Ghoomketu director Pushpendra Misra on why the Nawazuddin Siddiqui-starrer, which was stuck in the cans for five years, is relevant even today
Uma Ramasubramanian (MID-DAY; May 18, 2020)

It has been a five-year wait for director Pushpendra Misra to see his labour of love come alive on screen. Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Anurag Kashyap-starrer Ghoomketu, which has been lying in the cans since 2015, has been acquired by Zee5 and will have its world premiere on May 22.

"I won't lie, I did feel bad when my film was stuck for so long. One tends to have doubts when such things happen, but I never doubted [the worth of] my movie," says Misra, whose comedy was delayed due to financial constraints.

The filmmaker believes that his story about an aspiring writer hoping to realise his dreams in Mumbai, remains relevant even today. "I think now is the right time to release the movie because people's taste has evolved. One of the reasons why it was held up [for so long] could be because it was a heartland story. But of late, they have been loved by the audience. Since Ghoomketu is not a formula film, it has stayed relevant even five years after it was made."

Siddiqui's affinity for brooding characters is well-known. But the actor has a surprise up his sleeve. "He has great comic timing and brings a fresh approach to the story," says Misra.

Today, as he awaits the release of Ghoomketu, the filmmaker is also armed with the confidence of having delivered the much-loved Netflix series, Taj Mahal 1989. "[The success of] Taj Mahal boosted my confidence. Now, it has become easier for me to pitch scripts. It helps to have such a big show on the platform because your reach widens."

Neeraj Kabi returns with the web series Taj Mahal 1989 and renewed interest to create talent as acting coach
Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; February 16, 2020)

Known for his acting chops, Ship Of Theseus (2013) and Talvar (2015) actor Neeraj Kabi, features in Netflix's new series, Taj Mahal 1989, which takes on love and relationships in the pre-Internet era. Kabi plays a professor whose marriage is on the rocks. "The Taj is symbolic, it's a monument of love, but the show takes on all its manifestations beyond romantic love. There is this scene in which I am talking about Faiz Ahmad Faiz's poetry. It is a romantic poem but the Urdu poet had written it for the motherland. The show weaves it through four different stories."

Kabi, who will be seen next in Dibakar Banerjee's Netflix film Freedom, says he is part of several projects which people may not know about "as he is not in the business of making people aware of what he is up to." Nor does he believe in having a PR machinery. "A lot of the projects may not have a big commercial release or do the film festival rounds, like Gali Guleiyan (2018), a film I am proud of."

When he is not tied up with his films, Kabi turns acting coach. He also does theatre "as it helps you grow as an actor." He adds, "We need to create performers. Senior actors should evince interest in creating talent by imparting knowledge about the craft. Instead of talking about the weather, they should help the younger lot hone their skills. We [industry] churn out mundane stuff because we lack actors of calibre. First, generate quality then work will happen."