25 years of Dushman: ‘If Ashutosh Rana’s villain still scares you, I feel fulfilled as a director,’ Tanuja Chandra revisits her debut

 

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In this interview with indianexpress.com, Tanuja discusses one of her most critically acclaimed films, which turned Ashutosh Rana into an instant new-age Bollywood villain. Dushman (1998) was Tanuja’s first film as a director and she was very clear of what she didn’t want in her debut. Calling it a “difficult watch” at that time, she says, “It was given an A certificate… it’s not an easy watch. I wanted to portray the violence of rape in as raw a manner as possible, without the slightest hint of anything titillating. Rape is brutal and extremely frightening, I think it damages the psyche of a victim for their lifetime, and effects entire families and generations. I wanted to get this across not just through the character of Gokul Pandit, but also the guilt and pain that the mother and sister feel. So, if it still scares you to watch Ashutosh Rana after all these years, as a filmmaker I feel fulfilled by this impact. We as a society must never minimise the horror of rape.”

Dushman was actor Ashutosh Rana’s debut film and he went on to play a string of negative roles after that. He also won awards for the performance.  When asked if she takes credit for showcasing his acting skills through this role, the filmmaker shares how, being a director’s actor, he “didn’t hold back at all”.

“Ashutosh submitted himself to my vision completely. And he didn’t hold back at all. He worked with passion and dedication to bring this terrifying character to life. I can’t remember a single instant when he appeared weary or unexcited. I was thrilled to have an actor match steps with me in a difficult role. And the accolades as well as awards he received made us all very happy.”

While Dushman was one of the most thrilling revenge dramas at the time, its music acts like a balm with Lata Mangeshkar songs like “Aawaz Do Humko,” “Pyar Ko Ho Jane Do,” and the heartbreakingly beautiful “Chithi Na Koi Sandesh” by Jagjit Singh. Tanuja shares, “I have had the good fortune of working with some stalwarts in Dushman and I am indebted to this day. The great Anand Bakshi saheb wrote lyrics, veteran editor, Waman Bhonsle cut the film, Lata ji and Jagjit Singh sang songs, not to mention, . Mahesh Bhatt as creative producer and writer. I was surrounded with fabulousness in this film! After Tamanna and Zakhm, it was wonderful working with Pooja Bhatt as producer as well.

“What I learned during the making of the songs and all technical aspects of the film is useful to me in my work, even after 25 years. We are no longer working with film negatives, but the mechanics of storytelling hasn’t changed. Its form might have undergone change but the simple bond between a character, an emotion and the viewer still depends on one’s heart being touched,” she adds.

Dushman had Kajol playing a double role of twin sisters. After one woman is raped and killed, the surviving sister wants answers and revenge. Sanjay Dutt played a visually-impaired former armyman who trains her so that she can wreak vengeance. Calling Kajol a ” brave and tough actor”, Tanuja reveals how she took on such a “heart-wrenching” role.

“Kajol is an actor who brings real feeling into her performance, more so when the scene is an emotional or heart-wrenching one. She would often ask me to enact something when she would feel overwhelmed, or maybe when she felt she wouldn’t do justice to a moment. I would throw myself into the expression of it, whether anger, love, fear or devastation. And then she would do it with utter conviction, and deliver something truly memorable. She is a brave and tough actor, she isn’t scared of going into dark areas of the mind. And yes, it would affect her deeply at times. Today we would possibly have a counselor on set, and rightly so. It’s not easy to rip open one’s heart, it requires psychological and emotional support. I’m happy that these conversations have begun in the film industry,” Tanuja reveals.

Talking about the depiction of sexual violence in films, the director said she didn’t like the way rape is shown as a “sexual act” on screen because it is a “sexual assault”. “Rape has often been shown as a sexual act on screen and I have huge issues with that. Rape is sexual assault and should never be depicted as anything but the violent, terrible act that it is. I was very clear about this and had no plans of making it look titillating in any way at all. In Dushman, the rapist was a heinous criminal who deserved fierce punishment, period, and that’s how I approached the story.”

1998 was indubitably Kajol’s year. After Dushman, she was seen in yet another blockbuster, the Karan Johar directorial Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Opening up about how she managed to get Kajol to do a double role in her film, Tanuja said, “Kajol is a sincere and straightforward person. She met me for a narration and agreed to come on board in the first meeting itself. An actor looks for parts where they get to play unusual characters, and ours being a story where the woman was the protagonist was extremely interesting to be a part of despite the challenges, and despite working with a debutante director.”

Sanjay Dutt also played a role that came as a surprise to his fans. “Sanjay was closely known to Mr Bhatt, they had a long-standing association. Pooja and he were buddies too so he was happy to come on board without being insecure about his role being smaller than the female protagonist’s. The part also touched him – a blind army officer who helps a young woman get justice. And though I was a debutant whom he hardly knew, once we began shooting, a wonderful friendship developed between us. Sanjay is someone who brings so much affection to the job when he cares for the people in a project and I really enjoyed working with him,” she said.

On a parting note, Tanuja shared how 1998 turned out to be milestone year in her career, especially because there were only a handful female filmmakers at the time. “Yes, I would call it a pretty gutsy start. Given that there were just a handful of female directors and hardly any films telling a woman’s story. But for me, it has always been a simple decision: I direct a film only when I love the story. And then there is nothing that dissuades me. When the film was released and was appreciated, I even received awards – I was elated. However, before its release I had started working on my next feature already. A long journey had begun,” Tanuja concluded.