when he looks at his daughter, Tarika, he is not seeing a girl, a guy or any other gender; she’s his child and he will give her whatever she wants. That’s a very evolved way of looking at life and I hope people take that away from the film.

Films come and go and all you are left with, at the end, are these memories. It’s exciting for me to learn more about myself and the world through my films, which is why I have chosen subjects so different from each other.

Onkar Kulkarni (BOMBAY TIMES; March 12, 2020)

They began their journey together in 2006 with Being Cyrus. After Cocktail (2012) and Finding Fanny (2014), this year, the duo has collaborated on Angrezi Medium. In conversation with BT, director Homi Adajania and producer Dinesh Vijan speak about their association, working with Irrfan and how that experience has changed them for life. Read On:

You have collaborated with each other since Being Cyrus (2006), and Homi, you have always worked with Dinesh. There are things that have worked and not worked where your projects are concerned, but creatively, the two of you have had an interesting journey, right?
Homi: I remember, I narrated the story of Being Cyrus to Dinesh, and he asked me how many days I would take to make the film. I had no clue, as I had never made a film before. I told him that I’d finish it in 30 days. He said that if I took more than 30 days, I would have to pay from my own pocket. By the end of that day, I was a little worried. I asked him, ‘What if it starts raining and that disrupts the shoot?’ It was like dumb and dumber (laughs!).
Dinesh: It was a level playing field. He didn’t know how to direct, and I didn’t know how to produce. We were trying our best to keep that fact hidden from the other (laughs!). The thing is that Homi and I learnt the business together and we have had an interesting journey.
Homi: The only thing common between us was that we wanted to tell stories — that was our passion. After the first film, I became a scuba diving instructor. One day, I got a call from Dinesh for Cocktail. A romantic comedy was virgin territory for me. He approached me so that I could bring my own palette to the genre. Dinesh always believed in my potential, while I have been blind towards it. One thing that has worked for us is that we have never lied to each other. Even when I agreed to do Cocktail, I told him that I still don’t believe in the story, and I will give the subject my own twist. He said that’s exactly what he wanted me to do.
Dinesh: Even films like Stree or Bala that I have backed have been as reckless as Cocktail. If I like a story, I want to tell it, and one does everything to make it happen. One week before a film’s release, I know where we stand. My average products have never worked. Initially, I would wish that I could get away with it, but that has never happened. If it is a good film, and it doesn’t work for some reason, then I am okay with it. But, if it is a bad film, then it is not forgivable.

Everyone wants to make content-driven cinema, but you also have to be a risk-taker and have the faith to go ahead and put your money in such projects…
Dinesh: In the last 15 years, filmmakers have destroyed the business because we wanted to make money beforehand and we didn’t want anyone else to make money. We also wanted to ensure that if our film failed, we would not be at risk. That model changed for us with Stree (2018). Since then, we have made money and at the same time, done better films. Nobody wanted to put their money on Stree. I had no option but to back it myself. It was all or nothing, and it could have shut us down. I will tell you about my production house’s formula. We believe that if it doesn’t fire, nobody loses money and only if it fires, we make money. A film has to run in theatres. If that doesn’t happen, it is sad as a lot of work goes into it. My upcoming release, Angrezi Medium is an entertaining film. I have no problem if you love it or hate it. But, being indifferent towards a film is scary!

Talking about Angrezi Medium, how was your experience of working on a film with Irrfan, at a time when he was battling a tough phase in his life and undergoing treatment?
Homi: Well, the experience changed everyone. It made me change the way I make my films. After all, you are making a film and not curing a disease. Don’t take it so seriously! The entire experience of shooting Angrezi Medium will always be a wonderful memory. Making this film has made me a better person. In fact, it has touched everyone in one way or another. It the kind of experience which uplifts your spirit and makes you understand what resilience is. We knew all about the risks. We went into it with our eyes open. There was no question of tiptoeing around Irrfan. The fact is that we addressed the elephant in the room. He had cancer and was undergoing treatment. And we all were living life the way that one is supposed to. Nothing has to stop at any point in your life. That’s the spirit with which we kept going. Irrfan, too, soldiered on with passion and wasn’t stressed about it. It was inspiring seeing him do what he was doing.
Dinesh: When the unit was shooting in London, I was supposed to be on set only for five days, but Irrfan asked me to stay back. He told me he feels positive when I am around. So, I stayed back for him. There was never a gloomy moment on the set of the film.

A lot of actresses (probably more popular, too) would have loved to play the role essayed by Radhika Madan. What made you think that Radhika was apt for the part?
Dinesh: A lot of actresses were keen to play this role as the first one (English Medium, 2017) did so well. So, whichever manager approached us with their client’s name, I showed them Radhika’s audition video. And after that they agreed that Radhika was apt for the role.
Homi: Dinesh showed me her audition for Pataakha (2018). I remember she had invited me to watch the film, but unfortunately, I wasn’t in town. Later, she messaged me and asked if she could audition for this role. I turned down her request and told her that we wanted a younger actress to play the part of the 18-year-old girl. Regardless of that, she sent her audition video. I was just blown away seeing her performance.

Homi, you have directed films like Being Cyrus, Cocktail and Finding Fanny. This is your first film that is in quite a desi zone, in a sense.
Homi: Yes, Angrezi Medium is very much out of my comfort zone.
Dinesh: I feel that if you have something on paper, and a good director on board, then language can never be a barrier. I felt Homi would be perfect to direct this film because he is an amazing father. He has two boys, and I have seen their equation. He also has maximum respect for writing and writers.
Homi: The film is about a parent and a child. Personally, as a father, I really get scared of some situations. You hold the hands of your little ones; show them the way, and then one day you let them go. You do that with a lot of pride and as much pain and a lot of hope in your heart that one day, when you need them, they will come back to you. This is the sur of this film. The writer got it, Irrfan got it, and then, we all were on the same page.

Dinesh, you have tried your hand at direction with Raabta (2017). When do we see you directing again?
Homi: He is a very good producer, let him produce (laughs!).
Dinesh: We do a lot of stuff for validation. As you grow older, you realise this. I thought I was enamoured by direction. When I did it, I realised I genuinely loved producing. Ten years later, I feel the urge to direct, then I’ll think about it at that time. Right now, producing is working well for me. Now that I have been through the process of direction, it helps me better my production skills, too. I believe we have a lot of directors, but only a few producers who can add value to a director’s vision. Though your failure teaches you much more than your victory, life is too short to make all your mistakes. So, you learn from other’s mistakes. Today, all filmmakers get along with each other and use each other’s creativity. It helps and it also gives a good vibe.

The film industry is going through a positive change in many ways…
Homi: (Cuts in) Of course! After all, if films do well, then it is more conducive and beneficial for us as an industry. For some strange reason, earlier, we would feel that people didn’t want someone else to do well within the industry. But that has changed now.
Dinesh: When I met a well-known Hollywood film producer, he said, “You know why Hollywood works? Because the top five people (of the industry) get along really well.” We need to take from each other if we want to grow the business.
Homi: The film industry can be wiped out if we don’t stick together and grow the business.

Homi Adajania on his leading man who is currently undergoing treatment, directing a small-town story for the first time and what made the follow-up to Hindi Medium irresistible
Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 18, 2020)

In a teaser to his upcoming film Angrezi Medium, Irrfan Khan, who has been missing in action, informed that his body has been “gatecrashed by some unwanted guests” with whom he is currently negotiating. Homi Adajania, the director of the actor’s first film since his cancer diagnosis in 2018, informs that he is undergoing treatment. “Let’s keep our fingers crossed and hope that it works. We are all waiting for him and hopefully will see him closer to the release date on March 13,” he says.

The filmmaker admits that he had wanted to work with Irrfan since he watched him in Mira Nair’s adaptation of the Jhumpa Lahiri novel, The Namesake. “Irrfan and I met at the film’s screening and got along well. He’d watched Being Cyrus (Homi’s directorial debut) and agreed that we should collaborate,” he reminisces with a smile. After several false starts, Angrezi Medium which takes Dinesh Vijan’s Hindi Medium forward, happened. “I was in my cabin, working on a very dark film, when Dinoo (Dinesh) called me for a narration. I was doubling over with laughter as I listened and there was no way I would say ‘no’ to this script,” he shares, quick to add that both his hero and he were thrilled to finally come together. But soon after, Irrfan’s diagnosis came as a shock and an unanticipated roadblock. “There was no alternative to him, this film was meant to be made with Irrfan, so we waited for a year.”

Angrezi Medium finally went on the floors on April 5, 2019, and Homi confides that his leading man was assailed with self-doubt on his first day back at work after over a year. “He came in like an almost clean slate, wondering whether he’d forgotten acting. But there was never a false beat with him; Irrfan is incredibly organic. Acting is in his blood, I’ve never worked with anyone like him before,” Homi raves, adding that there was no stress on the sets as it is a positive and happy film.

After directing urban stories like Being Cyrus, Cocktail and Finding Fanny, Angrezi Medium marks Homi’s debut in the small-town space. The language of cinema is universal, he insists. “Tomorrow, I can even make a Japanese film,” he asserts, saying he gets bored easily and prefers to stay out of his comfort zone. “In fact, it was the unfamiliar territory of this film that drew me in.”

And was it challenging to direct a sequel to a much-loved film? “I wouldn’t have taken it up if it was a sequel,” the director clarifies, explaining that they are taking the thought and theme of the first part forward. “The soul of our film is how far a father will go to make his child’s dreams come true. Being a father myself, I could understand this emotion. The franchise allowed me to pour creativity into new characters.”

Angrezi Medium also features Radhika Madan as Irrfan’s daughter, along with Kareena Kapoor, Dimple Kapadia, Deepak Dobriyal, Ranvir Shorey and Kiku Sharda. “Kareena comes in the second half, but is pivotal to the narrative and perfect for the role. Incidentally, working with Irrfan was on her bucket list too,” he signs off.

Priya Gupta (BOMBAY TIMES; September 12, 2014)

The director talks about his upcoming film which will be released in Hindi and English, the comedy and reincarnation drama planned for next year, and why he considers his last film 'kosher'.
Roshmilla Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 9, 2014)

Didn't you write Finding Fanny back in 2009?
Yes, it was stuck in my mind for a long time. I wanted to make it before Cocktail but the logistics didn't work out. I'm not superstitious but I believe a film has its own momentum. After Cocktail, my producer, Dinesh Vijan gave me the freedom and the budget to make Finding Fanny my way.

How did the search for Fanny start?
With an article about a postman in Italy who'd collect the letters, return home, dump them in a room and spend the day sipping wine and watching TV. That left me wondering what would happen if someone had proposed through a letter and believed he had been rejected without knowing that the letter, written 46 years ago, hadn't been delivered. I had Naseer (Naseeruddin Shah) in mind to play this heartbroken character. And we were both laughing during the narration and we ended our meeting with him telling me, "I didn't understand what I was doing in Being Cyrus while we were shooting for the film and even after we'd finished. I think I understand this one."

And how did Pankaj Kapur react to the script?
He heard the narration without any change in expression and told me he'd get back. He did, after a week, and asked me to come over. I thought he'd refuse but he accepted the offer after I addressed a few of his concerns. He plays Don Pedro, a quirky artist with a fascination for voluptuous Reubenesque figures, in this case, Dimple's.

How does the gorgeous Dimple Kapadia allow you to de-glam her in film after film?
(Laughing) I made her wear a 20-kg prosthetic bottom and a huge tummy. She told me, "M****d, I'm known for Bobby which made me a sex symbol at 16. Now you've taken me back to Goa and made me a Bobba." She's an amazing woman who still displays the nervousness and excitement of a newcomer. We've done three films together and while shooting the promo of this one, she asked me about my next. I started narrating the story, only to be told that all she cared to know was if she was in it.

Reportedly, your first choices were Imran Khan and Sonam Kapoor...
We had spoken to Sonam, considered many combinations, but things didn't work out. I didn't know Deepika (Padukone) before Cocktail, but during the making we developed an amazing synergy. When I narrated this story to her, she immediately told me she was ready for Angie. (Laughs). Ditto Arjun, who I thought was perfect for Savio, this brooding guy who finds it difficult to express his inner angst. Youngsters today are hungry for good roles. Having Deepika and Arjun on board before the release of Chennai Express or 2 States was great. My film revolves around five dysfunctional characters. We inhibited their world for 36 days and a week more for patchwork. It was hard work, but we found our patches of sunshine despite the weather. Success for me is not how much money my film makes, but how much fun we had making it.

Before the film bug bit, you were happy diving into the deep and watching the pretty fishes?
Yes, I was a diving instructor but I love telling stories and films are a good medium for that. I came up for air and ended up making three films. And now I don't have to restrict myself to one island, I can travel the world. I even went to the Galapagos Island in Eucodor to swim with the sharks. (Smiles) It's not always pretty fish. Adventure is in my DNA, too many of our tomorrows become yesterdays as we stand at the edge of a cliff. But I'll jump down, even if I don't know snowboarding. I'm this kid who never grows up.

Being Cyrus and Finding Fanny was an extension of your world but Cocktail wasn't...
Well, it wasn't my story. I was just given the job to direct it. I enjoyed doing a big budget film, knowing well that the pampering would end soon. Had Cocktail been my film it would have had sex, drugs and debauchery and not been quite so kosher. But I still enjoyed doing the film and watching Deepika evolve as an actress post interval.

Is Finding Fanny premiering at the Toronto Film Festival?
We want to enter it for Toronto and other prestigious fests but a newspaper jumped the gun and said we were premiering it there before the film was even ready. It was just a wild rumour.