She will join Varun, Alia, Katrina, Sidharth, Aditya, KJo and Parineeti as they conclude their tour in New York on Aug 21
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 13, 2016)

Anu Menon talks about the dynamics of movie-making and the challenges women filmmakers face
Harshada Rege (DNA; May 28, 2016)


Her sentences are peppered with Hindi words and phrases. “I am a Tam-Bram who grew up in Delhi,” she explains. “I moved from Delhi to Bangalore to Singapore. When I was in Singapore, I felt the need to do something more,” she says. That need turned out to be quite a journey for the filmmaker, who is all set to release her second feature film Waiting, which features Naseeruddin Shah and Kalki Koechlin. Her first venture was the Ali Zafar-Aditi Rao Hydari-starrer London Paris New York. Anu is currently in Mumbai for the release of Waiting. Here, she talks about the dynamics of the movie business and what she wishes was different...

Did you always want to make films?
There always was that thing. But films were not for us. It was something that others did. I was in advertising, a strategy planner. Then, when I went to London, I joined the London Film School for a three-year course. I remember, the first time I came down to Mumbai, I was six months pregnant. I don’t know what people thought about me. I was walking around with a huge baby bump and a script in hand.

Does taking one’s movie to film festivals help a movie like Waiting?
With films like this, you can travel internationally. It’s tempting to reach out to a larger audience. If you make a film and stay true to it, it travels a lot. When we went to the Dubai Film Festival, we got a great response. Love and loss are universal. If you have someone in the hospital, then you are waiting for them to get well. Whether you are sitting in a plush waiting room or outside, on the street, the emotions you have are the same. Also, taking a film to festivals helps you create buzz without physically spending money.

This film seems to have come from a personal space.
Obviously, a film like this can only come from a personal space. For me, it has come from the time when my dad was in the hospital. It was the most profound experience of my life. It changed me in many ways. Whether it was me or mom, the one thing I realised is that none of us were ready to give up on hope. The world carries on and after a point you also adapt to it. You make those friendships, some connection. It took me a while to revisit it. But that’s why I am so true to it. Right now for me it’s just a story. It’s not autobiographical at all. Which is what writers do, they take their experience and allow their characters to respond to it. I am neither Shiv nor Tara.

Besides, love and loss, this also seems to be a movie about loneliness in the time of social media when everyone is so connected...
In today’s world, we have a false sense of a lot of things: popularity, friendship, morality. Also, when you are in that space, you to want to be alone. Because nobody can go though it for you. That’s loneliness. That’s what happened to change my world view. Suddenly, you have to grow up and make decisions that you have never made.

This seems to be massive departure from you first movie, which was a romcom.
I love romcoms. But if I made London Paris New York today, it would be a slightly different film. Today, you are not expected to do the things you were back then. You don’t need those typical songs. The audience wants to see edgy stuff. But a romcom is as much me as drama or an action film. I like to switch genres. Increasingly, I have found the clarity and courage to do so and it’s important to be true to your film. It’s a learning process. There are so many stakeholders. And everyone loves the film as much as you do, so how do you know what is right and what’s not? That takes a little time. You shouldn’t try to masalafy an intellectual film or intelectualise a masala film. You are second-guessing a lot. That’s why I like to sit a write in London.

Do you think things have changed in the industry for female filmmakers and the characters portrayed on screen?
The women in my films will be always be strong, complex characters. I will never objectify women. They will never be just a foil to the hero. That commitment will always be there. And the same holds true for the guys. Right now, there are content-driven films that are not gender-specific. In that specific genre, you will see a lot of women. Naseer sir didn’t even know who I was. After I sent him a script on mail, he agreed to do it. I met him for the first time after he signed the film. But when you go into the more commercial set up where you need access to more money and bigger stars, it’s like...your saasu maan ka chaavi ka guccha ke woh haath mein dete nahi hai. I am like give it to me I will show you I can run the house. It’s about access...that part of the business is run by a some people and a certain section of people have easier access to them. Uss hierarchy mein we are little low. Having said that, I have made two feature films and look forward to making more. You have to keep pressing on. But it’s good to know what your challenges are.

Go on...
I do think that studios should get more female filmmakers to make mainstream cinema. Because we are not changing the narrative of how women are presented in cinema. More than 95 per cent of these female-empowerment movies are made by men. Give me one example of a women empowerment movie in recent times, apart from English Vinglish that has been made by a woman. So even in this area it’s men who are deciding what women empowerment is. My story of empowerment is different. If you see all those movies, they are about breaking the shackles of patriarchy. So eventually they are about men and not the women. Or then they are glorifying women...where women are brave or sacrificing or super achieving...we can never be a Wake Up Sid! Or say like Ranbir’s character in Tamasha... women have to move up in that hierarchy. Mostly, a woman is either a victim or a devi, there can be nothing in between. I am keen to get those narratives up there. And I think studios need to think about that. I was reading somewhere that even internationally, Fox and Paramount don’t have any women directors on their slate for two years. That’s crazy. Popular narrative is being determined on by men. So why should I not be upset? I think more women need to be involved in that decision making. But the problem is many women reach that place, but it is so difficult to get there that they don’t want to make choices that will mess it up for them. (Laughs) It’s very complex. For me, women are as important as men and vice versa. That’s feminism for me. Like someone was telling me that this movie is completely about the people. But that’s how it is. When you meet someone you react to that person not to their gender. These are the things that we need to collectively change. Feminism is not about showing a woman drink or smoke or pee in public. It’s about being true to yourself. If a woman is career-oriented, she is an ambitious bitch. That’s not how it is. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am ambitious, but I co-exist. That’s how it is. There are things that my husband can do that I can’t do and there things that I can do that he can’t. I would urge these big commercial setup to review the content they are putting out there and the opportunities they are giving to women. Not because we also must get a chance, but because there’s a middle ground between victims and over achievers and that’s where 90 per cent of us are and we also need a voice.

So, what’s next?
I do have some plans. I always say that after you release a film, it’s like you are back in the dating pool. There is a lot of discussion. I also have projects in the UK. This whole idea of reaching to an audience internationally has also been exciting. I am looking at three four projects, but I don’t know what will materialise first.

What challenges do you face in the international arena?
Even internationally, I am fighting this battle about how they position us. Because an Indian character is either a victim or a funny person or a nerd or an idiot, it’s never someone equal. There, diversity is such a big discussion. A movie like Waiting, someone may say, is not Indian enough and I am like, ‘Why? Because there’s no cow in the frame?’ They want certain narratives from India. That’s my battle there. What’s happening is that world over, people are calling out these subtle discriminations. I really hope things change. Media should have more engaging discussions about it.

Subhash K Jha (DNA; April 14, 2015)


Obviously, the two had several scenes together and would be expected to do one intense lovemaking sequence together. But, says our source, Sunny and Mohit both refused to do this scene.

Explains the source, “They were constantly at loggerheads. While everyone else pampered Sunny, Mohit largely ignored her. This didn’t go down well with her. Things came to a head between the two. By the time they had to film the scene, they were completely hostile with one another.”

“Director Bobby Khan was at his wit’s end. It was at this point that Sunny’s husband Daniel Weber, who has a cameo in the film, suggested that he step in for Mohit as a body double. And thus, they managed to shoot this scene,” adds the source.

BETTER A KNOWN DEVIL...
Aditi Rao Hydari had done the same for London Paris New York. As Ali Zafar did not want to kiss, they looked for a double. She did not want to kiss a stranger, so she called her ex husband and he filled in.