Film Fare

DAD (GULZAR) WOULD
BOUNCE OFF A LINE AND I’D
MAKE HIM REWRITE IT. SO YEAH,
I EXPLOITED HIM BEING HIS
DAUGHTER... BUT HE WAS ABLE
TO TRANSLATE THE PURPOSE OF
THE SONGS SO POETICALLY
Talvar
their break days. We shot
non-stop for 20 days
to cover up for the lost
time. That was the only
harrowing part of the film.
WHICH PART OF THE FILM
WAS TOUGH SHOOTING ?
The climax! We shot it
in two days and it took
the wind out of us. The
sequence is such that you
need at least three-four
days to shoot it. The first
day, all we shot were the
agents talking to each
other in the car and getting
out to take their positions.
Everything else was done
on the second day. Even I
don’t know how we did it.
A CHERISHED MOMENT
DURING THE SHOOT...
Off set, everyday was fun.
Particularly on outdoors,
it was warm and happy.
We were a happy unit,
overworked and tired. But
still extremely happy.
HOW’S YOUR EQUATION WITH
YOUR FATHER (GULZAR)
WHEN IT COMES TO WORK?
He’d bounce off a line
or a song and I’d make
him rewrite it. So, yeah,
I exploited him being
his daughter. But yes, it
was so organic he being
a filmmaker and a writer
himself. He was able to
translate the purpose of
the songs so poetically. It
was amazing.
With Shankar-
Ehsaan-
Loy, it was
my first
collaboration.
It’s difficult to
tell if the tune
came first or the
lyrics. It’s all hazy
because Shankar
would hum two lines
and then dad would write
two lines. Or dad would
write four lines and
Shankar would compose
accordingly. It was a
fabulous jugalbandi.
DID YOU SHOOT A SCENE
DIFFERENTLY FROM THE WAY
IT’S USUALLY SHOT?
In the song Dilbaro, the
walk from the door of the
house to the door of the
car is only that much.
Sehmat walks, stops,
turns and hugs her people
before she gets into the
car. She doesn’t stop every
three steps and then turn
around. That’s stupid.
Then the scene where
they drive to Pakistan.
You see three-four shots
of changing landscapes
before they arrive.
(Laughs) Some sweet
friends joke that if it was
any other director, the car
would have stopped midjourney,
Sehmat and Iqbal
would have sung a few
lines in the mountains,
With father Gulzar
got back in the car and
gone ahead...
DO YOU CONSIDER
MAKING A BOLLYWOOD
MASALA MOVIE?
I hope, I’m already making
Bollywood masala movies.
The thing is that when
I start off trying to make
one, I eventually turn them
into ‘my’ kind of films.
Because at some point, my
sensibilities kick in.
I work on instinct. I can’t
depart from that. I can’t
suppress that. It would be
unnatural and would show
badly in my work. That is
something I don’t want.
WHICH WAS THE
LAST MASALA MOVIE
YOU ENJOYED?
Padmaavat! Also, when
you’re in post production
and editing, you’re seeing
something for 8-10 hours
a day, then you can’t
watch another film for
relaxation. So when
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
released, I wanted to see
it because my assistant is
a huge Star Wars fan and
my son (Samay) has also
turned into one. I enjoyed
watching the film. Also,
when we were on a family
vacation in Kashmir, we
caught up on all the other
episodes as well. When
you are making a film,
you go into a cocoon and
remain unconnected with
the world outside. There’s
a backlog of films I haven’t
watched. There are a
whole lot of films that
I want to see. I’m looking
forward to watching
Sanju, Manto, Thugs of
Hindostan and Zero.
YOU WERE SUPPOSED
TO BE MAKING A FILM ON
NEELESH MISRA’S BOOK
ABOUT THE INDIAN AIRLINES
FLIGHT 814 HIJACK...
The project belongs to
Vishal Bhardwaj sir. A
couple of years ago, we
were in conversation and
it was sweet of him to say
the after Talvar, I should
be making that film. But
somehow, he got busy
with Rangoon and I got
busy with Raazi. I don’t
know where the project
is right now. Vishal sir
has to decide. Currently,
I’ve signed on with Ronnie
Screwvala for a film on
the life of Field Marshal
Sam Manekshaw. I’m
both extremely scared
and excited.