Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; September 12, 2020)

Rajat Barmecha, who was noticed for his acting debut in Udaan (2010), is now exploring other creative aspects of filmmaking. He has penned the script of a film, which he claims will be India’s first backpacking movie. In a chat with BT, he talks about the inspiration behind his script. Excerpts...

While you have had outings in the digital space, one has not seen you on the big screen for a long time. And now, you have penned the script for a film. Tell us about it...
It’s a travel film. In India, we have never had an authentic backpacking film. Yes, we have had an iconic movie like Dil Chahta Hai (2001), which is about three friends who travel to Goa, but that’s about it. Anyone, who has heard or done backpacking, will completely relate to this film.

How did this story come about?
For the first year after Udaan, there wasn’t much happening, and things didn’t shape up the way I had expected them to. During that time, I saw a film called Into The Wild. It motivated me so much and made me realise that there is life beyond just cinema, work and money. So, I started backpacking solo. This was in 2015, and since then, most of my trips have been solo. The script comes from personal experiences — the people I have met, and the stories they have told me.

What inspired you to give writing a shot after acting?
The credit for it goes to Vikram’s (Udaan director Vikramaditya Motwane) mom, Deepa aunty. After the film, whenever she would meet me, she would ask me, ‘What’s happening next?’ And I would tell her that while I was getting offers, nothing interesting had come up. So, she told me, ‘If you can’t find the work that you are looking for, create it for yourself’.

Have you finalised the cast for your film? Will you act in it?
At its core, this is a love story. I would like to essay the lead character, because I created it for myself. The girl opposite me has to be a foreigner because that’s the demand of the script. I have a couple of Spanish actors in mind, but I haven’t approached anyone yet. I am in the process of registering the script, which has been delayed because of the pandemic.

Rajat Barmecha, the wonder boy of Udaan, reveals that backpacking around the world for five years helped him deal with lack of film offers
Ankita Chaurasia (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 2, 2020)

Seventeen-year-old Rajat Barmecha came to Mumbai chasing fame, success, and money. Within six months of landing Udaan, filmmaker-mentor Vikramaditya Motwane had him hooked on world cinema and acting. His turn as a boy torn between an angry father’s expectations while still nurturing his dream of writing, fetched him rave reviews, along with invites to every award ceremony and Bollywood party for the next year-and-a-half. “Everywhere I went, I was being complimented for my performance. As a 21-year-old actor, it gave me hope. I read every script that came my way, but they were all mediocre, formulaic films or those in which I was there throughout, but added no value. I couldn’t afford to do a bad film because then, I’d be written off as a one-film wonder,” points out the actor, who eventually stopped attending events. “People, from distant relatives to the media, wanted to know what I was doing next.”

He received high praise from the likes of Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Anushka Sharma and Ranbir Kapoor, along with some A-list filmmakers. “But on the red carpet, those with no project to their name but coming from a film background were clicked more than me, while the producers who had praised my work earlier, did not recognise me,” he grouses.

Desperate for money, Rajat then started taking up offers which he didn’t particularly like and was beginning to feel lost in this jungle, when in 2015, he happened to watch the Emile Hirsche-starrer 2007 Hollywood biographical adventure drama, Into The Wild. He started travelling, too, and slowly got out of the dark phase. After five years of backpacking around the world, he decided to script a film he would be proud to be a part of. “Vikramaditya sir’s mother, Deepa aunty, who was the executive producer of Udaan, had once told me, ‘If you don’t find the kind of projects you want to do, make them.’ Her words had stayed with me, but I didn’t want to make something I wasn’t sure of,” Rajat recounts.

A raw and real travel film finally prompted him to turn writer. “I started scripting last year, but was being lazy. The Coronavirus lockdown gave me ample time to complete it. After I register the script, I will share it with Vikramditya sir and a few other friends,” he reveals, adding that he will play the lead in this love story with a foreigner opposite him.