Even as his next film is prepping up for release, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra is toying with four different projects for his next directorial
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 17, 2016)


Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra is just three weeks away from the release of a long-cherished dream, Mirzya, which will launch the careers of Anil Kapoor's son and Sonam's brother Harshvardhan and Baba, Tanvi, Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar's niece, Saiyami Kher.

And while another filmmaker would be contemplating a "break" after two-and-a-half years of intensive prep, 73 days of a gruelling shoot and over a year of post-production, Mehra is juggling with four dramatically different scripts.

Dismissing the idea of a break he points out that even when he is making a movie, he is living his life. "But as a writer and director I can't stop thinking so there are few projects in the pipeline," he admits.

High up in the list is action-romance-drama, Raja, and the Legend of the Flute which he has been living with for almost a decade. It combines mythology with current affairs in its hunt for Krishna's flute.

"Then there's Mere Pyaare Prime Minister, a story set in a jhopdi in Mumbai about an eight-year-old boy who wants to build a toilet for his single mother," informs the filmmaker. He's also been researching two concepts on farmer suicide, one set in today's time and another in the future. He admits that the more he gets into the subject the more scared he is about trying to bring to the screen something so intense and poignant. "But it's a story that has to be told and I can't die without telling it. Impossible!" he asserts.

Another interesting idea that has shaped into a six-page synopsis without finding a title yet is based on his observations of a family at dinner. "Everyone sitting around the dining table has a cell phone in his or her hand and is peering into it. Go to a temple and you will find that's how it is with half the devotees and ditto in a darkened auditorium. Even when there's a film playing on screen, some of the viewers are disturbing others by switching their mobiles on. This is something which has happened in the last 20-25 years and while exploring it I wondered how someone who had not seen it happen and was suddenly exposed to this new culture, would perceive it," he reveals, quick to point out that it is not just about phones but also about families and interpersonal relationships.

So which of these will go on the floors first? Rakeysh says that he's working with all of them and will let the story choose him. "Whenever I have tried to make something, it runs further away from me so now I have decided to be friends with all of them till one of them decides it's ready to roll," he smiles.

Besides these four, one of which he will be directing, Rakeysh is also producing Atul Manjrekar and Sanjay Khanduri's directorial ventures. Fanney Khan is a musical-comedy, a beautiful father-daughter relationship with Anil Kapoor and an 18-yrear-old newcomer in the lead. "We've shortlisted some amazing talents. It's always best to find the brightest acting talent before teaching them how to act," Mehra reasons.

Like Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Sanjay's film is the biopic of a 22-year-old soldier, Jaswant Singh Rawat, who was martyred in the 1962 Indo-China war while Irshad Kamil's Saanjhi is about three brothers fighting over property.

"The screenplay is ready, the music and casting is being done," Mehra informs adding that now it's his responsibility to support the vision of these directors and provide them what is required within budgetary constraints.

New biopic on rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat is expected to roll towards the year-end
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 13, 2016)

Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's biopic on Jaswant Singh Rawat, a 22-year-old soldier who was martyred in the 1962 Indo-China war, is all set to roll around September. The team is currently scouting for an actor to play the protagonist and is contemplating between casting a new face or an established actor.

A source close to the development revealed that Jaswant's brother is on board to help with details of his life. His mother, who passed away recently, was also assisting with research over the last two years. In the battle of Nauranang, which started on November 17, this rifleman of the 4 Garhwal, along with two other soldiers, held his post for 72 hours, 21 kms from the Sela Pass near Tawang and killing over 300 Chinese soldiers. According to some reports, a wounded Jaswant was eventually captured and shot but by then Indian army reinforcements arrived stopping the Chinese progress into Arunachal Pradesh.

He was posthumously decorated with a Mahavir Chakra, but over half a century after his untimely demise, the Indian Army continues to treat him as a serving officer. "He gets regular promotions as the army believes he still guards India's Eastern border. It's a story of the exemplary courage and patriotism and a major part of the film will be shot in Arunachal Pradesh where the battle took place. Parts will also be shot at Singh's village in Uttarakhand," informs the source.

Director Sanjay Khanduri who has almost completed his script told Mirror, "Jaswant Singh was a real hero and to commemorate him the locals built a memorial at the spot where he was shot and continue to talk of him as if he were still alive. Writer Kamlesh Pandey and I met with his family and his colleagues from the army who are helping us do justice to this story that needs to be showcased to the world."

The memorial has a bed which is made up everyday by one of the five army jawans posted at the post. His shoes are polished everyday, letters from admirers brought to 'Baba' and taken away the next day "after he's gone through them".

Sonup Sahadevan (MID-DAY; June 9, 2015)

Filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra is set to produce yet another biopic tinged with patriotism. This time, he has sought inspiration from the bravado of Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat, a 22-year-old soldier who lost his life in the 1962 Indo-China war.

Writer Kamlesh Pandey, who is currently developing the script, says, “We have been preparing it for the last two years. It’s a unique story of a young soldier who sacrificed his life for the nation. The treatment of the story would be somewhat similar to that of Rang De Basanti where we used Bhagat Singh and his friends and connected them to young India. Rawat’s story will resonate especially today.”

For the uninitiated, Rawat was serving with the 4th Battalion of the Garhwal Rifles when his company came under heavy Chinese attack, firing away at Indian soldiers using a Medium Machine Gun (MMG). Undeterred, Rawat charged at them with grenades in his hand and hurled them just 15 yards from the enemy’s point of attack. Having killed two Chinese and wounding several others, he then seized the MMG and while on his way back to the Indian position, he was felled by the enemy’s bullets.

A war citation says Rawat was hit in the head and died on the spot with the MMG firmly in his grip. The soldier was awarded Maha Vir Chakra posthumously and is today seen as a revered entity of valour and patriotism.

The movie will be directed by Sanjay Khanduri of Ek Chalis Ki Last Local fame. The team right now is focusing on locking the right cast while also completing the formalities with the Indian army and Rawat’s family.

Rakeysh refrained from sharing details, saying: “It’s too early to speak. Let’s talk in a month or two.”