As told to Ankita Chaurasia (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 25, 2020)

It was during the editing of the short film, Let’s Talk, shot on a handycam, that Vidhu Vinod Chopra, who was cutting his Mission Kashmir at the same studio, noticed me. He called me for a meeting and said that he wanted to work with me in his next. I asked him which film it would be for and he said he didn’t have any at the moment, but whenever he made one, I’d be in it. Eight months later, I got a call. He wanted me to play the antagonist, J C Asthana, the dean of a medical college, in a film titled Munnanhai MBBS, to be directed by his editor Raju (Rajkumar Hirani). The name was weird, but after a narration, I was convinced.

My first day on the set was the first day of the film’s shoot as well, which meant it was Raju’s first day as a director. My first shot was with Dutt saab (Sunil Dutt), who was facing the camera after 16 years. So, in a way, it was his first day too. You can imagine the nervous energy on the set.

As soon as I walked into the set, Dutt saab ushered me into his vanity van for rehearsals and started calling for tea. I offered to get it for him, but he insisted on doing it himself, confiding that he was a nervous wreck. Here I was sweating because my first shot was opposite the legend I’d grown up idolising. And he tells me he is nervous!

Going by my get-up, he thought I was older than him and started addressing me as ‘Doctor saab’. When Sanju (Sanjay Dutt) dropped by, he saw me hanging out with his father and I became his ‘uncle’. I wanted to tell him that, at 44, I was four months younger to him but I was just so happy being around such established actors in my first film.

In my first shot, I bump into Dutt saab’s character, Hari Prasad Sharma, while buying nariyal pani after attending a laughter club at the park. Happy at this chance meeting with an old friend, Dr Asthana is dumbfounded on learning that Sharma’s son, who he had dismissed as a good-for-nothing boy was now a doctor and ran a hospital. Simultaneously, he is irritated because the nariyal pani wala (Rohitashv Gour), planted there by Munna, keeps interrupting them. He shouts at him, then, laughs out loud. I fumbled and forgot my lines the first time. Even Dutt saab wanted another take because he thought he could do better than the first.

The script had the words ‘laughs’ pencilled next to my dialogue. Dutt saab assumed it would be a short laugh. The surprise on his face when I broke into a full-throated guffaw was real. Raju told me we’d shoot one take with the laugh and one without it. After a while, we figured the laugh added to Dr Asthana’s quirks and finally stopped shooting a scene twice.

At the film’s premiere, when I walked up to Dutt saab, he greeted me with a cursory smile and hurt, I wondered where had all the warmth disappeared. When I told him I was ‘Doctor saab’, he looked lost, asking me which hospital I worked for. It was then that I realised he didn’t recognise me because I was sporting a full head of hair and he had only seen me with my bald pate. We had a good laugh over it.

Sonam Kapoor-starrer 'Neerja' director Ram Madhvani on re-premiering debut 'Let's Talk' at 7th Jagran Film Festival in Mumbai
Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; September 26, 2016)

When Sonam Kapoor-starrer Neerja earned rave reviews earlier this year, many commended Ram Madhvani on an impressive 'directorial debut'. Tell him about it and he chuckles, "Chalo, achhi baat hai." But, people of a certain vintage would recall that his maiden film came in 2002. Titled Let's Talk, the unconventional film marked Boman Irani's acting debut and was the country's first digital film to be released in theatres. It will be screened at the 7th Jagran Film Festival (JFF) that starts today.

So, what took Madhvani 14 years to make another film, Neerja? "For 14 years, Ram was in vanvas," Madhvani responds with a laugh. During that period of low visibility, he continued making ad films while waiting for the right script to be turned into a feature film. "There is a divine hand that conspires to make things work and for me, it was to make Neerja, so it was worth the wait. Not that I did not try earlier, but the projects never materialised. Yes, it was frustrating; 14 years is a long time."



Madhvani says Let's Talk was made for family and friends. "When Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges was asked why he writes, he said, 'I write for my friends, for my family and to ease the passage of time'. I made Let's Talk for the same reasons."

Much like a home video, he'd thought it would be seen only by near and dear ones. "I did not imagine that it would premiere at the Locarno film festival in Switzerland or do the rounds of film festivals and bag awards," he recalls.

Let's Talk was shot with a digital camera over a week. Madhvani showcased it to several people and after receiving feedback, shot it all over again. "We rehearsed and shot it again. It was almost like a theatre process. The response was heartening. Aamir Khan, Shyam Benegal, Shabana Azmi and Vidhu Vinod Chopra became part of our marketing campaign. The film was produced by us and when it was screened at the Mumbai Film Festival, it was a sold out show with people standing in the aisles for a peek," he says.

What made him cast Boman Irani? Madhvani says, "I had seen him in the play Jesus Christ Superstar as well as in Gandhi Viruddh Gandhi. He was among the finest actors I'd seen. I had to grab him and tell him to do the film because he was also into photography at that time. Boman has remained a dear friend ever since."

At JFF's secret section

> Rajat Kapoor’s Private Detectives (Sept 28, 12 pm)

> Kundan Shah’s Bonga (Sept 28, 2.30 pm). Says Shah, "During my FTII ˆdays, no one attempted comedy as their diploma film since it was a risk. So, it was a big litmus test for me. I can’t comment on why the film is relevant today 40 years after its release. I assume people still connect to the simplicity and freshness."

> Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s An Encounter With Faces (Sept 29, 2.30 pm). Says Chopra, "The film is as relevant today as it was in 1978, or maybe more. The world is increasingly becoming polarised and stratified. There is more wealth and even more poverty. Lack of concern for the underprivileged has only grown manifold."

> Sriram Raghavan’s Raman Raghav (Sept 30, 2.30 pm)

> Ram Madhvani’s Let’s Talk (Oct 2, 4 pm)

All screenings at Cinepolis (Fun Republic), Andheri (W)