Absolute power

After Apaharan in 2005,Raajneeti comes after a long hiatus.
I work on one film at a time and also take a long time to research and write. My subjects are not conventional. So it is difficult to weave a story like that overnight. There are people who write a script overnight,but I cannot do that. Also,the last five years were spent on a lot of indulgences. Bihar took a lot of my time. I wanted to improve health care,set up multiplex cinemas and make some investments in Bihar.

Like most of your previous films,is Raajneeti too based in Bihar?
This is not based in Bihar at all. The film is in Hindi. So it could be any Hindi-speaking state. We haven’t given it a name. The film deals with the politics of the state,with big business leaders,politicians and prospective chief ministers.

How did you choose Katrina Kaif to play a strong female character?
Katrina suited the character. Also,she is fresh and hasn’t been challenged as an actor. She is extremely honest and continuously works on what she has to do until she has perfected it. I have been amazed at her tenacity and dedication.

People complain about her accent and Hindi-speaking skills,but she will surprise you by being completely prepared with her dialogues.

Do you feel that the much talked-about chemistry between Katrina and Ranbir Kapoor will help the film?
Chemistry between all actors has to work,otherwise the film doesn’t work. It is not a usual love story where they are hugging,singing,and doing silly things. This required a different kind of understanding,manipulation and viewpoint. But they both suit the film tremendously.

Ajay Devgn is a constant in all your films. Have you formed a pact with him?
Ajay as an actor is absolutely economical. He does not register himself as a star on the sets and he mixes with everyone. He always suits the kind of character my film needs. We will soon be doing a film again.

How did Sarah Thompson land up a role in Raajneeti?
We auditioned in Los Angeles and I found her perfect for the role — she plays Ranbir’s girlfriend in the movie. She is from Hollywood and has done quite a few films there.

You started your career doing documentaries and art films. Was the transition to commercial cinema difficult?
I still do documentaries. In fact,Sonal Mansingh won the National Award for Best Documentary couple of years back. With the onset of the new variety of experimental cinema,the meaning of art has changed too. It is no longer the neo-realistic kind of cinema,like Damul and Parinati that I directed in the ‘80s. The subsidiary to art cinema stopped flowing when NFDC’s role changed with the economy changing and the market opening up. I had to learn the language of commercial cinema; I did that with Mrityudand. I used big actors,songs and dances,and this was a good change. But through my production house,I encourage smaller films,like Alankrita Srivastava’s Turning 30 which is up for release next.

Haven’t you thought of giving your films Damul and Parinati a theatrical release now?
We did not find a buyer at that point. There has been talk of showing them in theatres now,but for that we need to publicise them. But the distributors are worried whether we will be able to recover the publicity cost.

Hasn’t your production house thought of venturing into TV?
We have developed a TV series called Bahubali for Mahua channel. Now I have a TV channel of my own called Morya TV,a news channel in Bihar and Jharkhand.

Post Raajneeti,will you be working on another film soon?
There are some ideas which have been worked out. Aarakshan,a film on the reservation system in the society,is one such. It is a difficult subject but we have worked a script out.

Will you be keen on doing more family-oriented films like Dil Kya Karen or Rahul?
I am exploring a relationship-oriented subject. Let’s see how it works.