Suitable Boy

Rajpal is a part of the advertising world,and was busy making campaigns until another adman-turned-filmmaker Pradeep Sarkar asked him to turn cinematographer for the Rani Mukherjee-starrer Laga Chunari Mein Daag. “But donning the directorial hat was a dream that I had cherished for years,” says Rajpal,talking of how he had used up all his savings to make the film.

The action begins in the Delhi University campus,where the protagonist Raghuveer falls in love with a class-mate called Sia. This results in an accidental pregnancy,and when Raghuveer announces the news to his conservative parents,the explosion of emotions is just the beginning of a series of tumultuous events.

The film follows Raghuveer to the narrow streets of Kanti,Bihar,where his parents have fixed his marriage with another girl. When Raghuveer refuses,he is kidnapped by the girl’s family and married off to her; both are then shut in a room to consummate the marriage.

“Groom kidnappings were rampant in 1980s in Bihar and is still prevalent in some pockets of the state due to the inherent social stratification based on social and economic inequality,” says Rajpal. “For research,he met many young men who had been kidnapped and forced into marriage.”

He roped in actors Vinay Pathak,Raja Chaudhary and theatre person Swati Sen. “I wanted to use a local cast in order to preserve the authenticity. I felt that this personal story had wider social ramifications since the final outcome remains sadly inconclusive,” says Rajpal.

He submitted his film on the last day for the National Award and was surprised when the call came. “The National Award feels wonderful. I hope more work comes my way in terms of direction,” he says. He is back in the familiar world of advertising,but he’s saving up for his next film. We are waiting.