Capturing the Change

Film Khamoshiyan combines three genres-erotica, musical and supernatural thriller.

Vijay Singh, Ali Fazal, Sapna Pabbi, Mahesh Bhatt and Gurmeet Chaudhary at the event. (Source: Express Photo by Pradeep Kocharekar)

In 2002, when Raaz released, the Central Board of Film Certification(CBFC) got the makers, the Bhatts’ Vishesh Films, to bleep out the cuss word spoken by a female character in the film. Thirteen years later, Khamoshiyan, which has its female lead cursing multiple times, has been cleared by the CBFC without any cuts.

According to Mahesh Bhatt, producer of both the films, this change is a reflection on how society has become more accepting. It also indicates the different contexts in which directors use cuss words today. While in Raaz it is said almost apologetically, the character essayed by Sapna Pabbi in Khamoshiyan says it with nonchalance. This, according to Bhatt, is also an achievement of sorts as it is representative of how the films made by their banner have successfully captured the evolution of society and women’s roles in it. “Khamoshiyan has a song called Bheegh Loon that talks about female desire,” he said at the Screen Preview of Khamoshiyan at Express Tower, Nariman Point, on January 7.

Bhatt assumed the role of a friend, philosopher and guide to the film’s young star cast — Ali Fazal, Pabbi, Gurmeet Chaudhary — as he took part in the informal chat session about the film releasing on January 23. Also present at the event held was CEO, Fox Star Studios, Vijay Singh, co-producer of the movie.

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“It is hard to survive in this industry over a weekend, so if we have been here for 40 years, we must be doing something right,” Bhatt said, emphasising on making films that connect with the youth. According to Singh, in the last two decades of his work experience, he hasn’t seen an audience so hungry for new, young actors. “They look for actors, characters they can identify with,” he said.

For the three young actors — while Fazal is three films old, Khamoshiyan is the debut of both Pabbi and Chaudhary — working under a known banner was as inspiring as it was nerve-racking. Chaudhary recounted how nervous he was when he first met Bhatt, whom he is a fan of. “When Mukeshji (Bhatt) asked me to meet Maheshji, I was so intimidated that I ended up addressing him by the former’s name,” says Chaudhary, a TV actor from the popular serial Punar Vivah. He added that the line between TV and cinema is blurring and it is becoming easier for TV actors to make a move to the big screen now. “Sushant Singh Rajput’s successful transition from TV to Bollywood has also helped open doors,” he said. Singh, meanwhile, observed that the crossover of talent within TV and films is a healthy sign for the Indian entertainment industry. “The West is going through a reverse process now where more movie stars are working for TV; I believe we are at an early phase of that,” he said.

Pabbi, who has appeared in the Indian version of the American TV show 24, spoke about how Khamoshiyan gave her the scope to project herself as more than just a pretty face. “My character breaks stereotypes,” she said, without divulging much about the thriller. But Khamoshiyan isn’t a horror film in the conventional sense, clarified Fazal. “It is an erotica, a musical and a supernatural thriller,” he said.

Bollywood has always been on shaky ground when it comes to the supernatural genre. But Bhatt, whose banner is known for producing low-budget films, believes that isn’t the case anymore. “We are able to take our cinema to more magical spaces because of the rise of the homegrown special effects companies,” he said, hoping that Khamoshiyan will prove the point.

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