Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 13, 2020)

“Jaya Prada had refused two films with Anil (Kapoor), Meri Jung and Joshilaay. Sridevi replaced her in the latter, and I immediately flew to Chennai to sign her for a film I wanted to produce with Anil and her. She’d been paid Rs 8 lakh for Joshilaay, her mother quoted Rs 10 lakh. I told her I’d pay her Rs 11 lakh and noticed her mother and aunt exchange looks, wondering about this fool from Mumbai,” laughs Boney Kapoor, adding that he was then told that he’d have to pay her staff Rs 30,000 and put them up at a hotel near hers. “I sealed the deal saying I’d pay them Rs 50,000 and put them up at the same hotel as her. And returned home with 65-70 days, double the dates Sridevi usually allotted for a film.”

She eventually doled out 130 because Mr India took 320 days to complete. The producer shares that just the Charlie Chaplin sequence, which started as a 2-3 minute gag, was shot for a month at R K Studios. Another two weeks was spent on “Hawa Hawai” while “Kaate Nahin Kat Te”, took 19 days. The latter is one of the most sensuous songs in Hindi cinema, Sridevi looking like a dream in a blue sari. Boney reveals that she wasn’t supposed to wear a sari earlier, but after seeing a song from Feroz Khan’s then unreleased Janbaaz, he raved to his director, Shekhar Kapur, that she looked stunning draped in pink and yellow. “I also remembered how gorgeous Sharmila Tagore had looked in Talash and Shekhar promised that our song would be better than any other,” he recounts.

After a really bad experience with crowds while promoting one of her South films, Sridevi had shied away from public appearance. Boney cajoled her to perform “Hawa Hawai” to promote their film at Hope ’86, a charity event to raise funds for the film industry. “She was nervous, but being a professional, Sri agreed. She also danced with Anil on the title track of Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja at the film’s mahurat at Hotel Holiday Inn, which coincided with Mr India’s silver jubilee bash. In the audience was Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Bal Thackeray, Rajinikanth and Nagarjuna to name a few,” he narrates.

Roop Ki Rani ... took a little under 400 days to finish. “I had put Satish (director Satish Kaushik) and Baba (cinematographer Baba Azmi) on a monthly remuneration since they were also working on Prem. When she heard this, Sri believed that’s why the film was taking so long,” Boney guffaws. The reasons were many, one of them being Baba Azmi’s observation on the day “Dushman Dil Ka Jo Hai Mere” was to be shot, that the colour of the set merged with her costume. The producer changed the entire set design in a couple of days.

“Amit ji (Amitabh Bachchan) saw the song at a trial and sent Sri a truckload of flowers, while Satish got a letter requesting that the next time he got a great script, he should think of him,” Boney reminisces, admitting that it was Sridevi who had suggested he buy the remake rights of the ’94 Telugu film, Subhalagnam. He was quick to oblige even though Anil was initially reluctant to play a man bartered by two wives.

Boney reveals that Karisma Kapoor was the first choice for Judaai while Urmila Matondkar was to do Yash Chopra’s Dil To Pagal Hai. “There was a last minute switch as Urmila entered our film. Sri and I named our firstborn Janhvi after her character,” he smiles, recalling how they’d shot “Pyaar Pyaar Karte Karte” in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and even a ‘graveyard’ in the desert where aircrafts are parked. “The director (Raj Kanwar) wasn’t there, but I’d taken my stylist, Manish Malhotra, along and he ensured we had a new costume for Anil, Sri, and Urmila after every cut,” he informs.

For another shoot in Nevada’s Valley Of Fire, Sridevi was air-dropped on top of a mountain and stood there all day, as they took helicopter shots. “The thorny bushes were full of insects, but there was not a murmur of protest. She was amazing, one of the greatest actresses of all time,” Boney raves about his actress-wife.

They were to work together in Shakti: The Power too, till Sridevi learned she was pregnant with Khushi. Then, Kajol opted out to plan a family too, while Preity Zinta’s dates were blocked for Shankar’s film featuring Kamal Haasan. “Finally, Karisma, who couldn’t do Judaai, did Shakti,” informs Boney.

The couple’s last collaboration was Mom in 2017 and Boney recalls that during shoots in Georgia and Delhi, Sridevi would insist on separate rooms so she could continue to live the character even after pack-up. “After we had shot 70-80 per cent of the film, she and the director (Ravi Udyawar) conspired to get A R Rahman on board to do the background score too. When my co-producers insisted we had no budget, they both took a cut in their remuneration. That’s how passionate she was about Mom. It fetched her the National Award for Best Actress, her first. Our daughters received it on her behalf while I looked on, knowing she was watching us from above,” he says emotionally.

Had they discussed any other film before her untimely demise? “We were toying with several ideas but hadn’t finalised anything. But Balki and Gauri (Shinde) had discussed the sequel of English Vinglish with her,” Boney shares as we raise a toast to Sridevi who’d have turned 57 today.

Boney Kapoor (Clockwise from top left) At an earlier event, Sridevi was seen wiping Boney’s forehead; President Ram Nath Kovind, Boney Kapoor, Minister of State, I&B, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Janhvi and Khushi Kapoor; and daughter Janhvi did the same for her papa during the National Film Awards ceremony - Yogen Shah, DNA

DNA (May 6, 2018)

No one is thinking otherwise. However, sometimes one has to reiterate a known fact. The fact is, that it is over two months (February 24) since Sridevi’s demise, but her husband Boney Kapoor is still a shattered man.

A source says, “On a day-to-day basis, Boney is doing a marvellous job of being a good parent to his four children — Arjun, Anshula, Janhvi and Khushi. He has also started getting back to his work. And the family is even getting together for a short break in London in mid-May after Arjun wraps up a schedule for Namaste England. However, Boney is emotionally fragile and breaks down ever so often.’’

While a section of the media reported on how Boney broke down inside the auditorium when Sri’s National Film Award for Best Actress for Zee Studios’ Mom was announced, an eyewitness, who was present at the rehearsals said, “Boney was in a bad state all through his trip to the capital. During the rehearsals for the National Awards, when a cameraman asked Boney to articulate his feelings on Sridevi’s win, Boney had tears streaming down his face.”

The young girls — Janhvi and Khushi — have been a source of strength to their father. They have collectively been holding up, putting up a brave front.

Lasyapriya Sundaram (BOMBAY TIMES; April 15, 2018)

A R Rahman is a man of few words. That’s because he lets his music do all the talking. After winning the National Award in the the Best Music Direction and the Best Background Score categories for Kaatru Veliyidai and Mom respectively, the music maestro, in an exclusive conversation with BT, spoke about why winning the National Award is still special though he has seduced music lovers across the world with his compositions. Excerpts...

This is your first National Film Award in the Best Background Score category and the fifth for Best Music Direction. What are your first thoughts on winning not one, but two awards?
I am really happy. I want to thank Mani Ratnam ji (director of Kaatru Veliyidai) and the team of Mom — Srideviji, Boney Kapoorji (producer) and Ravi Udyawar (director).

You have scored the background music for Mom. How do you go about composing it, vis-a-vis creating the soundtrack of a film? Give us an insight into your process...
A film like Mom needed to be driven by music. Ravi and I had collaborated on a commercial long time ago and that too, had won a lot of awards. He knew exactly what he wanted for Mom, but left it to me for my interpretation. I got the the idea to compose a song like Muafi Mushkil after I saw the film. In some films, background music is like wallpaper and in others, it is a character. It needs to say things, which the film is not saying or wants to say. I have worked with Boney ji and we wanted to collaborate again. In fact, Sridevi ji flew down from Mumbai to Chennai and told me that I have to do Mom’s BGM. She also said, ‘I want to work with you’. It seems prophetic now. The BGM of Mom is also my wife’s favourite. When I was in Hollywood last month, she asked my agent there to listen to it. I was surprised, because she is not somebody who says or does anything like this. She screamed with joy when she heard that I had won the award for Mom.

Having won innumerable awards and accolades over the years, does the National Award still hold a special place in your heart?
The National Award is definitely special because it is awarded by our Government. The jury is credible and they select films, which have been sidelined by other awards. In a way, it feels good that the National Awards jury has recognized the hard work that went into Mom. It requires more exposure for the vision it comes with.

You have won the National Award for Best Music Direction for Roja (1992), Minsara Kanavu (1997), Lagaan(2001) and Kannathil Muthamittal (2002). What are your memories of composing for Kaatru Veliyidai for which you have won your fifth National Award?
Whenever I work with Mani ji, I feel grateful to him for introducing me to cinema. But, it also means that I am shouldering a huge responsibility. I give it a lot of energy. Mani ji is open to unconventional ideas and has an open mind. Not everyone is like that. People want tried and tested things, but he encourages something unique. He also has an amazing sensibility as far as music for movies is concerned. He is a reservoir of ideas. You can throw any wild one at him and he will make it organic and usable. He is a great teammate and mentor for me. In his next, Chekka Chivantha Vaanam (Tamil), he has yet again surprised us, and we have just finished composing the fifth song for the film.

Your fans and bloggers feel that Kaatru Veliyidai is the quintessential ARR OST. It boasts of varied genres like Acapella, Rap, Folk, Tango and also ambient melody. Do you agree?
I don’t see it like that (laughs). It’s not intended in that manner, but if it happens, that’s good. The film required that kind of a soundscape. The story revolved around an Indian Air Force officer and I have not done such a film before. I have seen a bit of that life when I was perhaps 12 or 13; I would visit the army quarters and play music, as I was part of a show called Wonder Balloon on Doordarshan. So, it was nice to revisit my childhood. They are special people, because they fight for our country.

This film marked your 15th collaboration with Mani Ratnam. Do you reserve your best for him?
That would be belittling everybody else. I did Rockstar (2011) with Imtiaz Ali. I have had big hits with directors Shankar and Rajiv Menon as well. Each director gets something new out of me. It depends on what tunes of mine they accept. Having said that, there is no sense of insecurity when I work with Mani ji. He doesn’t judge or gauge a person based on his success or failure. Others might not want to associate with you if three of your films flop, but he is not like that. He judges people on the basis of the importance they give to the art. That’s what I have learnt from him.

What’s next, especially in Hindi films?
I have been working on the soundtrack of 99 Songs for almost four-five years. The final cut is almost ready and it will have close to 14-15 tracks. We have collaborated with international artistes as well for the soundtrack. There is also Le Musk. Both these films are making good progress.

You also have Shankar's 2.0 starring Rajinikanth in your kitty. What can your fans look forward to in that film as far as your score is concerned?
BGM plays a huge role in that film, every reel is packed with music. It will be a one-of-a-kind experience. We are trying to do some unique and new things with regard to the 3D visuals being combined with sound.

The 65th National Film Awards strike a bittersweet chord for Hindi cinema with posthumous honours for Sridevi, Vinod Khanna, and all-inclusive applause for fi lms like Baahubali and Newton
Sanyukta Iyer and Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 14, 2018)

SRIDEVI: National Award for Best Actress

Boney Kapoor: Don’t know if we should laugh with joy or cry in her memory

I miss her so much. I wish she was here, this honour would have meant a lot to her. We don’t know if we should laugh with joy or cry in her memory. She would’ve been so happy today because even though she put a lot of effort into all her characters, Mom was a very special film for her.

The subject had moved the mother in her. She cared for daughters around the world who needed a voice and understood the story best because our daughters, Janhvi and Khushi, were her life. For everyone, Mom is a film but for me it was the last journey of creative and emotional expression with the love of my life. If Sridevi was here, she would thank everyone in her own way, quietly.

She was not only a super actress, but a super wife and a super mom. She is not with us today but her legacy lives on.

A R RAHMAN: Best Background Score: Mom, Best Music: Kaatru Velayide

‘This is my third film with Mani sir to win a National Award’

I’m extremely happy to receive both the awards. Mani sir’s (Ratnam, who directed Kaatru) films are always special. This is our third film to win a National Award.

Mom holds a special memory for me because of Sridevi ji. When Boney ji had approached me for the film, it was she who flew down to Chennai, met me and insisted I score the music. It’s sad that she is no longer with us. All credit to my team for the hard work they put in.


VINOD KHANNA: Dadasaheb Phalke Award

Kavita Khanna: How do we celebrate his award without him?

As a family, we are grateful to the Government and the Prime Minister Narendra Modi for recognising Vinod’s achievements with the highest award for cinema. But it’s also a time when we miss him the most — how do we celebrate his award without him?

I liked every film he featured in. I was always fascinated by his nuanced performances — he would just drop starry gestures to become the character. I was speaking to filmmaker Vikas Desai recently, who made the exceptional thriller, Shaque, with Vinod and Shabana (Azmi). Throughout his career, when he could have picked commercial films, Vinod chose out-of-the-box roles. Shaque was not a formula film, and he chose to do it at the peak of his career.

At 51, he entered the Lok Sabha when he could have been doing film after film. He wanted to give back to society all the love he had received for his films. Working in the border-town constituency of Punjab’s Gurdaspur, which grappled with unemployment, underdevelopment, instability and even narco terror, he strived for over a decade to give back in the best way he could.

He never coveted awards and didn’t need a reason to be happy. But he would have been delighted to know that his life’s work has been recognized. Our children, Sakshi and Shraddha, have a lot to achieve in life and I am hoping they will do everyone proud, just like their father did.


NEWTON: Best Hindi Film

Amit Masurkar: Hope this award creates a bigger space for political films

I hope this award and Newton’s commercial success creates a bigger space for political cinema. This wouldn’t have been possible without an incredible cast and crew, and the love and support from the locals of Chhattisgarh during the shoot. Pankaj (Tripathi) effortlessly portrayed a character as complex as Atma Singh. It was pure joy working with him. He’s full of empathy and love for everyone around.

PANKAJ TRIPATHI: Special Mention: Newton

‘Last year was great for me’

I cried when I received the news. I have been shooting outdoors and I didn’t have my phone with me, my co-star Saurabh Shukla informed me. I wanted to tell my parents and my wife, but I had no idea if it was true. I didn’t even know I was in contention. It’s exhilarating and humbling because I have been acting for the last 20 years.

Last year was great for me. As a boy from a village in Bihar, I had big dreams and it feels like they have been fulfilled today. I only hope to work harder and more sincerely from now on…


BAAHUBALI: THE CONCLUSION: Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, Action Direction, Special Effects

Director S S Rajamouli

Congratulations to our entire team for being awarded the Best Popular Wholesome Entertainment Film. Thanks to the committee for recognising our team’s work in Action and Visual Effects categories as well.

Writer K Vijayendra Prasad

I am extremely happy and excited. Someone mentioned our win in the afternoon and that’s how I got to know. I’m not the celebrating type so I don’t know what the plan is. I haven’t spoken to the Baahubali team yet, but I’m sure everyone is happy.

DIVYA DUTTA: Best Supporting Actress: Irada

‘Irada was the first film I signed after my mother passed away’

I was packing my bags for an outdoor schedule of Anubhav Sinha’s Abhi Toh Party Shuru Hui Hai when I got the news. This is my first National Award. For any actor, this is the biggest honour and I’m glad I got it for a film like Irada, which was the first film I had signed after my mother passed away. I channeled my energies on this film and it was an emotional ride. Irada is a relevant topic as it tackles the issue of pollution. I played a corrupt politician and had referenced memories from my time in Punjab as a child. (Irada has also won Best Film on Environment Conservation/Preservation).


GANESH ACHARYA: Best Choreography: ‘Gori Tu Latth Maar’ (Toilet - Ek Prem Katha)

‘Nobody has choreographed such a song before’

I was moving houses when I got the news. It’s all thanks to Akshay Kumar, Bhumi Pednekar, Shree Narayan Singh (director) and Neeraj Pandey (co-producer). For Indians, the National Award is like the Oscar. Nobody has choreographed such a song before. We shot it with local dancers and our team. I will throw a party at my new residence soon.

Niharika Lal and Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; April 14, 2018)

While addressing the press conference for the 65th National Film Awards, jury head Shekhar Kapur said that after films continuously watching for 10 days, his opinion about the quality of Indian cinema has changed. Shekhar said that even though regional cinema doesn’t have “a Shah Rukh Khan”, Hindi cinema doesn’t come close to it.

He said, “Maine Hindustan mein last film banayi thi Bandit Queen, usske baad maine yahan koi film isiliye nahi banayi because I wanted to make better films. For years, I have been watching Hindi films and I’ve been saying, ‘it’s not good enough’. Main kyun wapas aaya? Kyunki aage badhna chahiye, naye challenges lene chahiye. After 10 days of watching films from 9am to 3am, it has changed everything. I was wondering about the quality of films — not of Hindi cinema, but regional cinema, the cinema that has never come up before. I didn’t even know Lakshadweep mein filmein banti hain. Main nahi janta tha ki Assam mein aisi films banti hain. Mujhe nahi maloom tha ki Bengali films itni aage badh chuki hain.”

About the selection process for this year’s winners, Shekhar said, “There was no award which was not debated. Bahut aasaan hai award dena — chalo kisi ko bhi de do. Mujhe 12 saal lage thay Masoom banane mein, idhar se bheekh maang kar, udhar se bheekh maang kar. Regional cinema ke paas Shah Rukh Khan toh hai nahi! Ghar se chori karte hain, ghar se bhaag kar film institute chale jate hain aur phir jod-jod kar film banate hain. We took no film lightly.”

He also explained the choice for this year’s Best Actress award, which was posthumously given to Sridevi, saying, “Don’t think we are giving the award to Sridevi because I am part of the jury”. Shekhar added, “Main hi tha jo ladta tha ki Sridevi ko mat do. Because we are all emotionally involved with Sridevi. But I used to say, don’t give her the award because she passed away, because otherwise it is unfair to the others. Unki kya galti hai, they have also worked hard for 9-10 years to reach here. But each time, it came back to Sridevi.”
----------------------------

This was long overdue for Sri. I wish she was here to hear the news and collect the award herself. It pains me to think that I will have to collect it on her behalf. Wherever she is today, she must be smiling.I miss my jaan every day and today, I’m missing her even more. Sri had worked so hard for Mom. She put life into every scene. She stayed away from me while shooting to avoid distraction; she wanted to concentrate on portraying the emotions correctly. I thank God and the jury for acknowledging her hard work

– Boney Kapoor, Sridevi’s husband and producer of Mom
----------------------------

This is my first National Award.This award is very special for me because I lost my mother while working on Irada. My mother and other well-wishers have always said that I deserve a National Award. So, their reactions to my win are making me feel euphoric. I am totally overwhelmed. This is the ultimate award.

– Divya Dutta, Best Supporting Actress, Irada

The 65th National Film Awards:

1.BEST DIRECTOR: Jayaraj (Bhayanakam)

2. BEST BOOK ON CINEMA: Matmagi Manipur. (This is the first time that a book on Manipuri films has got an award)

3. BEST FILM CRITIC: Giridhar Jha

4. SPECIAL MENTION: Marathi Film: Mhorkya; Odia film: Hello Arsi; Malayalam: Take Off; Pankaj Tripathi for Newton

5. BEST REGIONAL FILM: Ladhakh

6. BEST MARATHI FILM: Kaccha Limbu

7. BEST MALAYAM FILM: Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum

8. BEST HINDI FILM: Newton

9. BEST BENGALI FILM: Mayurakshi

10. BEST ASSAMESE FILM: Ishu

11. BEST TAMIL FILM: To Let

12. BEST TELUGU FILM: Ghazi

13. BEST GUJARATI FILM: DHH

14. BEST ACTION DIRECTION: Baahubali 2

15. BEST CHOREOGRAPHY: Gori Tu Latth Maar from Toilet - Ek Prem Katha (choreographer, Ganesh Acharya)

16. BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS: Baahubali 2

17. SPECIAL JURY AWARD: Nagarkirtan (Bengali)

18. BEST LYRICS FOR SONG: Muthu Ratna, for Kannada film March 22

19. BEST MUSIC DIRECTION: A R Rahman for Kaatru Veliyidai

20. BACKGROUND SCORE: A R Rahman for Mom

21. BEST MAKE-UP ARTISTE: Ram Razak for Nagarkirtan

22. BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN: Santosh Rajan

23. BEST EDITING: Rima Das (Village Rockstars)

24. BEST SCREENPLAY ORIGINAL: Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum

25. BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Jayaraj

26. BEST FEMALE PLAYBACK SINGER: Shasha Tirupati ( Vaan Varuvaan song)

27. BEST MALE PLAYBACK SINGER: Yesudas

28. BEST CHILD ARTIST: Bhanita Das (Village Rockstars)

29. BEST FILM ON SOCIAL ISSUES: Aalorukkam

30. NARGIS DUTT AWARD FOR BEST FEATURE FILM ON NATIONAL INTEGRATION: Dhappa

Adnan Siddiqui, the legend Sridevi's co-star in her most recent release Mom, was among the first few people to reach her Dubai hotel following the news of her death; says husband Boney Kapoor was inconsolable till the wee hours
Asira Tarannum (MID-DAY; February 27, 2018)

As the country mourns the loss of its favourite superstar Sridevi, there are speculations surrounding her sudden death in Dubai. mid-day has learnt that Adnan Siddiqui, Sridevi's Pakistani co-actor from Mom (2017), was one of the first few people to reach the Jumeirah Emirates Tower after learning about her death on Saturday night.

Recounting the ill-fated night, Siddiqui told mid-day, "I got a call from a journalist at around 11 pm asking if the news about Sridevi's death was true. I immediately called up Boney [Kapoor] saab and rushed to him." The actor says he reached the hotel to find the investigation going on and the room cordoned off. "I got to Jumeirah Emirates at around midnight. Initially, I was not allowed to go upstairs. At the time of the investigation, only Boney saab and Dubai officials were present. So, I waited in the lobby for about an hour."

It was only after the initial rounds of investigations were done that Siddiqui met Kapoor upstairs. "When everything was settled, Boney saab called me upstairs. He was there along with a family friend, his wife and a daughter. Boney saab was crying like a baby; he was inconsolable. I was with him until 5 am. He was under a lot of stress, so I advised him to rest, and then left."

The Pakistani actor had developed a warm bond with Sridevi and Kapoor while he was shooting with the former for Mom. So disturbed was Sridevi about not being able to meet him after the film's release, due to the ban on Pakistani artistes after Uri attacks, that she invited him specially for her nephew Mohit Marwah's wedding in Ras Al-Khaimah.

"When I landed in Dubai at 11 pm last week, I called up Boney saab and asked him if it made sense for me to come at that hour considering the function may have been over. He said, 'Even if the function gets over, we will wait for you'. So I drove for two hours to Ras Al-Khaimah," recollected Siddiqui, adding that true to her word, Sridevi was waiting for him. "I can't believe that I met her four days ago and now, she is no more."

Sridevi and producer-husband Boney Kapoor recently arrived to a warm response for their film’s premiere in the freezing country
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 18, 2017)

Sridevi, her producer-husband Boney Kapoor and their younger daughter Khushi were welcomed by the Indian Ambassador in Moscow Pankaj Saran as they arrived for the premiere of their last release, Mom, in the Russian capital. The gritty thriller which follows Sridevi’s mission to avenge her daughter’s rape, released in 30 theatres across Russia. And on Sunday, 400-plus Russians were screaming “Chandni… Chandni…” during interval. They continued to sing it even after the film ended.

Speaking to Mirror from Moscow, Sridevi exulted, “It was overwhelming to witness the audience’s reaction to the film. It felt like I was watching it for the first time because there was so much energy in the room.”

An equally delighted Boney added that his wife was mobbed by women who seemed to be completely in love with her. He was particularly enthused by their response to the film and one sequence in particular, where Akshaye Khanna’s cop finds a pair of glasses as a prime reason to pin Sridevi’s character as a suspect when she fishes out a similar pair from her handbag, puts them on. “They were cheering and hooting during that scene,” said Boney, who added that while the Kapoors love to explore new places on their trips, the plan this time is to return home as it’s freezing in Russia.

He recalls how his iconic production, the Shekhar Kapur-directed Mr India had released in Russia exactly 30 years ago and Bollywood’s bond with Moscow remains as strong as ever. “It’s freezing right now, too cold to walk, but the locals are celebrating our cinema. While the influx of Hindi films had slowed down in the last few years, we seem to be back with a bang. This is the time for an Indo-Russian collaboration,” Boney asserted, confiding that he will be meeting a Russian producer on the trip.

Clockwise: A still from Kaabil; Mom; Prem Granth; Damini and Matrubhoomi

Deepali Singh (DNA; August 5, 2017)

Hindi filmmakers are often trashed for their depiction of women on screen, for making eveteasing acceptable, for not giving women meaty roles, not making female-centric films, degrading women by making them do item songs... The list goes on. It’s time to give them some credit. Something changed when no one was looking. Graphic rape scenes, a staple in Hindi films for over three decades, vanished from our films.

From then to now
There was a time when you saw an unknown actress playing the role of the hero’s sister, you could bet that she would get crudely raped at some point in the film. Such scenes were weaved in the script. For decades, Hindi films have shown scenes or sexual assault with little or no sensitivity. I remember a particularly disturbing rape scene filmed on Shilpa Shirodkar and Anupam Kher in Bhrashtachar on a round revolving bed, shot in slow motion. It was clearly designed to titillate. Unfortunately, many such scenes were filmed for that explicit intention. They were uncomfortably long and graphic, with attention to detail. But such rape scenes slowly (and thankfully) disappeared.

Recall the 1980-film Insaf Ka Tarazu where Raj Babbar rapes Zeenat Aman and later, commits the same crime with her younger sister, played by Padmini Kolhapure? The scenes left nothing to the imagination. A number of films made during the ’80s and ’90s in Bollywood depicted rape sequences in graphic detail. Thankfully, that is where the filmmakers of today’s generation are different, or at least, are trying to be. Cut to 2017. There were two releases with the rape-revenge theme. Kaabil — in which Hrithik Roshan sets out to seek revenge for his wife’s rape. And Mom in which Sridevi seeks to wreck hell on the men who ravaged her daughter. I was reluctant to watch both films because I knew it involved molestation scenes. But I needn’t have worried.

The rape scene
Two men pick up a girl in a red dress as she struggles. Another comes running and lifts her up and she is thrown into the car. A hard punch on the face leaves her stunned. An aerial shot shows the car moving along the deserted streets of Delhi, with only the stray dogs for company. The eerily haunting music that accompanies the shot is enough to give you the chills. After a while, the car stops. The two men in the front exchange seats with the two men at the back. The car is back on the road and so is the music. Nothing is shown, yet the audience knows exactly the nature of the crime taking place inside the moving vehicle. That is how the gang rape scene was shown in Sridevi’s Mom. There was no tearing of the victim’s clothes, flashes of bosom and thighs, or men leering over her. We have come a long way. I came away with respect for the director Ravi Udyawar. Ditto for Kaabil and Sanjay Gupta for filming the dual rape scenes in his film.

Being sensitive
There is no doubt that in recent times, filmmakers have become sensitive to how rape scenes are shot and presented. Even Udta Punjab proved that the filmmaker can get the point across without getting into graphic details to relate the horror of the crime across to the audience. For director Onir, no rape sequence has come across as powerfully as the one in Bandit Queen. “It takes a director of Shekhar Kapur’s intelligence and sensitivity to portray such a powerful scene in Bandit Queen. It really shatters you. In recent times, I think the scene that made an impact was in Udta Punjab, also because of the way Alia Bhatt portrayed it. It was heart-wrenching,” he says. Some of Onir’s films such as Bas Ek Pal and I Am have dealt with the issue of rape, specially male rape, but the filmmaker insists that he would never show it. “I would show as little as possible and go to the before and after of it, not the act itself,” he adds.

Thank the censor board!
Akshaye Rathi, film exhibitor, columnist and entrepreneur, believes that there are multiple reasons for the new found sensitivity. “One, is that you can only show that much. If you try and do more, then there is something called the CBFC, which will chop it off. And rightly so, because rape is a hideous crime and you don’t want to influence young minds by showing anything of that sort. One needs to subtly, yet effectively get the horror across,” he explains.

Along with the changing mindsets of both the filmmakers and the viewers, what has resulted in this outcome, believes Girish Johar, film and trade business analyst, is the social awareness surrounding the crime. “Filmmakers don’t want to highlight the act, but instead focus on the evils of the crime. Titillation is not the agenda anymore,” he says. Rathi makes another interesting point. Storytelling in general has undergone an evolution, so things are bound to change, “Even the mindset of the movie goers has changed. Evolution is the name of the game and that’s how it will be.”

Less skin, more horror
Rajkumar Santoshi’s Damini (1993) was appreciated for the manner in which the filmmaker shot the horrific sequence. As the four men muffled the maid’s mouth, the audience is drawn to the expressions on Meenakshi Sheshadri’s face as she watches the crime take place in front of her eyes. “When I shot Damini, the idea was to let the audience view the scene from Damini’s point of view. I wanted their expressions to be as horrified as Meenakshi’s, as they are trying to feel what she is feeling,” he says. The filmmaker believes that while aesthetics should definitely play its role, the magnitude of the crime also has to reach the viewers. “As a director, I feel there has to be a balance between them. Yes, the audience should appreciate the way it has been shot, but they should also be moved by it. They should feel anger at the act. That is the reason I shot Meenakshi’s close-ups of her horrified expressions or Rekha’s expressions when the crime is being committed in my film Lajja,” he adds.

Director Sanjay Gupta, whose Kaabil received rave reviews, seconds Santoshi’s stand. “I don’t think any of us is interested in showing rape to titillate the audience,” he says. In Gupta’s film, the heroine is raped twice but the actual act is left to audience’s imagination. “My film was not so much about the rape, but about its aftermath. It was not about how she is getting raped, it’s about what happens after that. I don’t think graphic details were needed. It is a horrific act by itself,” he adds.

It seems that as long as the message is getting across, filmmakers want to spare audiences the gory and gruesome details. And thank god for that!

Usman Ghafoor in Lahore (MID-DAY; July 23, 2017)

A few years ago, when Adnan Siddiqui opted out of Yash Raj Films’s Mardani because the part that was originally offered to him was changed at the last minute, he thought Bollywood would never have any meaty parts for him. Then, Boney Kapoor’s Mom came along. Today, post the film’s successful release, this well-known Pakistani actor of hit serials such as Maat, Mere Qatil Mere Dildar and Doraha, some of which were also aired on Zindagi, has been lapping up accolades after acting with Sridevi, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Akshaye Khanna.

A Sridevi fan, Siddiqui says Mom meant acting alongside the veteran actress, especially playing Sridevi’s husband. “Real life mein nah sahi, screen pe hi sahi,” he chuckles.

Mom isn’t his first international acting assignment. Earlier, Siddiqui did a cameo in a Hollywood film, A Mighty Heart (2007), alongside Angelina Jolie. Back home, he has just released his first feature, Yalghaar. It is touted to be the most expensive film in Pakistan’s history.

Clearly, Siddiqui is on a roll. Yalghaar and Mom have scored big at the box office. My first question to him is obviously about his experience with the Bollywood crew and, particularly, Sridevi. “I’d be insane if I said I didn’t love the experience. And, honestly, I would’ve said so if I hadn’t loved it, I am that crazy!” Our conversation is briefly interrupted by a phone call. “It’s Boney sahib,” Siddiqui murmers, before he rushes to answer the call. He returns shortly, and begins to relate how he enjoys a “great rapport” with the producer. “We’re on the same page; we’re always exchanging notes on the film.”

Interestingly, Mom’s director (Ravi Udyawar) is a debutant, and so is Sajal Ali, another Pak import. Siddiqui attributes it to his producer. “You’ve to hand it to Boney sahib for trusting so many newcomers with his film.” Excerpts from an interview.

How did Mom come your way?
India se mujhe pehle bhi offers aa chukhein hain, but nothing excited me. I was approached for Mardaani (2014), for the villain’s part. Later, I was asked to play the cop instead. So, I refused. Last year, when the makers of Mom approached me, my instinctive response was, “I hope I am not wasted in the role.” I was concerned because I have worked hard, over the past 27 years, to get where I am. I didn’t want it to go down the drain.

You finally accepted the role, despite its length?
Roles aren’t big or small, but the actors are. I was convinced that I wasn’t looking at the length of the character as much as its significance to the plot. When I was told that it was Boney Kapoor’s film, and that I’d be playing Sri ma’m’s husband, I jumped with joy. I have always admired her work, her range as an actor, and her beauty. If you take her film Mr India (1987), for instance. She is a seductress in one song, a comedienne in another. She also makes you cry in that particular scene when she learns that the children are starving. Similarly, she had amazed me in Sadma (1983). I am proud of my Pakistani co-star Sajal’s performance also. I think it’s a great achievement for her that she got the chance to debut in a film that stars Sridevi, and yet she could hold her own.

Were you concerned that your role might be slashed at the editing table, especially after relations between India and Pakistan got worse in September last year?
Never. I had full faith in Boney sahib.

It was reported that you and Sajal weren’t going to return to India for the remaining shoot, because you were concerned about your safety?
That was pure assumption. In fact, we got our visas despite tension at the borders. Boney sahib is a well connected person. He didn’t want us or his team to get into any awkward situation, and so decided to shift the shooting location to Bangkok. It must’ve been a tough choice, financially also, since he had to fly the cast and crew from India and us, from Pakistan. Earlier, the part in the film which is supposed to be Kashmir was shot in Georgia because being Pakistanis, we would not be allowed there. I often told Boney sahib that it was because of us that the film’s budget had gone up, and he’d comfort me by saying, “Arrey yaar, we are professionals, we don’t think that way!” It was a big thing for me.

You weren’t required for dubbing?
No, because Mom was shot in sync sound.

Where did the shooting locations take you in India? In an April 16, 2016 tweet, you said, “My stay at one of the most beautiful palaces in Jaipur, ‘Jai Mahal Palace’ was nothing less than royal.”
We shot in Delhi and Mumbai. But, you know, Boney sahib pampers his actors a lot. There was a gap of 10 days between our two shooting spells, so he planned trips for us in India. He told us visit Agra and Jaipur at his expense. He could’ve told us to hang in in our hotel rooms, but he wanted us to enjoy our time. He took care of everything for us, from our travels to our food. He had arranged a special cook for me, named Afzal, who would make sure I get halal meat.

Did you get any other offers during your stay in India?
I was called to audition for Mira Nair’s Broadway musical, which is loosely based on her own film, Monsoon Wedding (2001). It was for the role of Lalit, played by Naseeruddin Shah. As I was shooting for Mom in India, I had to give it a miss.

WILL MOM AND GUEST IIN LONDON HELP END THE SUDDEN DRY PERIOD AT THE BOX OFFICE?

The underperformance of Tubelight has been shocking because of which the occupancy at theatres have drastically reduced. However, things will change for better when Mom and Guest Iin London release this Friday. My views on these films:

MOM: This film marks another ‘comeback’ of Sridevi after English Vinglish (2012) that came out almost 5 years ago. It is directed by debutant Ravi Udyawar and produced by her hubby, Boney Kapoor. The trailer is intriguing and not much is known about the plot till now. The presence of Nawazuddin Siddiqui in an unrecognizable avatar and reclusive Akshaye Khanna has added to the curiosity. The film also stars Pakistani actors Sajal Ali and Adnan Siddiqui. Thankfully, the shoot of the film was over before the Uri attacks took place last year, after which a ban on Pakistani actors was placed. Songs haven’t made much impact but they might grow once the film releases. The film is carrying great reports and hence, it can grow drastically and emerge as a commercial hit if the audiences like the film too.

GUEST IIN LONDON: It was earlier titled Atithi Iin London and was supposed to be the second part in the Atithi franchise after the successful Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge, produced by the same makers (Abhishek Pathak). However, Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge was co-produced by Warner Bros and they have the rights to make its sequel. As a result, the name of the film was changed to Guest Iin London. The premise however is similar to Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge – an irritating guest lands up at the house of an urban couple and wreaks havoc. Once again, the guest is played by Paresh Rawal and he is also joined by Tanve Azmi. But the couple is played by Kartik Aaryan and Kriti Kharbanda and the madness takes place in London instead of Mumbai. The trailer seems interesting but sadly, the buzz is low. If reports are bad, it can bomb immediately, more so if Mom gets lot of appreciation. And not just Mom, Guest Iin London also has to compete with the Hollywood biggie, Spider-Man: Homecoming, which also reportedly got unanimous praise from all those who have seen it.

WHICH FILM WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE OUT OF THESE AND WHY? DO LET ME KNOW!

First appeared on KiaGia.com: goo.gl/pi4yiq

But there are too many articles about her floating in the media. There have been reports that she's doing a film with Ranbir Kapoor, Ishaan Khattar etc...
I just don't want to talk about it. It's very disturbing and I don't feel the need to say anything.

What made you took such a long gap between your last Hindi film, 'English Vinglish' (2012)? It came almost five years ago...
There was no conscious decision as such. I don't plan anything in my life. I actually never thought that I'll do 'English Vinglish' after 15 long years. But that film fell in my lap and I went for it. Same goes for 'MOM'. Two years had passed since 'English Vinglish' and I was enjoying its success. Then I got 'MOM' and I felt I should do it. That's it.

The character that you played in 'English Vinglish' was loved by one and all. Many women, who can't speak English, were able to relate with your character. Do you think that the same kind of impact will happen with 'MOM' as well?
The character in 'English Vinglish' was very simple and yes, everybody identified with her. I never thought that would happen. Not just mothers, even the daughters felt guilty and called their mothers after seeing the film. This was unexpected and I just don't know whether the same will happen with 'MOM'.

Credit however should go to you for playing that character so well! It touched everyone's hearts...
I'll however like to credit my director Gauri. She had a clear vision and I merely followed her instructions. But at the same time, artistes tend to be very observant. I had observed my aunt dressing up like my character Shashi. She was an office-going, well-educated lady though. As a child, I used to admire the way she used to talk and walk. I remembered her while prepping for the film and I used her mannerisms. So subconsciously, you start keeping real-life people's characteristics in the back of your mind and when playing a character, you remember them and use them accordingly.

You have touched the peak of stardom. Did you ever have a 'now-what-next' moment?
I never felt like I have reached the peak. As an actor, I feel that every film is a learning process. I always think how I can be a better actor. I never thought that I have reached the topmost position. There's no boundary for an actor. You can keep growing as much as you want.

Did you have any goal that you have to reach a certain stage? And besides acting, was there anything else that interested you?
My only goal was to do good work, work hard and give my 100%. I never knew how big I will become. I always left that to the audience.

How much has the film industry changed in all these years according to you?
Definitely, there have been a lot of changes. The director and the way of taking a shot are all the same though. Technically however, it's unbelievable. The environment has changed. Then, we used to shoot on a film. After 10 retakes, we could see the producer in tension, with his hands on his head! He used to wonder what he'll do if the reel gets over and there's not enough stock left. It was a big thing then. But now it's all digital. You can take as many takes as you want till you get it right. There's also a monitor. Most importantly, we now have vanity vans (laughs)! I have shot in places like Rajahmundry, Visakhapatnam etc for films like 'Himmatwala' (1983), 'Maqsad' (1984), 'Devatha' (1982; Telugu film) etc where we had to go behind a tree, make a makeshift curtain around and then change clothes. And now with vanity vans, it feels like a golden period! Whole day I used to not drink water as the toilet facilities used to be very bad. In fact, I am so used to not having sufficient water even today!

You have done a lot of rain songs in your life...
(Cuts in) It was sheer torture!

...but most of them were hits like the one in 'Mr India', 'Chaalbaaz' etc. In real life, how much do you enjoy rainy season?
I am an outdoor person. I like to sit in my garden, going out in the evening for a walk or to jog. But it's difficult to all these activities in the rains. As for the rain songs, I never enjoyed it. During the shoot of most of such songs, I used to have a high temperature.

It's been 30 years since 'Mr India' released. How do you look back at the film? Even today's generation enjoy the film as much...
It's very heartening. People constantly ask me as to when we are coming up with 'Mr India 2'. One day, it will be made for sure. But again, it's too early to talk about it.

Just like you, there have been many actresses who left acting post marriage and then made a comeback. But the way you made a comeback, nobody else could do it. Some actresses have even wondered where they have gone wrong and why they couldn't follow your footsteps. Raveena Tandon has admitted this on record. Your comments?
As I said, there was no conscious decision. It was sheer coincidence that Gauri thought of me and offered me 'English Vinglish'. And I always go by my instincts. I felt like it's a film that I'll be able to relate and hence, I went for it. Otherwise, how big a film will become commercially is something that's not in my hands.

Subhash K Jha (DNA; July 5, 2017)

The Sridevi-starrer Mom, which deals with a relevant issue involving women’s safety, has been granted a ‘15’ censor certification in the UK. That means, children under 15 cannot watch the film in the UK. Surprisingly, the eagerly-awaited mother-daughter drama was given a ‘UA’ certificate in India, which means, children accompanied by their parents can watch it.

The beleaguered Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) chairperson, Pahlaj Nihalani can’t stop gloating about the glaring beam of liberal light cutting through the CBFC’s staid image. “We at the Indian Censor Board are supposed to be prudes, fuddy-duddies and outdated dinosaurs. Yet, we understand how important it is for children to see a film like Mom because of what it tells us about the parent-child issues. It concerns the child as much as parents. We felt Mom must be seen by children, of course, accompanied by parents,” says Nihalani a tad proudly.

Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 4, 2017)

Nawazuddin Siddiqui is an actor like few others. You talk about prep and he brings up Brecht, you laud him for Badlapur and he grouses that the character was misunderstood, you prod him for references and he reveals real-life muses. Meet the man and his many faces.

MOM (2017)

Since the film is a thriller, I can’t reveal much. All I can say is that on the first day of the shoot, I was sitting in my get-up in front of the mirror, speaking in different accents, when I suddenly recalled a senior from my days in the National School of Drama. Piyush Mishra had a distinctive manner of speaking which was apt for this character. I borrowed it and am now waiting for him to see the film and react!


RAEES (2017)

Whether it’s Shah Rukh (Khan), Salman (Khan) or Amitabh Bachchan, when I’m in front of the camera, I never think of them as superstars. For me, the film and the character come first. Acting is all about conviction and if I had reacted to the bootlegger Raees as Shah Rukh Khan, it’d have been impossible for me to convincingly shoot at him.

I always set my characters in a world of their own and imagine their life before and after the film. For IPS Jaideep Ambalal Majumdar, during discussions with the team, we imagined his father and Raees’s bootlegging together when the kids were in school. Then, Majumdar’s father had a change of heart and left the business to put his son through school and got him into the police force while Raees’s mother single-handedly raised her son, telling him ‘koi bhi dhanda chhota nahin hota’ and he ended up following in his father’s footsteps. And that’s how the two boys ended up on opposite sides of the law. This fact was not incorporated in the film but it helped me flesh out the character of the authoritarian cop.

I improvised a bit, giving him some human touches. Like the scene where a junior cop comes to Majumdar with a box of sweets Raees has sent to celebrate the birth of his son and he sends him packing, saying, “Bol dena bachche ka baap bana hai, Gujarat ka nahin.” Chastised, the other cop turns to leave when Majumdar stops him, saying, “Why are you taking the sweets away? Leave them here, they are my favourite,” and goes on to take a bite.

KAHAANI (2012)

I had never played a character who commanded so much authority before. When director Sujoy Ghosh called me from Kolkata to inform that he wanted me to play an Intelligence Bureau officer from Delhi, I was a little surprised. We imagine these top cops to be six-feet-tall with a physique to match. I’m this dubla-patla five-feet-six-inch actor and was convinced that once Sujoy met me, I’d get the thumbs-down. But he did not focus on my height, weight or personality but launched straightaway into how he visualised A Khan as this guy puffing on Gold Flake cigarettes and oozing mental strength and patriotism. He was confident I’d pull this character off.

His only brief was that Khan, unlike other Hindi film cops who tended to get personally involved with cases, had to be matter-of-fact, almost neutral, in his reaction to crime and unemotional in his dealings with eyewitnesses and the accused. My reading of real-life cops matched Sujoy’s. They were authoritarian figures whose power did not stem from their physicality. Over the years I’ve realised that our perception of people is often based on calendar art. In Peter Brooks’ stage play, Mahabharata, Duryodhan was not this giant archer but a thin and agile Japanese actor skilled in martial arts.

If you asked me about my dream role, I’d say I want to play Dilip Kumar’s Salim in Mughal-e-Azam and I’m confident that despite my lack of inches, I can pull off this role with my posture, grace and dialogue delivery. I know because I played Kans in a play called Maharathi and after just 15 minutes on stage, exploded the myth that Krishna’s uncle was a big, burly man with a flourishing moustache while Krishna was a lean, young lad. The latter was played by an overweight Saurabh Shukla and we broke many perceptions and silenced all the sniggers with our performances.

BAJRANGI BHAIJAAN (2015)

I did two films with Salman (Khan) and my characters were poles apart. The antagonist of Kick was larger-than-life. Sajid Nadidawala (producer-director) described him as a sharp businessman and told me to play to the gallery. The challenge was to make Shiv Gajra believable. As an actor, I did my job.

Bajrangi Bhaijaan was a more realistic film. My introduction scene was borrowed from a YouTube video featuring the real Shah Nawaz Khan reporting from Karachi. I saw that footage a 100 times the night before the shoot. By the next morning, I could rattle off the lines even in my sleep. Jaisalmer railway station had been booked for the day because it was a long sequence and director Kabir Khan thought the scene would take time as it needed junior artistes to stray into the frame and required perfect coordination. The camera was set up by 9 am, we had a short technical rehearsal and then it was action. I wrapped up the day’s work in a single take and we had the rest of the day free.


THE LUNCHBOX (2013)

For the character of Shaikh I found my muse in a friend, Mukesh Bhatt, an aspiring actor I’d lived with in my struggling days. We shared a room and there were times when I’d go down to buy cigarettes. He’d follow a while later and surprise me by saying, “Dada, how are you? I’ve been wanting to meet you for days.” I’d point out that we had been together just five minutes ago till I realised that this was an idiosyncrasy and copied it to make Shaikh endearing.

After the film’s release he sent me a text, “Saw The Lunchbox, thank you.” But he didn’t thank me for long because after that whenever he went for auditions, he’d be accused of copying Nawaz. All his pleas that he was the original Shaikh fell on deaf ears and now he gives me gaalis.

BADLAPUR (2015)

This film didn’t demand any kind of prep because my character Liak Mohammed Tugrekar was not a rich, educated man who liked to glorify his tragedies. He was an aam aadmi who didn’t know the law or his rights. He had accidentally killed a mother and child after a bank robbery and was in jail for murder while his partner got away with the money. Liak stoically accepted his fate, waiting to enjoy his share of the loot. He gets out on parole after he is diagnosed with cancer but then, has an epiphany, when he asks his mother how she would describe him. Realising he doesn’t want to be like his father, he repents, reforms and takes the blame for a murder he did not commit to give Raghu, the husband and father of the woman and child he’d killed a second chance to live without being consumed by the rage of revenge.

I’d seen guys like Liak when I was without work for 12 years and I knew that I could lose him if I overthought the character, So, I’d go to the sets without a thought in my head and let the character evolve spontaneously. Sometimes the director, Sriram Raghavan, and I would spin scenes on the set with dialogues coming up in conversation. Sounds easy but it was a difficult role to enact.

I was disappointed that people did not understand Liak and typed him a ‘negative’ character while Varun Dhawan’s Raghu, who consciously commits one murder after another without remorse, was the ‘hero’. If Liak is ‘negative’ then we are encouraging crime. Even the reviews expressed this kind of clichéd thinking. I guess Sriram and Anurag Kashyap’s films are not easy to comprehend as their characters don’t follow the straight path of conventional morality.

DEKH INDIAN CIRCUS (2011)

This was one of my early films and bagged the Best Film Award at the Busan Film Festival, a news that no paper carried. It revolved around the efforts of a father who is a deaf-mute to get the money so his kids can go to the circus and how that changes their lives forever. There are several deaf-mutes in my village and I was determined not to go the cliched, conventional route, using gestures, postures and exaggerated facial expressions to convey what I wanted. Instead I used my eyes and silence to make myself heard. I guess I must have been really convincing because when the film travelled to Germany, many believed that like this rustic villager I too was deaf-mute till I went up on stage and started talking.

GANGS OF WASSEYPUR (2012)

We had gone to shoot one film but ended up with a two-part crime drama because Anurag Kashyap has a way of making work enjoyable for his actors and technicians. We were having so much fun that at the end of three months, we were loathe to return to Mumbai. The film developed organically. Anurag would like a location and say, “Let’s film that scene where you are trying to woo Huma (Qureshi) here.” I would point out we didn’t have any dialogues and he’d tell us we’d figure it out. Incredibly, this scene went on to become a huge hit.

On my part I had done some prep, going to Wasseypur before the shoot and meeting friends and family of the man my character was modelled on and who was in jail. Initially, they were cagey and after I stayed with them for a week, they slowly opened up. With their inputs, I went back to my hotel room and sat for five-six hours internalising all the information. When I came out I was Faisal Khan and I didn’t step out of that zone through the duration of the shoot.

Four years later, Anurag and I collaborated on Raman Raghav 2.0. My first scene was a 15-page dialogue and he was going to shoot it without cuts. I went to Lonavala for two days and when I returned, I knew every line by heart. We shot the scene from three angles. I’ve never spoken so much in my life and didn’t utter a word for the next 15 days.

Unfortunately, like Liak in Badlapur, few understood Raman Raghav. Yes, he admitted that he liked killing people, it was as natural as eating and drinking. But he didn’t pick up the gun in the name of religion or humanity. That for him was fooling people. Such profound philosophy is beyond the realms of a typical Bollywood film where the hero and heroine meet, they fall in love, there’s dance and drama and a happy-ever-after ending. That’s the reason these films don’t work on an international platform.

Digressing a bit, I have to point out that the German playwright, Bertolt Brecht, was against naturalistic theatre. He didn’t want the audience to hang their brains with their hats in the cloakroom. So, influenced by Chinese theatre, he advocated the ‘alienation effect’ which urged the audience to criticise, question and understand what was being said rather than get into an emotional trace or cry buckets. That’s why when his character was close to a breakdown, he would play peppy music or use some other plot to dilute the emotions. I’ve brought this concept into play in upcoming films like Babumoshai and Manto. In the former, my character is an emotionless killing machine, with no religion or identity. And in the biopic, Manto debates the obscenity charge in court, rationally, telling his detractors to prove it, even when he’s losing his mind and people around him are saying, “Woh pagal ho gaya hai!” I wish our filmmakers would take a cue from Brecht too.