“I Like the Formula”

knew it’s not going to happen within Rs 8 crore because of the action and location. Bullett Raja’s character needed a star who could pull in the crowd. I’ve always thought ki Saif bahut khula hua actor hai. An actor has to be a little besharam,somebody who is ready to lose inhibitions,and not be conditioned to do the right thing. That’s why a little child or an old man is always watchable. Saif has proven himself on that front several times. He is also a good draw at the box office,so he’s a good mix of both qualities. And you have to exploit a star’s image to your advantage. I used to perceive Saif as this urban,naughty and charming man. He is not fully innocent,you know thoda haraami lagta hai. I have tried to retain that here.

Was it tough to get Saif to deliver a rustic accent?

He has said his dialogues very well. I didn’t have to break my head over it as I thought I would. Only the body language sometimes became a problem. The way he would put his hands in his pocket or hold a cigarette — I had to make sure woh westernpana nahi hona chahiye. But it’s always interesting to make an actor do new things. Had I worked with an actor who has a vernacular image,it wouldn’t be as exciting.

Your films are a mix of realism and entertainment. How much are you influenced by the Hindi films you have grown up watching?

I have always loved Vijay Anand,Raj Khosla and Bimal Roy films. They are aesthetically correct,have great songs and make for excellent entertainment. That balance is always nice. Moreover,my stint with Shekhar Kapur (he was an assistant director in Bandit Queen) and Mani Ratnam (he wrote the screenplay for Dil Se…) helped. Films such as Sholay,Ganga Jamuna,Mother India and Pakeezah — where the landscape became a character — also influenced me. Earlier we used to make stories for characters who were unique,flamboyant,large-hearted,robust,macho and feminine. I don’t see these people in society anymore. We live in an age of lost hope. Characters who don’t lose and fight authority are interesting to watch. People like these become heroes.

The realism is important. Small cultural details — their body language,how he is holding a glass of water or how he greets a friend — become important because they shape the characters. And it doesn’t always have to be small town,which has become a big cliche. Every city except Mumbai in India,even Chennai,Kolkata or even Delhi is in the small town bracket these days. I think Dil Chahta Hai was the most rooted urban film I have seen. I didn’t live that South Bombay life,but I had friends from those circles,and I could instantly connect to it.

In one of Bullett Raja’s trailors,the hero is introduced with references

to Sudama,Bheem and Raavan.

How much does mythology affect your films or for that matter

Hindi cinema?

Mythology reflects in my writing. It has a bit to do with my mother being a Sanskrit professor. We worship Hanumanji every day. Our Hindi film heroes,in many ways,are our superheroes. They are always righteous in a certain way,they are against the authority and can’t be controlled yet they will keep their word. Bullett Raja is like that. He is

like a wild horse,like the iconic characters Billy the Kid,Butch

Cassidy from the American Western classic films.

Bullett Raja seems closer to formulaic,heartland blockbusters we have seen lately. How do you deal with the formula?

I like the formula. Vijay Anand made all kinds of film — from romcoms like Tere Ghar Ke Samne to thrillers like Johnny Mera Naam to a profound experience like Guide. I also want to do it. What’s wrong with it? I don’t want people to bracket me as an arty filmmaker.

Academy award-wining filmmaker Asghar Farhadi in a session at the recent Mumbai Film Festival said that Indian films are losing their Indianness. What is your opinion on that?

It’s true. When art cinema came to India it was actually aping the Eastern European films,which were made post WW II,following a period of gloom,sorrow,alienation and hopelessness. That neo-realism was never our attitude. Our cinematic idiom was still Bimal Roy. The other kind of arty,slow paced cinema is nice but it’s more suited for workshops and it’s not inherently Indian. We are loud people,our culture is on the face. We aren’t subtle at all and we should not be ashamed of it. I’ve seen that students or filmmakers fresh out of film schools are ashamed of Hindi cinema,which is not correct. I started watching Godard,Truffaut,Bergman when I was in class 10. I knew I was watching something important. Sab dekha hua hai,

samjha hua hai,but my language is still rooted cinema.

Your role as Ramadhir Singh in Gangs of Wasseypur has become a cult. Do you intend to act more often?

I didn’t expect such a response. I’m not an actor. I won’t ever take up deeply investing roles or where I have to test myself for a “performance”,I will only do roles my friends give me,which aren’t that difficult to perform.

You once wanted to make Hamlet. What happened to it?

I have done the play as a student,but while attempting the film adaptation,Sridhar Raghavan and I realised that it’s difficult to crack it. Hamlet’s internal conflict,that comprises the heart of the story,appears fake,and is not suited to cinema.

What about Milan Talkies?

Milan Talkies is my first out and out love story. We are still in the process of casting for it. I have been working non-stop for the last three years and I badly want a break. Then I will write and see what comes up.