17 April 2014, 11:32 AM IST
From a doughty debut in 1997 (Jayate) to being written off mid career, to winning the 2014 National Award - 'Best Director' for Shahid (which also won the 'Best Actor' award), director Hansal Mehta has toughed it out in an industry that is as rewarding as it is unsparing.
He talks to me about his daunting yet unyielding journey in filmmaking, the overwhelming response for his award-winning film, expectations from his upcoming film Citylights, his voluntary sabbatical and his steely determination to come back.
How does it feel to be finally rewarded for all those years of hard work in an industry where you've constantly felt like an outsider?
I feel vindicated. Every filmmaker wants to make films that he will be remembered by, much after his death. As Mahesh Bhatt said after watching the film, "this is your obituary." Shahid's success is a victory for honest intent and linear, non-manipulative storytelling. I just want to make films and tell many more stories without having to adhere to the mainstream construct or the mediocre mindset. I hope Shahid's recognition does that. My only regret is not having my mother around to witness this recognition. Wish she had waited.
This is a triumph for the spirit of Shahid Azmi and for the undying spirit of my team. Like Shahid, they never gave up. I owe every bit of the success to the team that believed in me while I was written off by many within and outside the industry.
How did you cope with that? Has it helped you come out stronger?
I had realized that I was trying to belong to a system that had no place for an outsider. The need to belong separated me from my inner self. I left Bombay for a small village on the outskirts of Lonavla to reboot my life, where I spent nearly three years reading, blogging, cooking and spending time with my loved ones. I also took charge of a social enterprise founded by my wife where I worked with international students designing and implementing experiential learning programs for them. Interacting with students, witnessing social change and looking at a world beyond cinema opened my mind and heart. I lived an idyllic life until I read about Shahid Azmi's death in the newspapers. I realized I had to make a film on his life and eventually realized that films are indeed my life! Shahid helped me emerge stronger. His character continues to inspire me. Adversity doesn't bother me any more. I am more committed to being honest with myself and my output now.
After much critical acclaim and now a National Award for Shahid, are expectations absurdly high for Citylights?
I have seen too many lows in my career to get weighed down by expectations that are externally thrust upon my work. Citylights (releasing May 30) is again a film made with fearless passion. It is a new journey and like every film it is a new beginning. The only thing I carried forward fromShahid was perhaps some members of my team and the confidence to make my film without fear.
What drove you to make Citylights?
Rajkummar introduced me to Vishesh Films who along with Fox Star Studios had acquired the rights to Metro Manila (Britain's 2014 Oscar entry for the Best Foreign Language Film category). A director looks for a producer who has faith in him and gives him the freedom to follow his creative vision. I was apprehensive initially as the production house had worked with mostly in-house directors who had emerged from within their ranks and l was a rank outsider in their setup. But after meeting Mahesh Bhatt and realizing that they did want to make a film with the resonance of Arth, Saaransh, Naam and Zakham, I took up the challenge. Mahesh Bhatt asked me to take the script and give it my fearless interpretation without any creative interference from him. I was allowed actors, crew and production support of my choice. It was interesting to make a film as independent-spirited as Citylights for a production house that has succeeded immensely in the past with their definitive brand of films. The experience has been exhausting at one level but highly energizing at another. Not watching the film will be audience's loss.
How has your journey of filming Citylights been? Have you wound up shooting?
Citylights is currently in the final stage of post-production. The film has been very challenging emotionally and physically. I chose not to watch Metro Manila, on which Citylights is based, as I didn't wish to affect my instinctive response to the story and characters. Within the basic screenplay there were many layers that I wanted to explore. In Citylights, I have delved into values, family, love, greed and desperation through the narrative. I've tried to go beyond the surface of the screenplay and tell a story that, perhaps, unfolds at different levels in all our lives. I would often return home and tell my wife that I felt drained emotionally. We've shot at hostile locations in sync sound with almost no artificial light. The entire unit, including the lead actors, was intentionally deprived of the luxuries that they would get on other film sets because I wanted them in their environment throughout their shoot. To their credit they reposed faith in me and made many difficult situations quite easy to handle.
I believe that my films are made at the editing table and this film was no exception. The film's narrative has been shaped thrice. First, when Ritesh Shah wrote a very tight screenplay. Second, when I shot and discovered scenes from the characters' lives that did not belong to the original screenplay. Third, when we edited the film where material was delicately restructured and shaped by my friend and editor Apurva Asrani. This is also my second consecutive film with Rajkummar Rao. Just like in Shahid, he seamlessly and effectively fits in here as Deepak, the hapless migrant who must protect his family from the city's darkness. Casting Director Vinod Rawat gave me an ensemble that allowed me the freedom to explore scenes beyond the written word and to improvise without affecting the film's powerful context. Other important roles have been played by Patralekha and Manav Kaul, both truly delightful actors. There is honesty and surrender in their performances that made some of the moments in Citylights magical. I salute them for tolerating a director like me.
Why would you say that? Are you a tough task master?
I would like to believe I am a tough task master with a gentle manner. Though, people I have worked with can tell better. I thrive on improvisation and pulling out layers hidden in the actor's emotional reservoir which can be exhausting at times. But to be fair with myself, I think we also had a lot of fun. I don't want to make films any more without having fun making them. The process has to be enjoyable for everyone involved.
What has changed from Jayate, your first film, to Shahid and now Citylights, 17 years after? What's different about being in the director's chair?
Nothing much except the grey hair on my head! I am still a restless soul and get terribly nervous on my first day of shoot. I still reach the set with the fear that I have forgotten my craft. I still marvel at the magical universe that unfolds between the innocuous words 'action' and 'cut'. I still enjoy the process of making movies more than I enjoy watching them. The only reality I have begun to accept now is that we are temporary companions in a long journey. We are together in the process with equal intensity for a purpose. Once the purpose is fulfilled it's time to move on. Temporary relationships don't bother me anymore. In fact, I cherish them.
What next after Citylights?
Shahid's success has buoyed me to continue telling stories that I would earlier be reluctant to even pitch to actors or studios because of their unusual nature. There is a film that I am planning with Nawazuddin Siddiqui based on a true story which I hope to begin later this year. It is again a story that looks at our hypocritical society through the life of its very fascinating protagonist. It is a film that is highly sexual in nature and is quite a scathing look at our world. There is another film for which I will commence pre-production at the same time. This might be one of my most ambitious films till date and will hopefully have me coming together with Rajkummar again. First things first though! All I want right now is a holiday in the hills and some time to cook!
One last question. A film you wish you had made and why?
Arth. It's a story I would have loved to interpret, about relationships I would have loved to explore further, with actors I would have loved to direct. I started my career trying to deal with the crisis of old age and 'maqsad' of Saaransh, with Jayate. Somehow, Mahesh Bhatt's earlier films always touched a chord in me and somewhere might have been responsible for my decision to make films. And now I am making a film for his production house.
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I feel vindicated, it is a triumph for the spirit of Shahid Azmi: National Award winning director Hansal Mehta
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