Omung Kumar entered Bollywood with a bang. While his directorial debut, Mary Kom, bagged the National Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, his second outing, Sarbjit, was equally impressive. The film, which told the story of an Indian farmer convicted of being a spy by Pakistan, received glowing reviews. However, after two movies based on real characters, Omung has turned to fiction for his third directorial, Bhoomi. What makes this movie even more significant is the fact that it marks the comeback of Sanjay Dutt after his release from prison. With the father-daughter story, also starring Aditi Rao Hydari, nearing its date with cinemas, we caught up with the filmmaker for a Q & A. Excerpts...

After biopics like Mary Kom and Sarbjit, what prompted you to make Bhoomi?
When I decided to direct a Bollywood film, I approached many actors with a script I had with me for long. Though most of them are friends, they became choosy when it came to giving their nod to that project. That's when I decided to pen a script for an actress. Being a first-timer, I had to prove myself and I told my writers to come up with a script that no actress could refuse. The result was Mary Kom. I had no plans to make a biopic for my second directorial venture. It was Sandeep Singh, my partner, who suggested a film on Sarabjit Singh. Though I told him that I would be labelled a biopic maker, at his insistence, when I read the script, I knew that the story had to be told. Talking about Bhoomi, my plan was only to produce the film. I had five scripts with me and when I narrated all of them to Sanjay Dutt, he chose Bhoomi saying that it was fantastic. Then he asked me why I wasn't directing it. So, in a way, this film chose me.

Years ago, in Pitaah, Sanjay Dutt had played a father who avenges his daughter's rape and murder when he doesn't get justice from the law...
Bhoomi is different, it's a mature story. I know that many films have been made on the subject. Also, there has been no change in our legal system, but as far as our movie goes, the story and execution are different. You will also see the daughter joining the fight along with the father.

How did you zero in on Aditi Rao Hydari to play the daughter?
Once Baba was on, it was basically about who fits the bill to play the title role. We needed a strong performer, who can deliver an intense performance. Aditi was our first choice, but her dates were not available. However, once she heard the script, she said that she would push everything else to do this film. She is like a tigress in the film and beautifully matches up to Sanjay.

Considering that Bhoomi is Sanjay's first venture after he completed his prison sentence, do you feel the pressure of giving him a successful comeback film?
That's where I think I come in. While some other director would have presented Sanjay Dutt in his previous avatar, I focussed on his acting, nuances, and the detailing... Since this is his comeback film, the pressure was there, but once I started shooting, the story took over. Only when the promotions began did we feel the pressure again.


Has Sanjay Dutt seen the film?
He loved it. In fact, he feels that he got more than what he was expecting. That is satisfying for us, too.

Since your movie highlights the issue of rape, which has become rampant in our country, what is your take on the laws that deal with such a heinous crime in India?
We need stricter laws and a quicker justice system. While researching for the film, we learnt that in every 20 minutes, one rape happens in India. When there's public outrage, the system is shaken up, but not every rapist gets the strictest punishment. When you watch the film, you will agree that this is what all rapists deserve.

Reportedly, you were upset about the 13 cuts asked for by the CBFC (Central Board of Film Certification)...
That's not true. At the end of the day, the Censor Board is also doing its job. Yes, there are cuts and they were expected. All I can say is, the cuts haven't hampered the narrative..

What's the easiest and the most difficult aspect of directing Sanjay Dutt?
The easiest part of directing Sanjay is that if you give him a five-ten page dialogue, he will do it in one go. The most difficult thing was, well, he would some times ask, 'Itna bolna zaroori hai kya?' We would then work to reduce the dialogues. So, he would say one line and convey the rest through his eyes and facial expressions. Of course, you will get all the reaction you wanted and his performance will still give you the goosebumps.

Apparently, you've formed such a great bond with Sanjay that you'll be working with him again in your next production...
Yes, my assistant Aarambhh Singh is directing Malang. It's a very good subject - intense and commercial at the same time. However, since Sanjay wanted Bhoomi to be his comeback, we made it first.

Known for his larger-than-life sets for films like Black and Saawariya, production designer Omung Kumar made his directorial debut two years ago with Mary Kom, a biopic on the Indian boxer, which won him many awards and accolades. The National Award-winning filmmaker is now gearing up for the release of his next film, Sarbjit, based on the life of the slain Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh.Calling the Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Randeep Hooda and Richa Chadha-starrer his most ambitious venture, the director reveals why he decided to make another biopic. Excerpts:

You had initially refused to make a film on Sarabjit Singh. Why?
After Mary Kom, I had decided not to make a biopic again as I didn't want to be known as a director who only makes such films. I had a few other scripts lined up but after the National Awards last year, producer Sandeep Singh brought Sarbjit's script to me. I heard the story in brief but refused to do anything with it. Later, I left for Malaysia to attend an award function. However, I was constantly thinking about the script and started watching the videos of Dalbirji (Sarabjit's sister) on the Internet. I was shocked to see how this feisty lady took up the challenge to release her brother from a Pakistan jail. I read the script again and agreed to do the film.

How was your first meeting with Dalbir Kaur?
It was emotional. I remember Dalbirji walking into my office where I was sitting with my wife and the film's writers. Slowly, we started talking to her and noted down all the points that we needed to cover in the film. Her family has gone through a lot of trauma so while narrating the stories she would often break down and we could feel their pain. We would stop the conversation and come back to it. My wife and I also took Dalbirji for a movie to brighten up her mood. Later, I also went to Sarabjit's village and met people there, spoke to his friends and the prisoners who had been in jail with him. I met journalists, army officers and diplomats, too, who provided us with any additional information about him.

It must have been an emotional experience for her to be on the film's set.
Dalbirji was present on the first day when we were shooting the jail sequence. It was a haunting experience for her. The setting was similar to real life and we saw tears in her eyes. After some time, her blood pressure shot up and she left. She later visited the set when we were shooting at Wagah border and Punjab.

What was your biggest challenge while making this film?
It was to show Sarabjit and his family's 23-year long journey in just two hours and 12 minutes. I had to streamline the entire story and ensure that the audience isn't loaded with unnecessary information. Sarabjit and his family went through a lot of ordeal. Right from the Kargil War to the Parliament attack and even the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, many important incidents have been depicted on screen. Making this film has been an emotional journey for me. So many times during the shoot, we would see someone from the crew crying as everyone was so emotionally involved in it.

Was Aishwarya your first choice for the film?
Yes, she was the first actress I had approached and she agreed to do the film within 15 minutes. I knew many people would raise objections about casting Aishwarya as she is younger than Dalbirji and has a glamorous onscreen persona, but I was ready for the challenge. I wanted to cast an actress who could pull off being a 22-year-old and a 60-year-old with equal ease. There are very few actors who could do that.

During Mary Kom, you had said that it was a commercial decision to cast Priyanka Chopra. Did the same hold true for Aishwarya as well?
Yes. I knew that Aishwarya is a big star and casting her would help us reach out to as many people as possible in India and across the world.

Is it true that Dalbir recommended Randeep Hooda's name for Sarabjit's role?
We had a few names including Randeep Hooda in mind. When I discussed it with Dalbirji, she told me that Sarabjit's daughters were keen on him playing the title role. I was also convinced with their choice. Randeep is a fantastic actor and this is the toughest role of his career. The first thing I told him was that he had to lose weight. He lost 28 kgs in 18 days. That's when we shot the portions where he had to look thin. Then, I told him he had to put on weight within 20 days and look like a wrestler. His physical transformation will leave the audience stunned. In order to understand Sarabjit's pain, Randeep also set up a 6x4 feet mock prison in his house where he spent his entire day, fully chained, with minimum supply of food.

Be it Mary Kom or Sarbjit, your actors have gone through a drastic physical transformation.
I don't want my actors to look like their real self - I want to make them the character that I want for the film. That is what I made Priyanka Chopra do in Mary Kom. She had never gone to a gym but she did a biopic on a boxer! Look at the makeover that Aishwarya and Randeep have gone through for Sarbjit. Their characters look real. When I write a film, I write it with the intention that it should be the actor's best role for life.

Are you happy with the way the film has shaped up?
For the longest time Dalbirji wanted to make a film on this subject and I am glad that we have managed to do it. She is happy that people will finally get to know the truth. When we started this project, my only wish was that even if one Indian prisoner who has been wrongly convicted is released from a Pakistan jail then we have achieved the film's purpose. Our intention is to show the reality to the world and bring about a change in the society.

Omung Kumar Bhandula, 46, or OK as he was popularly referred to, became a household name after anchoring the show Ek Minute on Zee Television many years ago. He is a happy-go-lucky person, who loves animals, but much like his friend, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, he too is finicky and a control freak.Over an hour-long conversation, ahead of his debut directorial film Mary Kom based on the life of five times World Champion, Mary Kom, he talks to Bombay Times about the perfection-seeking Sanjay Leela Bhansali, the finicky Priyanka Chopra and his dream of making a big name for himself. Excerpts:

You debut as a director with Mary Kom. What is your background?
My parents were both actors from FTII. While my father Vipin Kumar Bhandula was Punjabi, my mother Sabah Vipin Kumar is Parsi. She did not know any Hindi at all and so, in her acting entrance test for FTII, she played a dumb-mute to avoid being caught. So, I was almost born in FTII. My dad and mum could not make it big, so that dream was always there. Right from when I was a child, I was on Doordarshan shows like Magic Lamp and Jack And The Beanstalk as a child artiste. I would always participate in the inter-school acting competition and win it year after year. So, for me, I was clear that I would do something related to this field. My mum got into theatre and that became my love. I then studied commercial art at Bandra School of Arts, which is also where I met my wife Vanita. I then joined the advertising agency HTA as art director and worked with them for 12 years. In parallel, I also modelled for some of the brands I was working on, like Godrej and Ponds. I also started designing backdrops for launch conferences. Zee TV had just started. Tarun Chopra had just moved there from HTA into their film department and was looking for a host for a programme called Ek Minute. That was the biggest thing that happened to me. Ek Minute became one of the biggest programmes on Indian television apart from Antakshari and I, a household name, where people would often see me and address me as OK (my abbreviation of Omung Kumar) from Ek Minute. I parallelly started dating Vanita that time. After TV, I started designing major sets for events and then graduated to designing film set for films like Jhankaar Beats, Chameli, Black, Shabd, Yuvvraaj and Saawariya, among others. I then met Sanjay Leela Bhansali through his sister Bela.

Mary Kom is not a Sanjay Leela Bhansali kind of subject. Why did he agree to produce it?
I always wanted to be an actor, but went behind the scenes. As an art director, I had worked with so many first-time directors that they landed up treating me as a senior and taking my view, as a result, I got exposed to filmmaking. I would be thrilled every time I contributed a little. While I never assisted formally, I had learnt photography and knew costumes and makeup. As an actor myself, I could tell an actor what to do, so, I decided to direct a film myself. While I could not take up Guzaarish as I had decided to direct my own film, but I had to do Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi for Bela as I could not say a no to her. I have worked with many directors but Sanjay's detailing is unparalleled. He makes every frame picture-perfect and I always thought that if I ever made a film, I would make it like him. A film larger-than-life, over-the-top Moulin Rouge style, but then I realised no one would take me seriously as a newcomer. Sanjay is too finicky and is not easy to work with. But if you know him, you will know what he is expecting from you and what he doesn't like. I love the fact that he is seeking perfection and makes you work harder.Working with him made me a better art director. But when I met Sanjay, he asked me what I was doing and I told him that I was making a film on Mary Kom that was just not his type. He heard one line of the script and said, “I will produce it.“ And he said, “I want to produce it as it is just not your type of script and therefore you will strive more to make it happen.“ I have watched Sanjay closely over the years direct his actors. He likes to do everything on his own, be it the background score or costumes, and that is what I learnt from him. I too am like that and cannot trust anybody and am finicky too.

You thought of making a film much before the last Olympics when Mary Kom became a celebrity. How did that happen?
I was sitting on two super scripts, but even though many of the stars were my friends, I knew that they would not work with me as I had no credentials as a director. So, I decided to make a female-oriented biopic. For me, it is mandatory to watch a film every single day at night from 1 to 4 in the morning. I cannot sleep without that. I get touched by zero-to-hero films, which also attract me. My writer Saiwyn researched several names before he came up with Mary Kom, five times World Champion from Manipur, India. I started reading about her and was touched by her story and found it very fascinating. I decided to go and meet Mary to seek her permission in Imphal. I was waiting for her to come and meet us at the sole hotel there. After a while, she walked in alone wearing a black skirt with slits and her huge bumblebee sunglasses. I was thinking in my mind, “God I am thinking of making a film on her?“ Onler had not come as he was taking care of the kids. I told her that I wanted to make a movie on her and she thought I was mad, but somehow we clicked, and she said yes. Before leaving, I signed her on and bought her rights to make the film.

Talk about Priyanka Chopra?
I know Priyanka from ages as we have done so many movies and stage shows together. She too is very finicky. She would always tell me, “Omung my performance has to be the best, my stage has to be the best.“ She was my first preference to play Mary Kom. This film means a lot to her also as this is the first time she is in a biopic, that too of a boxer in and as Mary Kom. She never goes to even the gym and in this, she has trained and learnt boxing. She gives her 101% and is fun to work with.I know her and she is my friend, so I did not mind it, but she wants to take control and sometimes gets hyper. As people, Sanjay, Priyanka and I like to take control. She told me that playing Mary Kom was a dream role, but that she was doing it for me as a friend. I am really grateful to her for doing it for me as a newcomer.

Talk about your wife Vanita?
My wife is my backbone. We like the same things. She also is a controlling person like me, but I am the one who backs out in case we differ on some thing. What I like the most about her is that unlike me who is careful before I speak, she speaks her mind. She is open, likes having fun and loves gifting. She is a Santa Claus, who is extremely loving. What she likes the most about me is my drive to do and my kindness.

Who do you love the most in the world?
My mother. We were a well-off joint family, but my parents really did not make it. My dad struggled throughout his life and even though we lived in a joint family, he was not earning money. My mum too was always strapped for money, but unlike my dad, she compromised and started teaching acting in a school to make some basic money. My dad's sister's kids had money but I didn't. So, for me, the second-hand cycle my parents bought for Rs 300 is what I treasured. People like Shatrughan Sinha had lived in our house when he first came to Mumbai as he was from my dad's batch of FTII. Due to my dad's frustration in not being able to make it, he took to drinking and finally died as a result when I was just 19. When my dad died, the responsibilities all of a sudden fell on me. That is the reason I don't smoke or drink at all. My mum was always an inspiration for me and I always wanted to become something for her. My mum today stays with my younger brother and his wife, even though she is most attached to me mentally. In one way, some of her dreams are not realised and she is living her life through me.

For her, this movie means a lot to her, even probably more than me. My mother even today likes to be self-sufficient and I get my energy from her. More than money or any other thing, I aspire to make a big name for myself. It is satisfying today that I am the most successful person in my family and I love it when I get a call from my mother telling me how today they talk about me the most within the family. I have dedicated my film to her as I have never talked about her before.