Dollar Drama

Somewhere between the time when the US was reeling under the economic slowdown and Barack Obama’s swearing-in as the 44 th P resident of the United States,filmmaker Subhash Kapoor was rejoicing over the inspiration for his next script at his Malad West apartment in Mumbai. “It was ironic how because of the slowdown in the US,producers in India were scaling down budgets. I could not find any producer willing to take on my films,so I thought of writing a story based on the effects of recession,” says 37-year old Kapoor,a two-time filmmaker whose,Phas Gaye Re Obama,is on its way to becoming a sleeper hit if box office recoveries are to be believed. Ever since its releases across metros,on December 3,the movie has received overwhelming response in multiplexes. “I am astonished by the response. But it was a topical subject,” adds Kapoor,whose first film,Say Salaam India (2007) ,tanked without a trace. Kapoor bases his story in the goonda raaj belt of Western UP’s Bulandshahar district,where even the organised extortion and kidnapping racket is reeling under pressures of recession. In the film,an America-based NRI businessman returning to India becomes the story’s protagonist,as he seeks to sell his ancestral property in return of liquid cash,to pay off the mortgage on his US home. But things turn around when he gets kidnapped by local goons for ransom. Realising he is broke,the NRI devises a strategy that rewards everyone equally with cash. The story’s roots deal with the aspirational nature of people,from Washington to western Uttar Pradesh. “I spoke to a journalist who covers UP and he told me how the extortion business was affected due to the slowdown. Goons were charging higher ransom money now,” says Kapoor,who wrote the screenplay and dialogues. A former TV journalist from Delhi,Kapoor’s fascination for UP stems mainly from his previous experience of reporting on current affairs,elections,honor killings and abductions in the area. “I also had friends from the Hapur and Western UP belt,” he quips. The film with non-mainstream actors Rajat Kapoor,Manu Rishi,Amol Gupte,Sanjay Mishra and Neha Dhupia,was produced by first-time producer Ashok Pandey with a modest budget of Rs 3 crore. The lack of mainstream actors was not a conscious choice. “The script did not require larger than life actors. I was just looking for good actors,” contends Kapoor.

Up next for him is Jolly LLB,a satire on the Indian judicial system,also pitched in Meerut,UP. “In my case,all stories and characters automatically originate from UP,” he says.