Sources say encouraged by positive response to direct-to-web releases, Amazon Studios expands operations to bankroll films for platform
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; September 8, 2020)

In May, Amazon Prime Video snapped up the rights of seven films, thus paving the way for digital premieres in India. Encouraged by the phenomenal response it has received since, it is heard that Amazon Studios has now begun commissioning direct-to-web films. The banner had kicked off operations in India with Ritesh Batra's Photograph in 2019.

"The long-term plan was to build a wide slate of films. Since the Coronavirus lockdown has led to increased takers for direct-to-web films, the streaming giant's studio wing is now geared up to greenlight movie scripts that will be developed solely for the platform," reveals a source.

The suits are apparently also exploring a distribution model where films made by the platform will have a limited theatrical release simultaneously. Though the model is popular in the US — a recent example being The Irishman (2019) — it remains untapped in India.

mid-day reached out to Amazon India, which did not respond till press time.

Kavita Awaasthi (HINDUSTAN TIMES; October 20, 2019)

Dangal (2016) actor Sanya Malhotra was thrilled when she bagged the role of Anupama Banerjee, daughter of Maths genius, author, and Guinness Book Records holder Shakuntala Devi, for the upcoming film co-starring Vidya Balan. Sanya will be essaying the role of Vidya’s on-screen daughter in the biopic of Shakuntala Devi who is also known as a Human Computer, and not many are aware that Vidya is one of Sanya’s favourite actors.

A source says, “During Badhaai Ho (2017), Vidya had called to congratulate her and Sanya was super thrilled to hear from her. Vidya even appreciated her for Pataakha (2018). Now, Sanya is elated to be doing a film with Vidya and she is thrilled to have got that opportunity.”

“It feels surreal to be cast with her. I remember when I first met Vidya, it was in some Bollywood party and I was a fan-girl there. I embarrassed myself and might have embarrassed her as well. Later, I remember that I was in Delhi with my family when I got a call from Vidya and I got super excited. I was delighted to get a call from one of my favourite actors and more so, when she appreciated my work in Badhaai Ho. She had even hosted a special screening for Photograph and I was super happy and excited about that. Truly, I am happy to work with such a brilliant actor. She is amazing on set and is an amazing co-star to work with. I have learnt so much from whatever scenes I have shot with her until now because of the brilliance she holds as an actor,” says Sanya.

Sometimes, the essence of a film can be boiled down to a single scene. And, that's the scene Basundhara Ghosh highlights on her Insta page
Ekta Mohta (MID-DAY; June 9, 2019)

When Basundhara Ghosh moved away from home, she became more attached to it. It's a stereotype from every emigrant movie, from Swades to the second half of K3G, but stereotypes are based on truths. Currently pursuing her PhD in theoretical physics from the University of Geneva, Ghosh, 27, runs a passion project called Gangs Of Cinepur. It's an Instagram page, launched in November last year, on which she freeze-frames one scene from a movie with its subtitled dialogue, and offers her take on it.

"My day involves trying to understand the cosmos a little better, so movies are my biggest mode of relaxation," she says, over email. Her captions are quite lengthy. Because Murad's feelings for Safeena (in Gully Boy) can be as hard to understand as the mysteries of the universe. "When I write a caption, I often get to revisit and ponder over valuable life lessons. For example, a dialogue from the Malayalam movie Njan Prakashan reminded me about the importance of gratitude and not taking life for granted."

In fact, it is south Indian cinema that inspired her to start this account. "I grew up watching Hrishikesh Mukherjee and William Wyler films. Over the years, I have developed a wide interest in cinema. I had just started exploring Malayalam cinema, when I was blown away by its content. I had not been to south India until very recently, but through the movies, I already [felt a sense of belonging]."

Ghosh watches nearly one movie a day, and her taste is quite diverse, as reflected in her posts. She treats the original Golmaal with the same respect as Break Ke Baad (2010); finds similarities between Apu from Apur Sansar (1959) and Murad from Gully Boy; her post on Ship of Theseus (2013) followed her post on Kuch Naa Kaho (2003). "While it is important that we appreciate quality cinema, there are always some films that we go back to because of nostalgia. I value sentimental attachment to films, which go beyond technical brilliance. Apart from highlighting critically-acclaimed films, I also include those that hold a special place in my heart because of unexplained reasons: be it a touching story, a memorable soundtrack, or an actor I love."

Her analyses are appreciated by 7.3K readers, and have found an audience in the makers as well. "Both my posts on Photograph were shared on her stories by Sanya Malhotra, and director Vasan Bala shared my post on Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota. Even Srishti Behl Arya, [from Netflix India], personally messaged me." If films can teach you about life, film criticism has taught her about film. "My respect for actors, filmmakers, writers and cinematographers has grown immensely, and I have started watching more cinema-related videos. There is a lot of talent in India waiting to be tapped by the right people."

The page is her way of maintaining ties with India. As she says, "After I moved abroad, I started re-exploring my roots and my culture, especially beyond my own state. For an amazingly diverse country like India, there can never be a shortage of novelty that cinema offers. I would like to request any cinema lover who is reading this to allow their interests to go beyond popular Bollywood movies. There are gems out there that will take your breath away." Her page has a few recommendations to get you started.

Photograph is no The Lunchbox. The love story is lovely but has a few rough edges. Few scenes are unconvincing and some sequences are needless. The 110 minute long film ideally should have been of 90 minutes. On the positive side, the way the romance blossoms is sweet. The association of the lead characters with one another and that off the female character with her maid are endearing. The characters are also very well thought of. If only the goofs were taken care of and the film had a less ambiguous ending, it would have gone on another level. Talking of performances, Nawazuddin Siddiqui is damn good as always, underplaying his part like a pro. However it's Sanya Malhotra who takes the cake. She is simply outstanding and outshines everyone. The way she gets into the skin of her character is seen to be believed! Geetanjali Kulkarni leaves a huge mark. Farrukh Jaffar is lovable. Saharsh Kumar Shukla and Akash Sinha are decent. Jim Sarbh has a unique look but is hardly there. Sachin Khedekar is okay. All in all, Photograph deserves to be seen, especially if unconventional, niche films are your cup of tea!

My rating - *** out of 5!

It's going to be an insignificant Friday as the three major Hindi releases tomorrow hardly carry any hype. My analysis:

PHOTOGRAPH: It is directed by Ritesh Batra, who gave the global hit The Lunchbox. His new film stars Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Sanya Malhotra. Photograph is also niche but the excitement level is hardly there and definitely not as much as The Lunchbox. It has got a better release in urban areas. However the business is going to be disastrous on the first day and might be in the range of Rs. 20-25 lakhs. If response is very positive, only then will the collections will get doubled on Saturday.

MERE PYARE PRIME MINISTER: It is directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and that's quite shocking since he's one of the most significant filmmakers around. Yet this film has not been able to make any noise. The trailer is heartwarming as well as shocking although it also gives one the deja vu of My Name Is Khan. However the hype and even awareness is so low that opening will be negligible - around Rs. 10-20 lakhs. With such an opening, it is impossible for this film to even collect more than Rs. 2.5-3 crore lifetime.

MILAN TALKIES: It is directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia and is a project he's been itching to make since 6 years. Earlier, Imran Khan and Priyanka Chopra were to play the lead role. Then Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor were also seriously considered. This is when Ekta Kapoor was to produce. However the script was not ready and the film was then put in the backburner. It's only last year that it went on floors, with Ali Fazal and Shraddha Sainath in the lead. One expected this film to be something since so many prominent actors wanted to do it at one point. However the trailer is shockingly disappointing. The buzz is negligible. But due to the fact that it looks like the most commercial film out of the three, it'll have the best opening. But even then it can't do more than Rs. 60-70 lakh.

Sanya Malhotra on being hailed by The Hollywood Reporter as a global talent to watch out for at the upcoming Berlinale
Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 2, 2019)

Sanya Malhotra’s upcoming film, the Ritesh Batra-directed Photograph, was recently screened at the Sundance Film Festival and now will be showcased at the Berlin Film Festival which kicks off on February 7. And after terrific performances in Dangal, Pataakha and Badhaai Ho, the 26-year-old actress has caught the eye again, and not just of critics back home. The Hollywood Reporter has listed her as one of the five talents to look out for at Berlinale and Sanya is naturally elated. “A friend forwarded me the article, it feels great to be appreciated for a film as special as Photograph. Berlin is a prestigious film festival and a great platform to showcase my talent.”

Talking about how she bagged the film she revealed that a couple of days after Dangal’s release, casting director Mukesh Chhabra patched her on a call with Ritesh. “But since he was busy with Hollywood films, this one took off only seven months after Dangal even though Photograph was actually the second film I signed. I hope the response in India is as overwhelming as that at Sundance. It was memorable working with an accomplished actor like Nawazuddin Siddiqui.”

Talking about her diverse film choices, the actress says, “I am blessed to explore different genres, but it isn’t a conscious effort. It’s just that I am being offered great scripts by different directors,” she beams, gearing up to shoot Anurag Basu’s yet-untitled next opposite Aditya Roy Kapur later this month. “I have already worked with Anurag on an ad film, he has his own style of working. Fatima (Sana Shaikh, Dangal co-star) who’s been shooting with him recently told me that he is a fun director to work with,” she concludes with a smile.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui on why he prefers working with debutant directors and what he’s learnt from Wong Kar-wai films
Kunal Guha (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 28, 2019)

If one reviews Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s erratic career graph, it would resemble an ECG report. But that barely says much about the actor’s appetite to experiment. In fact, this year, he seems determined to jump into unchartered territories. Beginning the year with his Tamil debut in Rajinikanth-starrer Petta and the recently-released Thackeray, his next, Ritesh Batra’s Photograph has already made it to Sundance’s Premieres section. Later this year, he will also be seen in Tannishtha Chatterjee’s debut romcom Roam Rome Mein (opposite Italian actress Valentina Corti) and Debamitra Hasan’s family comedy Motichoor Chaknachoor (opposite Athiya Shetty). But for an actor known for this unconventional character choices — essaying a serial killer to a controversial author on the big screen — the multiple romcoms this year signals a turn in favour of convention. “Even in those romcoms, my characters will be relatable. The heroes in our films barely resemble anyone we know in real life, but I ensure that I pick characters that seem like they exist in your shehar or mohalla.”

About his last release, Thackeray, Siddiqui admits feeling grateful for getting to essay the controversial politician in the film. “I used to read about Balasaheb even before I came to Mumbai. But when I came here, I saw ambulances, flyovers and other public infrastructure projects that were credited to him.” He adds that while each person has a different opinion of the prominent Maharastrian figure, “the overarching image was that of a man who worked for the upliftment of those marginalised”. “When the mills shut down in Mumbai, he was there to encourage the workers to find an alternate means of income,” says the actor who watched over a 100 interviews of the Shiv Sena founder to pick up finer nuances of the leader’s body language. “I didn’t want to mimic him, but only offer my impression of him, much like a painting. If you mimic someone, it becomes a caricature.”

He backs his theory by citing the example of memorable biopics such as Lincoln, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom and Gandhi. “Ben Kingsley’s voice didn’t match Gandhi’s and even his English had a British twang which was retained in his performance in Gandhi. He just picked up Gandhi’s signature walk and stance and that was enough. We make a bharta of biopics in India,” he says, revealing how he translated his character’s research into his performance. “When he [Bal Thackeray] spoke during his speeches, people felt he was speaking directly to them. He had a booming voice and yet, an accessible manner. But when he was at home, he spoke so softly — one had to actually focus to understand what he was saying. I’ve tried to closely follow these mannerisms.”

Today, Siddiqui’s selects a project “depending on how much the character allows to be internalised”. “I have watched Tony Leung’s performance in several Wong Kar-wai films (In The Mood For Love, Happy Together, Chungking Express) and I was blown. He doesn’t reveal anything about his character in his demeanour or even through his eyes. But one can still read what’s going through his character’s mind.” A world cinema buff, Siddiqui counts The Hunt (2012) and Amour (2012) among films where “the lead was able to sink into his character with complete immersion”. “I also look for characters which have both, a good side and a negative side — because human beings are never one-dimensional. I have never come across someone who only has negative or positive traits,” says the actor, adding that even the avatars in his upcoming romcoms “will have certain kamiyan.”

While his co-actors have often marvelled at his commitment towards his craft, Siddiqui feels that he has learnt a lot from them as well. He reflects on the time when he worked with children who were non-actors in a film called Patang (2009). “We had got a real shoeshine boy to play one onscreen, then there was a child who reprised his profession of making kites for a living in the film. So, when the camera rolled, they did what they did naturally; there was no ‘performance’. The minute you become conscious of where the camera is placed, corruption aa jata hain,” he says, adding that the film offered a tremendous learning experience. But sometimes, too much knowledge can be a bad thing as well, he says, referring to his experience of working in The Photograph. Siddiqui recalls how Batra got him to perform each scene multiple times, till the most casual take could be captured. “In the first take, one tries to act, but by the 11th take, you are so tired that you forget to act and just says the line casually and that’s what Ritesh [Batra] wanted,” says the actor of his experience of working with The Lunchbox director after a gap of five years.

A common thread in Siddiqui’s filmography is his penchant for working with debutant directors — from Talaash (Reema Kagti) to Peepli Live (Anusha Rizvi) to Liar’s Dice (Geetu Mohandas) to Firaaq (Nandita Das), and even his forthcoming releases, Roam Rome Mein (Tannishtha Chatterjee) and Motichoor Chaknachoor (Debamitra Hasan). He backs his choice with the theory that “they always come with fresh insights which break away from the norm”. “Also, since it’s their first film, they will work hard on it and put all their energies to make it work. There’s an honesty in their approach which gets lost after they make a few films and find their comfort zone. Once a filmmaker finds his/her space, they only stick to making only certain kind of films.”

A regular at Cannes, Berlin and Sundance Film Festival, Siddiqui shares that the only consistent trend he has noticed in recent years is that Indian films screened there are unable to parlay their critical acclaim to commercial success India. “Except The Lunchbox and Gangs of Wasseypur, none of the festival films have had done well in India.” But this doesn’t seem to affect Siddiqui’s film choices. “I even do films which I know won’t do well,” he says, referring to Nandita Das’ Manto, his last biopic on the author and playwright which failed at the box office. “It was received well at Cannes and even won an Asia-Pacific award but no one watched it in theatres in India. But ever since the film has been picked up by a digital streaming platform, many have watched and appreciated it.”

Having achieved scattered success in films, Siddiqui feels one can’t really define it. But he’s certain that he doesn’t want to rest on his past laurels. “The day I tell myself that I am successful, it will be the end. I don’t want to live in an illusion. I like to be a part of the process and I am fascinated by it too. And that is what has always driven me since my theatre days,” he says. 

After Sacred Games, Nawazuddin Siddiqui starrer Photograph chosen by Amazon Prime as first original movie from India
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; November 22, 2018)

Nawazuddin Siddiqui's web debut was highly awaited for more than one reason — while Sacred Games had piqued the audience's curiosity for its source material, the series also marked India's first homegrown Netflix original.

Now, the actor appears to have the distinction of being part of Amazon Prime's first original movie from India. Trade insiders suggest that Ritesh Batra-directed Photograph, featuring Siddiqui and Sanya Malhotra, has been picked up by the streaming giant.

A source reveals, "When the officials from the streaming platform saw the final cut, they were impressed. The film felt like the perfect project for the web space. The discussion is in its final leg. A call will be taken by December. The web giant is looking at an early March release."

In an earlier interview, Batra had described his offering as "an homage to Mumbai." When mid-day reached out to officials of the OTT platform, they stated, "We have nothing to announce at the moment."

The actor is trading grit and grime for light-hearted love stories in as many as four out of six films in the coming year
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 7, 2018)

The new year will see Nawazuddin Siddiqui changing lanes, from serious dramas to light-hearted romances. And the actor couldn’t be happier. He surprises you with the admission that back in the ’80s and early ’90s, when he was dabbling in theatre in Delhi, he featured in so many comedies that he had acquired the tag of a ‘comedian’ and when he set out for Mumbai and the movies in 1996, his friends and fellow actors told him to steer clear of the laughs.

After breaking into Bollywood with a small role in the Aamir Khan-starrer Sarfarosh in 1999, Nawaz went on to impress in films like Dekh Indian Circus, Kahaani, Gangs of Wasseypur, Talaash, Manjhi, Raman Raghav 2.0, Badlapur, Raees, Mom and more recently, Manto. Most of his screen appearances, with a few exceptions like Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Freaky Ali, have played up his intensity. But the actor himself is now keen to take a break from such roles whose hangover is difficult to shrug off. “Bahut ho gaya,” he exclaims. Now of the six films he has lining up for 2019, only one is a biopic and the other an action drama. The remaining four are fun-filled romcoms and sunshiny love stories.

Nawaz tells us what to expect from the line-up:


Motichoor Chaknachoor:
This one is an out-and-out family entertainer which incorporates a romantic track with Athiya (Shetty) and revolves around a wedding. Ma baap sochte hain that once they get their kids married, it’s the end of all their problems, little realising that they have just begun. In fact, some of them crop up during the wedding itself when relatives rooth jaate hain and will stomp out if you are not able to smoothen their ruffled feathers. This marry-go-round unfolds in a small town. It’s a life I’m familiar with having grown up in one. Even the motichoor laddoos in the title bring back memories of many celebrations because while other sweets are eaten through the year, these laddoos are specially made for festivals and shaadis.


Photograph:
Another love story, this one with Sanya Malhotra and me as a photographer. It has the distinctive simplicity of Ritesh’s (Batra, director) earlier film, The Lunchbox, and will surely touch hearts too. It unfolds in Mumbai where lovers are strapped for time and have no place to romance. So, while in a small town a boy and girl can happily spend a couple of years just looking at each other from their terraces with no sense of urgency, in the city you have to make time for love in the hurry-scurry of everyday life, between job and commute. You usually meet on the train or the bus, in a cramped restaurant or while being jostled in the crowd.


Roam Rome Mein:
This is my third straight film with a woman director (Tannishtha Chatterjee), the other two being Manto (Nandita Das) and Motichoor Chaknachoor (Debamitra Hasan). Ninety per cent of it was filmed in Rome and my co-star, Valentina Corti, is an extremely popular and professional actress, having done TV shows like Don Matteo, All The Music of the Heart and Titanic: Blood and Steel. But not for a minute did I feel that I was working in a country that was not my own and with an actress who was a foreigner. Actors across the world have the same concerns and passions as far as creativity goes. And love knows no boundaries, rather it binds hearts. For me personally, love is unconditional support... It gives you the freedom to do what you want. That’s why maa ka pyaar sabse sachcha hota hai.


Thackeray:
This is my most difficult project so far because it’s a Hindi-Marathi bilingual. Manto was a biopic too, but Thackeray is a bigger challenge because there is so much material available on Balasaheb, people have watched him live or on screen. I’ve been watching countless videos to imbibe his mannerisms, speech patterns and personality traits. It’s a lot of work and there’s a Part 2 as well. Currently the script for the sequel is being worked on.

Petta:
Since Petta is an action film with a surprise twist, I can’t reveal much about my role. But watch out for our young director, Karthik Subbaraj. Bahut mazaa aaya uske saath kaam karke. I’m a crazy fan of Rajini sir (Rajinikanth) and lived the dream of working with him with this Tamil film. I’ve often met superstars who constantly remind you about their star status. But he’s a legend and yet I have yet to meet someone who’s so simple and real. Rajini sir is always trying to reiterate the fact that he’s an aam aadmi like you and I.

Raat Akeli Hai:
I’ve worked with Radhika Apte in Manjhi: The Mountain Man and Badlapur. Recently, we also did a show together. I’m impressed with her growth as an actress and it’s wonderful to collaborate with her on Honey Trehan’s directorial debut. Honey and I have been wanting to do a film together for a long time, I wanted it to be a love story. And what better than one that borrows its title from the Jewel Thief chartbuster, “Raat Akeli Hai”. I was the only one in my village who was a die-hard Dev Anand fan. I’d copy the way he walked and spoke, his distinctive style. This subject is different, but I’m thrilled it has the Dev Anand connection in its title.

Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; November 3, 2018)

As an artiste, she has been a discovery. Right from an unconventional debut in Dangal, she has chosen to be seen in films that offer her performance-oriented parts. Sanya Malhotra, whose recent release, Junglee Pictures’ Badhaai Ho, hit bullseye at the box-office, admits she’s a fan of Bollywood’s masala fare and wants to give it a shot soon. “Masala films are tough to pull off,” she says. Over to the actress who talks about her recent success, the impact she hopes it will have on her career and the road ahead...

Looking at your brief filmography, it’s evident that you’re drawn to performance-oriented roles…
(Cuts in) Yes, but I grew up watching Bollywood masala films and I want to be a part of one such film, at least. I’ve not really planned the films that I have eventually become a part of. It’s all happened organically. Acting is an art that I am learning on the job. The thing that I can do on my part is to follow and prepare myself for the characters that I choose to play. Given a choice, I would love to do a masala film, but those are tough to do. There’s so much prep that goes into those roles, which seem so easy on screen. From the time I was a kid, I used to enact scenes from all those hit films in front of the mirror.

When I decided to become an actor, I realised that every role that we play on screen requires a different kind of prep. I learnt wrestling for Dangal, went through an emotional grind for Photograph and stepped out of my comfort zone and shed too many inhibitions for Pataakha. Badhaai Ho involved a lot of careful reading to understand the graph of my part. As an actor, I have a multiple personality disorder. Right now, I actually don’t know which zone I am more comfortable in as an actor. I just know that I want to do everything, because this is one profession that lets you experience multiple lives.

How much does the success of Badhaai Ho matter to you at this point in your career? Do you think that this will be a turning point?
It makes a lot of difference when your film is a commercial and critical success. When I debuted in Dangal, I didn’t know what difference it could make to my professional life. In just three days of the film’s release, I was called for the film Photograph by Ritesh Batra. I got a chance to work with Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Some credible filmmakers approach you when you have a commercial success attached to your name. When I first heard the script of Badhaai Ho, I knew this film will be special, but I’d never envisioned the response that we got.

In a matter of two weeks, you experienced two different emotions as an actor. Pataakha, despite its unique intensity, didn’t work at the box office, and Badhaai Ho, which was a rare, light-hearted story, clicked…
Pataakha didn’t work, but I am proud of the film. I got a chance to work with a director like Vishal Bhardwaj and the process of shooting was such a learning experience for me. One thing that you can’t control is the box office. I would have loved it if more people went to the theatres to watch Pataakha, but sooner or later, they will catch the film on other platforms. So, I am still positive about it. Two weeks after Pataakha, before I realised, Badhaai Ho had hit the marquee, and is still doing well. So, life has its ways of balancing the picture for you, especially when you can’t do it yourself.

As a single girl in Mumbai, was finding your feet in showbiz and making this city your home a tough call?
Other than the use of garam masala in the food, everything about Mumbai is so lovable. I am a Dilliwali, but I think I was meant to be a Mumbaikar. In a matter of 20 days, this city became my home — it’s safe, it calms me down and fills me with a strange sense of independence. My family lives in Delhi and they visit me often, but in the five years that I have been in Mumbai, this city has given me everything I wanted, so much so, that now, I miss Mumbai when I go to Delhi. I came to Mumbai to participate in a dance reality show and thought that could be my ticket to Bollywood. Gradually, I discovered that acting is what I am more passionate about and that passion has helped my boat sail. I don’t know what lies ahead, but I love the space that I am in right now.

Diwali is around the corner. Will you be heading home to spend time with your family? With a crackling success at hand, will the festival be more special?
This phase in my career is sudden and unbelievable. I’m totally looking forward to Diwali this year, because I will celebrate it at home after three years. I’m heading back home to Delhi on November 5. Uss din se, I will start gorging on all the ghar ka khaana and catch up with my family and friends. It’s been three years since I celebrated Diwali in Delhi. My mother can barely wait to see me. She has watched Badhaai Ho thrice with her friends. Now, when I go back home, I will make it a point to watch the film with my family and close friends.

Chaya Unnikrishnan (DNA; October 20, 2018)

Her first two films, Dangal and Pataakha, saw her playing raw and rustic characters, but in her third outing, Badhaai Ho, Sanya Malhotra has turned up the glam quotient in spades. Urban and sophisticated, she is a far cry from the unkempt girl with the stained teeth in Pataakha or the tomboyish wrestler of Dangal. Not only that, the curly-haired actress, who had made it to the top 100 contestants of Dance India Dance, finally got the opportunity to groove to her heart’s content in the film. Here, she talks about the just-released movie that deals with the issue of late parenting, her film choices and more…

Both Dangal and Pataakha had you playing a girl from the heartland, now in Badhaai Ho, you play an urban girl...
(Cuts in) Actually, Badhaai Ho happened before Pataakha. The Vishal Bhardwaj film is my fourth movie (Ritesh Batra’s Photograph is yet to release) though it hit theatres after Dangal. Whether I am playing a rural girl or an urban one, they are simply characters for me. As an actor, I feel happy and challenged when I get to play roles like Babita (Dangal) or Chutki (Pataakha). When you have to physically and mentally prep yourself before going in front of the camera, it’s creatively satisfying. 

Tell us about your experience shooting for Badhaai Ho.
Since I shot for it after Photograph, I found it completely different. During the making of Photograph, I had no contact with my family and I wasn’t talking to my friends either as I was playing an introverted college girl, who is good at her studies. Since I too am an introvert, I liked the character and it stayed in my system for a long time. I had only a month to prep for Badhaai Ho after that. However, there were so many people on the sets of Badhaai Ho that it was like a party. Everybody had a gala time and I was thinking how will I do this, but Amit made me feel at home. Also, Neena Gupta, Ayushmann and Surekha Sikri are such amazing actors and so professional that they automatically make you comfortable. When they are on the sets in their attire, they become the characters and you don’t feel nervous. 

Everyone is talking about your glamorous get-up in the film.
I was inspired by my sister. I had no idea of what kind of attire you wear to the office. I never wanted to work in an office, but my sister does — she is a typical Delhi girl who likes dressing up and going to work. From her earrings to her outfits, it is a two-hour fashion parade before she settles on a dress every day (laughs).

You worked with Aparshakti Khurana in Dangal and now Ayushmann in Badhaai Ho. Are the two similar?
They are similar, yet very different. Ayushmann is subtle and calm, while Aparshakti is very loud. They even laugh differently. If Apar is laughing, you will hear it even if you are five kilometres away. Ayushmann, on the other hand, is subtle. But their jokes are similar. They crack one every 10 seconds and most of them are PJs!

From Dangal to Pataakha and now, Badhaai Ho, what has dictated your choices?
As an actor, I pick up my scripts instinctively and whatever creatively excites me. I don’t think about how much money it will make, whether it’s a commercial film or not, but, yes, the director and production house are a major factor. Post Dangal, I thought I will have to start auditioning again because I felt one film doesn’t make a lot of difference to your career. However, post Dangal, on the third day itself, I got a call for Photograph and I realised my life is changing.

What next?
I want to go on a vacation. First, I was promoting Pataakha and then I was busy with Badhaai Ho. I am tired, I want to take a break (smiles).

Sanya Malhotra tells us that her character in Badhaai Ho, which releases today, was one she could relate to – but that didn’t make the job any easier for her
Abhimanyu Mathur (BOMBAY TIMES; October 18, 2018)

She has been Babita in Dangal and Chutki in Pataakha. But in Badhaai Ho’s Renee, Sanya Malhotra has finally found a role she can relate to. The actress shares with us the unique challenge she faced in essaying a role that is almost like her in real life, why sex is such a taboo in India, and why she isn’t competing for screen time in the film.

Before Badhaai Ho,you have done Dangal and Pataakha, both films where you play a rough and tough girl from a rural setting. Here, you play a south Delhi, urban, upper middle-class girl. Was this more in your comfort zone?
It definitely is more in my comfort zone. It is a character I could relate to, lookwise and how she reacts to the whole thing that is happening, which is Nakul’s (Ayushmann’s character) parents getting pregnant. The other two movies had their own physical and mental challenges. In this one, I had to look like myself. There was no extensive make-up or change in look, like in Dangal, where we had to cut our hair. I could totally relate to this character. I am also from Delhi so it was like I am playing myself. I thought this would be really easy.

But it wasn’t?
It wasn’t. I had been shooting for Photograph with Nawazuddin Siddiqui before Badhaai Ho. In that film I play an introvert, and I had gone into a shell, was not talking to anyone. So, my first week of filming Badhaai Ho, I was struggling. I was fumbling with my lines. I was really nervous. I had to do multiple readings and talk to the writers and Amit (Amit Ravindernath Sharma, the director). I’m so grateful Amit was there. Har scene ke baad he used to come and talk to me ki don’t worry, aaram se kar tu isko.

You mention the physical challenges for a film, where you have your weight gain, hair cut, and you look a certain way. That helps you get into the character too.But in Badhaai Ho, where you look like your everyday self, isn’t it more challenging to still get into character without having a physical transformation?
Yes, I think the ‘easiest’ roles are the most difficult. I really thought Renee (her character in Badhaai Ho) ke liye I wouldn’t have to do a lot of homework, like I have done for other characters. But I realised that in Dangal, it was easier for me to get into the character because we did our training for nine months, and that really helped us to look like wrestlers and feel like them. In this one, it was more mental, I would say, and that’s difficult because you have to change your thinking. I thought here I am playing practically myself, so it would come naturally to me, but I realised you can’t go on the sets without doing your homework. I used to do a lot of reading, keep doing my lines. I remember asking Akshat (Ghildial, who wrote the screenplay) the backstory for my character because I wanted to know ki woh aisa kyun sochti hai. Wohi kyun hai jo aisa react kar rahi hai. So, I created a backstory and discussed it with Akshat, asking him, do you feel this is right for my character? I think I had to do just as much work for Badhaai Ho as I did in Dangal, probably more here.

In Hindi films, you almost always expect the actress from your generation to be the heroine of the film, which is not the case here. It is unusual for a mainstream heroine to be competing with women older than her in a script. You weren’t wary of that while taking up the film?
Never ever! I think I’m not competing for screen time. In my first film only, I have realised that. For me, screen time is something that is not important. I think in our case, the script is the hero and all the characters are very, very important. My duty as an actor was to make sure I give whatever I can to such an amazing script through my acting. I never thought ki bhai, why is Neena ji the central character or why is she getting pregnant and I am not (laughs)! Aisa kabhi mind mein nahi tha. That wasn’t the case with my first film also. I always take my scripts as the most important things. I focus on what I can add to them with my acting.

Your character calls out her boyfriend for being weirded out by the fact that his parents have sex. When her mother asks how the pregnancy happened, she is very matter-of-fact about it,saying,‘jaise hota hai’. In a way, she is representing what the urban upper middle-class youth thinks about this.
It is very similar to how I think. Having a baby or not having one is the parents’ decision, poori family ka nahi hota hai. Husband-wife ka decision hona chahiye ki bachcha karna hai ki nahi. But India mein aisa hota nahi hai. I hope after Badhaai Ho, some people will be more comfortable and open about this. Aaj kal toh people don’t get married and if they do, they choose not to have kids. Agar hota bhi hai toh bahut time baad hota hai. Things are changing. But at the same time, we don’t talk about things like pregnancy with our parents or relatives, or even with our sisters and brothers. But at the end of the day, it’s the parents’ decision. Who are we to judge? Jo bhi hai unko karne do, unki life hai.

When the film was first pitched to you, what was your reaction?
I was really happy. As an audience, I was thinking yeh kahan se le kar aaye? Yeh socha kaise inn logon ne. I was really excited and I remember narration chal raha tha aur main hase jaa rahi thi. And the whole narration I was thinking waah, I am so blessed that I am getting narration for such an amazing script. After a narration finishes, I usually take a few days to think about whether I want to do it or not. But with this one, impulsively, I said yes, Maine seedha Amit ko bola ki mujhe karni hi hai yeh film without taking any time. Then I got to know Ayushmann is doing this and I thought, yeh toh aur bhi achha hai. I was really happy as an audience and as an actor.

You haven’t come across any such case where there was a, say, 20-year age gap between siblings?
I remember when we were getting a narration, my manager was sitting with this ‘oh my God!’ expression on her face. She said, it was like the story of her life – she was 25 when her mother had a child. That was the first time I had heard something like that. But after the trailer released, so many people have come up to me, sharing similar stories. So, quite a lot of people relate to it. It’s quite common, I believe.

But if it is so common, why is it a taboo?
I don’t think there is any taboo around pregnancy. The taboo is around sex, particularly, parents having sex. Pregnancy pe taboo nahi hai. That is something celebrated in our society. But talking about sex and parents having sex is the taboo in our society.

Is it because parents’ lives are expected to revolve around their kids?
Yes, kuch zyada hi selfless ho jaate hain parents. Sara focus goes to the kids, unki padhai, unki shaadi, unki shaadi ke baad ki life. Khud par focus hi nahi rehta. Mere parents ke saath toh aisa hi hai. I keep telling them that you guys should go for an overseas trip. But their response is ki beta tum bachchon ko chhor kar kaise jayenge? I hope after watching Badhaai Ho, they realise that having a loving relationship while being parents and thinking about yourself is not wrong. I hope they get inspired.

Junglee Pictures presents Badhaai Ho in association with Chrome Pictures. Produced by Vineet Jain, Aleya Sen, Hemant Bhandari and Amit Ravindernath Sharma, the film is co-produced by Priti Shahani. Badhaai Ho releases on Thursday, October 18.

Sanya Malhotra on sharing screen space with actress in Junglee Pictures’ Badhaai Ho and why she wouldn’t choreograph her own songs
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 17, 2018)

After playing unconventional protagonists in Dangal, Pataakha, Sanya Malhotra is joining the Bollywood mainstream as a hip Delhi Girl in Amit Sharma’s Badhaai Ho, in which she also showcases her skills as a trained dancer. Excerpts from an interview:

What was it like working on Badhaai Ho?
It is a well written film, and I wanted to be a part of its mad circus. My character Renne, who is Nakul’s (Ayushmann Khurrana) colleague and girlfriend, is a sensible girl who doesn’t judge his parents and tries to explain to him that they are entitled to have sex at whatever age they want to. It’s none of his business.

What was it like sharing screen space with veteran actors like Neena Gupta and Surekha Sikri?
Besides being an amazing actor, Neena ji is fierce and confident. I remember watching her TV serial, Saans, with my mother, who is a big fan and was also her junior in college. I was nervous about working alongside her, Surekha ji and Gajraj ji (Rao). It’s just my third film and I wondered if I would do a bad job. But when I saw Neena ji and Gajraj ji on the first day of shooting, they had transformed into Nakul ke mummy papa. That was my favourite day on sets. It was a delight to watch them improvise.

You’re a trained dancer, but this is the first time that you will be seen showcasing your prowess in Bollywood dancing on screen…
I was so excited to know that I’d be in the song “Morni Banke”. It was also nerve-wrecking as it was my first time dancing in front of the camera instead of an Instagram video. I’m a huge Guru Randhawa (who has sung the song) fan and the choreography was fun.

Tell us about Nawazuddin Siddiqui, your co-star in Ritesh Batra’s Photograph.
I play an introvert who is also Nawaz’s muse. We might announce the release date soon. I am an introvert in real life too, so it was an interesting experience.

How has your family adjusted to your fame?
I am getting pictures clicked even if I go home for two-three days. Sometimes, people get wind of my arrival and approach my mom for a picture with me. I am exhausted by the end of the day, but my family feels so proud and that’s cute.

Tell us about your initiation into Bollywood.
I came to Mumbai to participate in (the dance-based talent hunt show) Dance India Dance, but couldn’t go beyond the top 100. However, I decided to stay back and pursue my dream of acting. You don’t have access to the industry in Delhi and I thought maybe a reality show would open those doors. It didn’t, and I was heartbroken. I think things worked out for the better — if I had got through the show, I wouldn’t have been an actor today.

You also have a bit of a choreographing experience...
I directed the song “Sexy Baliye” in Secret Superstar and had taken it up because why would anyone say ‘no’ to working for an Aamir Khan production? When Advait (Chandan, director) came up with the idea, I thought he’s joking. After a few days, he asked me if the steps were ready and that’s when I realised that he had been serious about it all along. In the future, if I get a good opportunity to choreograph, I will take it up, but I don’t want to choreograph my own songs because it would be quite a distraction.

Is it true that you have signed choreographer Bosco Martis’s directorial debut?
I haven’t signed the film as of now, but we might announce something soon. Stay tuned…

Rachit Gupta (BOMBAY TIMES; September 23, 2018)

It's not every day that actresses slap, kick and hit each other on a film set. But that’s exactly what Sanya Malhotra had to do in Vishal Bhardwaj’s upcoming film, Pataakha. While she didn’t have the proverbial catfight with costar Radhika Madan, she did have to claw and gnaw her way into a feisty and challenging role. In a chat with BT, Sanya talks about the unique experience of working in a no-holds-barred movie. She reveals that acting was her dream profession and being in front of the camera is the only thing that gives her inner peace. Excerpts...

Vishal Bhardwaj is one of the most acclaimed directors in Bollywood, and most accomplished actors aspire to work with him. So, how does it feel to get this rare opportunity, so early on in your career?
It’s definitely a privilege, but I wouldn’t call it luck, because I don’t believe in that concept. There’s a new trend where people make a positivity journal, so on the same lines, the team that manages my professional commitments told me to write down the names of all the directors who I want to work with. I wrote Vishal ji’s name first on that list. His films and music have always inspired me. I remember watching Haider (2014) and for 15 minutes into the end credits, I could not get up from the chair. That’s when I asked myself, ‘Main kab actor banungi aur kab mujhe Vishal Bhardwaj jaise director ke saath kaam karne ka mauka milega’?

While it may be a dream come true to work with him, does his reputation and aura ever get intimidating, especially for a new actor like you?
I believe that an actor and director should share a strong bond. Theirs should be a creative relationship and their bonding and understanding should be such that an actor should not hesitate from sharing his/her inputs on every shot. Having said that, I used to be scared of Vishal sir. During the initial days of the shoot, I would abstain from putting forth my point of view, fearing what he would say. It’s not like he had some intimidating aura around him, but mujhe aisa lagta tha ki Vishal ji jaise kalakaar meri kyun sunenge? I once dreamt that I went up to sir and asked him a few doubts about a scene, and he snapped back with, ‘Yeh bekaar ke sawaal matt poochha karo!’ (laughs!).

The trailer of Pataakha features you and Radhika Madan, who plays your on-screen sister, swearing and bashing up each other. How difficult was it for you to get into the skin of your character, Chhutki?
We attended several workshops with Atul Mongia (casting director) and prepped a lot for this film. I’ve had to work very hard to play Chhutki. Main man se Chhutki banne ko tayyar thi, lekin tann se nahi. While I am an introvert and a shy person, Chhutki is not. I wanted to play the role, but at the same time, I was hesitant and my inhibitions were stopping me. The workshops and the way Vishal sir and his entire team guided us, helped me to get into the skin of my character.

You said that as a person, you have a lot of inhibitions. As an actor, what does it take for you to drop these inhibitions, because at some level, they can affect your performance, right?
I think I stop being myself in front of the camera. Off camera, I may be an anxious and nervous girl, but once the camera starts rolling, I become a different person. I try really hard to not let Sanya come out when I play any character. Playing Chhutki has been a liberating experience, because the role did not give me a chance to be timid or socially awkward. I just had to be that boisterous, moohfat and feisty girl. It actually helped me get rid of a lot of my inhibitions as an actor.

Coming back to Pataakha,the film features two warring sisters, which is something we don’t traditionally see in our movies. You have an elder sister, too. Tell us about your equation with her during your growing-up years...
People may think that two sisters are always on the same page and that they share a great rapport, but I did not have that sort of an equation with my sister, Shagun. While growing up, I would hate her. We used to fight like cats and dogs, pull each other’s hair out, slap and scratch each other. My sister is just three years older than me, but I never understood her, and I could never relate to her. In fact, I used to feel that I will never be able to like her. But when I came to Mumbai, I started missing her. After so many years, I’ve finally become fond of my sister. I am pretty sure that the bittersweet relationship between Chhutki and Badki in Pataakha will resonate with sisters like us.

Your roles have helped you learn languages other than Hindi. Do you have a knack for picking up languages?
I’ve worked in another film, Photograph, where I play a Gujarati girl. It’s not like I’m consciously picking parts with wacky accents; it’s just happening in the most organic and natural way. Picking up the Rajasthani accent for this film wasn’t too much of a challenge, because it is quite similar to Haryanvi that I learnt for Dangal. It’s a lot of fun to work with these accents. The voice modulation and dialogue delivery become very creative. In fact, I wouldn’t mind signing up for a film where I play a Maharashtrian character, because I now want to learn Marathi (laughs!). I love the sound of

languages like Marathi and Bengali. Your debut film broke box-office records around the world. Does that put pressure on you while selecting projects? Also, do you anticipate the same kind of success for all your movies?
It does not work like that. After Dangal, I was waiting for Photograph to start. People used to ask me why I hadn’t signed my next film. They used to say, ‘Oh, but Fatima (Sana Sheikh, her co-star from Dangal) has already signed her next big film’. At that point, I realised that I had two options. I could either react to these talks and jump into a film for the sake of it, or I could wait and really soak in the feeling that I was living my dream. I have always wanted to be an actor. I like to enjoy every single day of my life, because I am living my childhood dream. I don’t like to push myself, because I am not that kind of person. I want to really appreciate the work I do. I don’t want to race ahead of anyone, nor do I want to succeed in a hurry. Acting is the only thing that makes me happy and calm. On a film set, where there is so much chaos, I find inner peace. I am content with where I am.

Dhaval Roy (DNA; April 30, 2018)

After playing gold medalist Babita Phogat (wrestler Geeta Phogat’s sister) in Dangal (2016), Sanya Malhotra will essay the role of a younger sibling once again. This time, it’s for Vishal Bhardwaj’s Chhuriyaan. “Chhutki for life,” Sanya laughs adding, “But, this character is completely different from Babita’s. She’s extroverted and out there, unlike me in real life.” Other than this project, the 20-something actress also has Ritesh Batra’s (of The Lunchbox fame) Photograph and Amit Sharma’s (Tevar) Badhaai Ho. Sanya, who made her big-screen debut two years ago, talks about her upcoming films, why she didn’t mind waiting to see herself on screen again, dealing with failure, and her Plan B.

You have a film with Vishal quite early in your career...
I still can’t believe I’m working with ‘the’ Vishal Bhardwaj. I’m a big fan of his work — from movies to music. I feel grateful and excited. During the script reading session, I zone out sometimes, wondering if I’m sitting in the same room as him. He knows how important it is to prep for a character and has been helping me with that for the past few weeks.

Tell us about your other movie, Badhaai Ho.
The script is hilarious and it’s shot in Delhi, which is home. So, that made it even more fun and there was a lot of food (laughs). I think Ayushmann Khurrana is an amazing actor. I wanted to work with him. I’m glad I got that chance with my second film.

Comedy is known as the most difficult genre. Do you agree?
It was difficult because I’m an introvert. I needed a lot of prep. But, Amit (Sharma) helped me become the character. Ayushmann (Khurrana) is a funny guy and he’d keep cracking jokes. His brother, Aparshakti, is an outgoing guy and we’ve worked together. So, I was prepared for their antics.

What space is Photograph in?
I love the world that Ritesh (Batra) has created in his film, and I’m working with great actors like Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Jim Sarbh. The script and character are still with me. We finished dubbing a few days ago and I can’t wait for people to see it. Ritesh is a brilliant director. He’s a poet. The Lunchbox is one of my favourite movies. I hope Photograph stays with people, too.

As a newbie, does working with big directors make you nervous?
It doesn’t. Actually, I don’t want to have that feeling, and enjoy everything I do. If at all, I get anxious before the shoot for the character. But, the directors make you feel comfortable. For Chhuriyaan and Photograph, the preparation is internal and more psychological unlike Dangal, which was physical.

It’s almost two years since you debuted. Didn’t the wait to see yourself on screen bother you?
I don’t mind waiting. It’s important to have patience and be happy even if you’re not working or don’t have money. I have projects with the most amazing directors and actors. So, the wait has been fine.

After a launch like Dangal, are you being more careful about the kind of films you sign?
While filming Dangal, I remember having a conversation with Nitesh Tiwari sir about how some actors are particular about the screen time. He said it’s important for an artiste to not care about how long the role is but what they can give to the script. That advice stayed with me. Since then, I’ve made sure that if I like the script, can imagine myself as the character and live the screenplay, I’ll do the film. That will be the only criteria.

Have you thought of failure and how you will deal with it?
I’ve failed many times. I’ve given so many auditions and failed in 30-40 per cent of them. When I moved to Mumbai, I was so introverted that I didn’t know how to approach people for work. I did ads for a year before Dangal. But I’ve learnt from my failures and I’m not scared anymore. I think it keeps you grounded.

Do you have a Plan B?
Dancing is in my scheme of things already. I’m going to take a sabbatical soon to learn tap dancing. If acting doesn’t work, I will become a dancer.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui reveals how he plans to play the Shiv Sena supremo, why Manto’s journey was fascinating and the reason he withdrew his memoir
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 20, 2018)

What’s the takeaway from Nandita Das’s Manto biopic?
What was fascinating about Saadat Hasan Manto’s journey was his relentless fight for truth to the very end. This need to explode taboos and expose social hypocrisies is what made the film more than just another biopic. The three-four months that I was in character mujhe khud se sharm aane lagi thi. In our ajeeb aur gareeb world everyone tries to show himself to be pure but in the mirror Manto held up, our foibles are all too clear. He was disarmingly honest and stood up for what is right, that’s what made his stories so genuine. My performance had to reflect these qualities, so through the duration of the shoot, I tried to be who I am, without artifice.

And after the film was over?
(Sighs) It’s hard to live life like Manto, sometimes people can be so judgemental, whether in real life or on the social media, we are all living a lie. I tried to get Manto out of my system, jaldi se jaldi, nahin to nehle pe dehla ho jaata.

Your memoir, An Ordinary Life, was truthful, perhaps a little too truthful.
I was in the Manto zone during the time, so I said some things I regretted later. But I have to point out here that it was a 288-page book and only around five pages spoke about relationships.

Unfortunately, the media focused on only these five pages during the promotions. That gave a wrong impression of the content. I quickly realised my career was going well, I didn’t need to court unnecessary controversy, so I withdrew the book from the stands with a sincere apology.

From Manto you move to another challenge, maybe a bigger one—Bal Thackeray.
It’s a challenge any actor would be ready for given his personality. The performance will require a lot of detailing because while there are no videos of Manto floating around making it easy to convince people that this was how he was, in the case of Balasaheb, there is a lot of material available, also, people have seen him in person. I plan to seek out Naseer saab (Naseeruddin Shah), my teacher, to guide me.

I don’t plan to mimic him in the biopic because that any mimicry artiste can do. I have to ‘live’ him on screen. Both the producer-writer (Sanjay Raut) and the director (Abhijit Panse) know him well. I wish I had met him even once as that would have helped me now. Maybe if I go to his house, It’ll get me a feel of the man. I have to get into his mind, understand what made this brilliant cartoonist give up his life for the Marathi manoos who were going through a lot of frustration and depression then. I’m looking for that turning point in his thoughts that defined his life later.

Isn’t it ironical that two years ago, you had to pull out of a Ramleela performace in your village Budhana following protests from the Shiv Sena and now you will be playing the party’s founder-president on screen?
I don’t know who those people were who raised objections then, which party they came from. I took the step of withdrawing, to maintain peace, thinking agle saal kar lenge given that the Ramleela happens every year.

Do you see yourself ever getting into active politics?
Politics? No, no, politics se to main dur dur tak bhaagta hoon. The day I stop getting roles, I will go to the Himalayas.

There’s a long way to go for that. You recently reunited with The Lunchbox director, Ritesh Batra, for Photograph. Has Ritesh evolved in these five years?
What’s distinctive about Ritesh is that he will do a scene 10 times to make it seem natural, as casual as it would appear in real life. He doesn’t want anyone to ‘act’ in his film. It’s wonderful to work with directors like him who are ready to experiment with their craft. Also, it was great to go back to the Gateway of India that I had visited many times in my struggling days. This time though there were lakhs of people who had come for a dekko.

Given how difficult it is to get the nod from you, what got Genius the go-ahead?
Genius is an out-and-out commercial film and director Anil Sharma has some huge hits behind him, including Gadar - Ek Prem Katha. What I like about him is that while my performance is as realistic as ever, the treatment is larger-than-life and that’s what marks the difference between mainstream and the parallel cinema. That’s the difference in gaze between Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire and a small-budget Hindi film about Dharavi. That’s what makes a film entertaining and engaging.

Vaibhav Prakash Pandey, a standard 12 student and a real genius, who bagged a $200000 scholarship to the American University Wheaton, has admitted to being influenced by you. That must be heartening.
I was thrilled when I read this. If I can inspire even one person—and this boy has won a scholarship to an American University—I consider it my biggest achievement. Bigger than any award.

Reportedly you are playing Sultana Daku in a British production which is an adaptation of Sujit Saraf’s book on the life of the UP dacoit from the pre-Independence era. It will be directed by Heeraz Marfatia who has assisted Shekhar Kapur and Roland Joffee.
We’ve spoken about it but there is no real progress on this yet.

What about the romcom with Vishal Bhardwaj and the Phobia sequel?
Dates didn’t work out with Vishal as now my focus is Thackeray. The Phobia sequel I want to do, as it’s a great script. We still have to figure dates.

You had six releases last year. That’s a lot of work but do you really need to do supporting roles in films like Raees, Mom and Munna Michael today when you are getting lead roles?
It’s only in India that we make the distinction between commercial and art cinema or content-driven films. Abroad it’s only ‘good’ and ‘bad’ films. Even more disheartening is that instead of appreciating an actor’s performance and give them the respect they deserve, we are quick to put them into categories like ‘heroes’, ‘character actors’, ‘villains’ and ‘comedians’. After a couple of months abroad, you will realise that the Bollywood hero is a stereotype— he is only there to romance the girl, sing a few songs, fight the bad men and disappear into the sunset. For me a film is a good film if it engages the audience, I don’t want just eight people to see and applaud it. I’d rather experiment on the digital platform where you have the luxury of time to go into the intricacies of character and craft.

We saw you as a rapper in a recent release. Will we see you come out with a music video one day soon?
A music video would mean dancing and while any commercial film I do today usually has me performing a song-and-dance number, it still scares the hell out of me. The body may have rhythm but I have a mental block as far as naach-gaana goes so choreographers tell me. I’m convinced I can’t dance and that’s embedded in my mind. I guess that’s one hurdle I will have to overcome soon.

Ritesh Batra speaks to Ananya Ghosh about directing an adaptation of Julian Barnes’s award- winning novel The Sense Of An Ending
Ananya Ghosh (MID-DAY; May 31, 2015)

The Lunchbox director Ritesh Batra has finally announced his next full-length film, and this time it is an international collaboration — he will direct the BBC adaptation of Julian Barnes’s 2011 Man Booker Prizewinning novel The Sense Of An Ending. The movie will star Academy Award-winning actor Jim Broadbent and the rest of the cast is yet to be finalised.

“It came to me as an offer to direct. I always thought I would direct my own writings and I have been writing a few scripts. I took up this project not only because it is a very important piece of literature and I have always liked the book, but also because I absolutely loved the script. Making movies from books is no easy task. It has to function on its own. The film is about those characters that we love from the book, but it is also its own thing. It has to be self sufficient. Each medium has its own demands. Books can be thoughts, streams of consciousness, first person narratives etc. But movies have to be told through relationships,” says Batra, when we meet him in his Bandra office — a sparsely furnished room with two huge blackboards overflowing with illegible haphazard scribbling. Thought bubbles of a writer’s hyperactive mind? Maybe.

Award-winning playwright Nick Payne, whose play Constellations starring Jake Gyllenhaal has recently been on Broadway, is making his film debut with the screenplay of this film. And Batra, a scriptwriter himself, is quite excited about the collaboration and says, “I have been working very closely with Payne for the past seven months. It is very difficult to find a good collaborator, as most writers prefer to work alone. The novel is extremely British and I am not. So, it is important to have someone who brings that to the table to get the real essence of the story.”

It has been two years since The Lunchbox. The Irrfan Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Nimrat Kaur-starrer had picked up the Grand Rail d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2013. In the meantime, Batra has made an eight-minute short film The Masterchef as part of the Sundance Short Film Challenge. “I can’t churn out a movie every year. Writing a script takes time and according to me the script is the most important part of a movie. If you do not write it right, you can’t salvage it at any other later stage,” says Batra, who has already finished writing his next film, Photograph — a love story set in the city, which he intends to start shooting early next year after wrapping up this project.

However, he adds that the script is not sacrosanct but keeps evolving as the film goes on floors. “It is not a stone on your foot that weighs you down, but something that anchors you and gives you direction. You can say that a script is a blueprint for a movie. However, unlike in engineering where if you do not adhere to the architectural drawing to a T, the structure runs the risk of collapsing, in filmmaking, the blueprint provides a guiding structure and is flexible. When I shoot a film, my actors become my co-writers and then on the editing table, I rewrite portions along with my editors. At every step the product changes,” the director patiently explains, finishing almost half a packet of biscuits in the process.

He also lays equal importance on the preparation. And when we met him on Tuesday, the director is busy getting ready for his flight to Britain. “We are shooting in a few months and I am flying there to absorb the essence of the place. I need to know my way around the place as I know my way around here. You have to dwell in the world of the story to do proper justice to it,” says the Bandra boy, revealing that he lived in Cairo for five months before shooting his eleven-minute short film, Café Regular, Cairo, which got special mentions in both Tribeca International Film Festival and Chicago International Film Festival in 2012.

The Lunchbox had helped garner interest for Indian films across the world. Point this out and the writer/director of this success story is unwilling to take all the credit and says modestly, “It is unfair to give my movie credit for getting world audience take note of India. Satyajit Ray had done it long back. A story that is universal, yet local, lives forever. I think that is what we should aim for and not some big weekend collection.”

However, he acknowledges that there is a renewed interest for film coming from the subcontinent. “It definitely generated curiosity on what is coming out of India,” he says, adding, “We have to tell Indian stories to the world. But it is a very critical time for us — exciting, yet sensitive. Even during the ’80s a group of committed people had created an audience for parallel movies, but eventually it all faded away. We need film bodies, which will help filmmakers create global stories with a local heart. We also have to find newer markets for Indian films. Otherwise we will have one-off successes.”

Ritesh Batra who is set to take his directorial debut to the BAFTAs, has started work on two projects, one set in Mumbai and another one, a British production
Roshmilla Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 28, 2015)