‘Cast a Muslim superstar, but protagonist has to be Hindu’: Honey Trehan recalls how film with ‘Muslim hero’ was nixed; says Haider can’t be made today

With Panjab ’95 still stuck with the CBFC, has the reception of Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders come as relief that there’s still scope for socio-politically aware films?

That’s always been the case. In fact, the reception to Raat Akeli Hai 2 is even bigger than that of the first part. That was really surprising for me. I think that’s because the points we’re making are very relevant in today’s times. There’s a section of society you should not neglect. They’re not a small section of India. In fact, they’re India themselves.

Raat Akeli Hai writer Smita Singh told me she’s getting reactions like “Oh, the servant did it! How predictable.” What’s your response to that?

These are some things people do because they’re being over smart. But what they don’t realize is they’re killing the viewers’ interest in watching the film. When you watch Raat Akeli Hai 2, you also intend to neglect that person. It’s only when he reappears that you think the reasoning is correct. Though I don’t endorse what Om Prakash did, but that’s the poor guy. If we don’t pay attention, what would he be left with?

How much having been a casting director help in being a better filmmaker?

It does, to an extent. When I’m developing a film, it always helps if you know who will play these characters. Luckily, I got everyone I wanted in my film. Who would’ve thought Deepti Naval could play Guru Maa? Even she said, “I have a 50-year career. You’re putting me in this kind of a getup!” But eventually, when I showed her how it’s going to look, she got so thrilled. And she said, “Let’s do it.” Even with Revathy ma’am, we chopped off her long hair. She told me, “It’s great Dr. Panicker is a woman because it’s a character with a certain kind of muscle, so directors would tend to cast a man.” But I give that credit to Smita. When I went to Rajat Kapoor, he even said, “Can Dr. Panicker not be a male character so that I can play that one?”

Deepti Naval in Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders.

Panjab ’95 could’ve been your sophomore directorial. What’s the current status of that film?

I’m still waiting for the answers. The cuts that have been given to me are 127. See, I’m not against the cuts. I’m very happy to do even 150 cuts if they’re legitimate or being given to me by the court of law. But if any government or people in power say this doesn’t suit our politics, then it’s very subjective. I’d really wish my freedom of expression be protected, which seems very difficult in today’s times. Probably, it’s not a propaganda film. It doesn’t work in the favour of the sitting government.

It’s 10 years of your producing partner Abhishek Chaubey’s Udta Punjab (2016), which also had its fair share of troubles with the CBFC. How has the situation changed over the past decade?

It’s become worse, for sure. Those at the CBFC are definitely taking advantage of what they do. They’re misusing their power. They’re trying to please the sitting government so much that they’re trying to control the narrative. Uss poori chakki mein koi na koi toh pis hi raha hai. Not only me, there must be other filmmakers also.

What helped Udta Punjab get a rightful release, which isn’t possible for Panjab ’95 today?

There was a tribunal, FCAT (Film Certification Appellate Tribunal, which was abolished by the Indian government in 2021). After that, we went to the court, fought a legitimate legal battle, and won. I’d like to believe we’d have won this time as well, but my producer (Ronnie Screwvala of RSVP Movies) was pressurized — or a better word is, threatened — to pull out the case from Bombay High Court. If one isn’t even allowed to fight in the court, the government is taking power in their own hands by snatching my constitutional right. That’s ridiculous! You don’t know where to go in this kind of a scenario.

How are you so sure that you’d have won had the case not been withdrawn?

In the course of the trial period, the CBFC changed their lawyers just to buy time. It gives you the impression that something is fishy. When the fourth lawyer was presenting his arguments, the Lordship asked him to watch the film first since he had newly joined. The Lordship’s reading of the film was completely different from the learned lawyer, who said there’s a separatist/Khalistan angle. The Lordship asked if they’d even watched the same film. “Since when have the courts started working on assumptions?,” they asked. When the learned lawyer argued there could be a law and order situation in Punjab, the lordship said that’s the state government’s lookout, not the CBFC’s. The Lordship said the film should come out without a single cut because it’s based on legal documents. My producer was then called to Delhi, and asked to also withdraw the film from Toronto International Film Festival. We don’t even need a CBFC certificate for screening our film there. But that’s what happens with abuse of power. The arm-twisting never ends.

Would you have done things differently had you been the sole producer on Panjab ’95?

That’s very difficult to say. Ronnie has been a very gracious and great producer, whom I truly admire. I’m still very hopeful that possibly, it’s happening at a very low level. The actual people in power may have not even watched the film yet. I’ve discussed the matter with people in government departments in Delhi, and they have no idea. We’d requested the I&B Ministry to watch the film. Ronnie and I were called to their office and told, “When the right time comes, we’ll tell you.” We were ready to release the film overseas, but days before that, Ronnie got a call by somebody that it wouldn’t be taken in a good taste. So, we had to withdraw the release.

Do you think the Hindi film industry was also far more united at the time of Udta Punjab?

Yes, I believe so. You can’t make Udta Punjab or Haider in today’s times. Whoever from the film industry has watched the film privately has loved it. Now, I’m not even allowed to do my private screenings. I was told the Punjab law and order situation can get affected, but I fail to understand then how can very sensitive films like The Kashmir Files (2022), The Kerala Story (2023), Emergency (2025), The Bengal Files (2025), and The Sabarmati Report (2024) get not only released, but also get tax-free and a standing ovation in the Parliament. Law and order in those respective states is intact. Only the Punjab law and order would disrupt the unity of the nation? Perhaps if I had a Muslim as a villain or if I showed Muslims in negative light, then I would’ve also gotten standing ovation in the Parliament.

Javed Akhtar has maintained that the film industry can’t be divided on political lines. Do you believe that political polarity has also trickled into Bollywood now?

Yes, for sure. I think it has changed a lot. There’s a loss of involvement. In today’s times, there are so many films where you can have Muslim A-list actors, but the protagonist has to be Hindu. I don’t understand why that’s the case. At one point of time, I was involved with a film that’s just going to get released. It’s based on a true-life Muslim character. But because it’s a big budget film with an A-list star, the character has been made Hindu. So, somewhere there’s a fear in society that probably the people in power don’t want to see a real-life hero come from a minority, whether it’s Sikh, Muslim or Christian. I’m not saying that’s what they want, but that’s what I feel when I look at the overall scenario.

Diljit Dosanjh in Panjab ’95.

Is it a conflict of interest if Panjab ’95 actors Diljit Dosanjh and Arjun Rampal also act in films with different politics, like Border 2 and Dhurandhar?

No, whatever I’m making, my actors and characters need to be true to that. I have nothing to do with what they do in their personal lives. Diljit’s support has always been there. Whenever I speak to him, he really tries to empathize with me. It’s not something in our control. We all know the reasons. It’s sad, but we can’t do anything beyond a point. Diljit has been very vocal. He shows up whenever and wherever he can.

Would you do a film that you don’t align with politically, probably in exchange of Panjab ’95 getting cleared?

No. I won’t do a single cut on this film, unless it’s coming from the law. If I don’t understand the politics or the right reasoning to tell a story, if I’m not honest with it, it’d be very difficult for me to do a film. I’m not here to support anybody’s personal or political agendas. I’m not here to be anybody’s mouthpiece.

Even Kangana Ranaut, a sitting BJP MP, had a tough time getting her film Emergency cleared without cuts linked to the Khalistan issue. If she has to compromise too, where’s the hope?

That depends on how many cuts were asked. I haven’t watched the film, so it’s very difficult for me to say. But that was cleared by the court? Allow me to go the court? Every political party will have their agenda, but you can’t take away people’s constitutional rights. It’s not in good taste.

Given that making a film today is such an uphill battle, do you miss being just a casting director?

It’s not that I was only a casting director back then. I was also Vishal Bhardwaj’s associate director for 15-16 years. Luckily, he also began giving me a separate casting director credit from Makdee (2002). That was one of the first times that casting directors were professionally recognized. So, I thought I’d do casting for other films for survival, but guru toh ek hi ho sakta hai. The first film I was technically hired as a casting director was Delhi Belly (2011).

Imran Khan and Anushka Sharma in Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola.

Speaking of Delhi Belly, Imran Khan recently revealed that Vishal Bhardwaj cast him in Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola (2013) for a “dishonest reason”, purely on the box office he could bring to the film. Was that the case?

Yes. To make that film, you needed an X amount of money. That was only coming in with Imran because he had three consecutive hits at that time. So, it was Vishal sir’s decision to go with Imran. See, filmmaking is definitely passion-driven, but is also a very big business. When Ajay Devgn couldn’t manage dates, there was another star in consideration. But we weren’t getting the amount we needed to make the film. So, the studio only suggested Imran. I also respect what Imran is saying because somewhere, he’s also coming from a right place. But then you both decide to give it your 100% and see it through.

Have there been casting choices Vishal Bhardwaj wasn’t initially convinced with that you made him see reason to?

There have been many. Amol Gupte in Kaminey (2009). Usha Uthup in 7 Khoon Maaf (2011). She hadn’t even acted before. When I used to read the character Maggie, I thought of somebody who’s lovable, but if it gets to her, she’d eat somebody up. I had the image of Usha Uthup because she has that persona. She said, “I’ll be very happy to do it, but do you think I can do it?” I said, “I don’t know, but if you’re excited, we can make it work.”

Usha Uthup and Priyanka Chopra in 7 Khoon Maaf.

Was it difficult to cast the seven male actors in 7 Khoon Maaf, given it was headlined by a woman, Priyanka Chopra?

Not really. There was only one role, which Irrfan Khan did, that was difficult to cast. Actors didn’t want to play an impotent character. But the great Irrfan sahab could see the beauty in that. The way he got the feminine touch to his body language is outstanding!

You’ve brought some very promising talent to Hindi cinema, like Diljit Dosanjh in Udta Punjab. How did that casting happen?

I’ve always followed the script. Sartaj’s character had a lot of innocence, given what his family was going through. When you already have Alia Bhatt, Shahid Kapoor, and Kareena Kapoor, then you can definitely take a chance on a newcomer. When I was doing readings with Kareena because the lingo was Punjabi, she came up with the suggestion, “Why can’t we cast somebody from Punjab?” When we narrated the script to Diljit, he was in tears. He’s a very simple person. It’s very difficult to meet a person like Diljit in life today.

Diljit Dosanjh and Kareena Kapoor in Udta Punjab.

Shahid and Kareena didn’t have any scenes together in Udta Punjab, but have you ever faced any challenge while casting two actors who don’t get along?

No. That’s all in the news, but there’s no base to it. I wanted to cast Chitrangada Singh in Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders, but somebody told me she’s had a major fallout with Nawazuddin Siddiqui over some film she walked out of (Babumoshai Bandookbaaz, 2017). But when I asked her, she said she never had any issues with Nawaz. He also said he’d be very happy to work with her. There was an issue with the director (Kushan Nandy). But the news becomes big only when the actors are involved.

Another find of yours has been Ishaan Khatter in Beyond the Clouds. Tell us about that casting?

Ishaan was an AD on Udta Punjab. It was a difficult one to crack because we did some 2,000 auditions. Still, I felt I wasn’t getting the right guy, but I knew that energy. Somewhere, it had crossed me. Then I thought of Ishaan and gave him a fictional screenplay. I sent him to the slums, asked him to negotiate with the fisherfolk, and told him to look for a place to rest there at night. Five of my assistants, whom Ishaan didn’t know, were following and capturing him. I edited that footage and gave the clip to Majid sir. He said, “That’s our guy.”

You and Chaubey have also launched Konkona Sen Sharma as a director under your banner McGuffin Pictures. How did A Death in the Gunj (2016) happen?

Abhishek had just finished Udta Punjab. I was coming out of Talwar (2015), where I was the Creative Producer. While doing different things, we realized it’s high time we have our own identity. I came up with the name McGuffin Pictures being a fan of Alfred Hitchcock. In fact, it was today 10 years ago that we launched McGuffin Pictures. Vishal sir had told me about how Konkona’s film wasn’t working out. I read her script and told her, “Koko, I don’t have a company yet, but we want to start it with this film. Just give me six months, but don’t pitch it to anyone else till then.” She started smiling and said, “Honey, not just in Mumbai, but even in Kolkata and Delhi, there’s not a single door I haven’t knocked. So, I don’t have anyone else to pitch it to. So, you take your time.” As luck would have it, six months later, I was at the Cannes Film Festival with the film’s trailer. It went on floors immediately. We got the budget of Rs 4.27 crore, and we ended up making the film in Rs 2.9 crore. So yes, that was our first film.

Also Read — ‘I can write Ram aartis’: Why Javed Akhtar is clashing with AR Rahman over Bollywood’s ‘communal’ shift

Speaking of first films, are you disappointed you couldn’t direct Sapna Didi?

Whatever happens, happens for a good reason. That was probably not for me. I’m more happy with whatever else is happening to me. But I’m glad that film is finally getting made. The cast is fabulous. It’s a great script. I’m very hopeful. I’m really looking forward to O Romeo.