Vasan Bala unpacks why Monica, O My Darling is his toughest film

What was your reaction when you first read Monica, O My Darling’s script?

When Yogesh Chandekar, who has written the script, narrated it to me, I was hooked to all its twists and turns; I knew I wanted to direct this movie. The book was chosen by Sriram Raghavan for adaptation and that was another reason why I was drawn to it.

You wrote your previous two features, Peddlers (2012) and Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota. How was the experience of working with a scriptwriter?

There is only a slight difference at the initial stage because I hadn’t worked on it from scratch. During the reading, one can make out what’s not working. With each reading, we tweaked something. I’m glad I took it on since this experience has given me the confidence to work with other like-minded people.

What was challenging about working with an ensemble cast?

Due to the second wave, our schedule went haywire. Huma (Qureshi) had to shoot a certain number of days before leaving the city. Radhika (Apte) could travel from London only after a particular time. It so happened that all the big scenes, in the second half of the movie, were actually shot first. We didn’t have the luxury of shooting chronologically.

Was Radhika Apte’s character of a corrupt cop supposed to be a female from the beginning?

Yes, I really wanted Radhika to play the role of ACP Naidu. So, I tweaked it a bit to suit her.

Radhika Apte in a still from Monica, O My Darling.

All the women characters in the film have strong personas.

Monica, O My Darling is my toughest film, in that sense. Traditionally, noir is entrenched in misogyny. From where do terms such as femme fatale and gold digger come? From a deep-seated patriarchy. I wanted the characters to be interesting, flawed and complex. Huma has an amazing personality that flows on screen. Similarly, I wanted the characters essayed by Zayn Marie Khan and Akansha Ranjan Kapoor to speak to the audience.

With Qureshi’s character Monica, are you trying to subvert the idea of the femme fatale?

Being subversive, at times, can seem patronising. In fact, noir women in certain movies — for instance Gilda (1946) — have been fighting misogyny in their own way. Huma’s character thinks she is absolutely right in doing what she wants. The idea was to express the truth of her character — we are not judging her. She has gone through hardships. Only she knows what’s right for her.

Tell us about the retro feel of composer Achint Thakkar’s music, which plays a significant role in the film.

For the film’s music, I wanted to go back to the era of Shankar-Jaikishan and RD Burman. While Burman is celebrated, Shankar-Jaikishan are kind of forgotten even though they had an amazing range. We wanted to create music that contemporary listeners will also enjoy.

For Monica… we have used orchestra singers, who often try to sound like the established singers. Anupama Srivastava, who has sung Yeh ek zindagi, is not an imitator though she is a fan of Asha Bhosle. She is living that style. Similarly, for Farsh pe khade, we found Sagnik Sen, who does ‘Hemant Kumar nights’ in Kolkata.

There is an obvious Johnny Gaddaar (2007) vibe in certain scenes.

I absolutely love Sriram and the casting, dialogue and music of that film. He has dedicated his life to making films of a particular genre. There is no one like him. He is an absolute master. I am glad that we can be in the same room as him and be privy to his process.

The fight scene between Qureshi and Rajkummar Rao is one of the highlights of Monica, O My Darling.

For Raj’s character, killing someone is not easy, especially when it’s Monica. I wanted Monica to be physically strong. So, it’s a contest of equals. The challenge was to start it in a lighter vein and keep amplifying the intensity. Raj and Huma treaded the line so well. Never once did they make it look like slapstick.

You had once said that producers find your writing strange and don’t know what to do with it. Has that changed?

It is a slow and steady process. People like Sanjay Routray (producer of Monica…) have warmly embraced my work and given me complete freedom. They gave me a script that they had developed and let me make it my own. People back projects these days, not vision. But Routray and Netflix have extended that kind of support to me.

Since the movie’s release, people have been spotting and sharing many film references and tributes in it.

We were sure during the pre-production stage that we would be putting these in the background. Some acting tributes were improvised. For instance, Huma asking Raj to say: “Monica, jaan meri” (which is a hat-tip to the famous scene from the 2004-movie Maqbool featuring Irrfan and Tabu). Discovering these references can go on forever. People can make their own assumptions. That’s how I have consumed cinema, like many others.

A still from Monica, O My Darling.

The movie has reminded many of old Hindi entertainers. Do you believe that we have moved away from them?

I am a product of old-school cinema. I don’t think we have moved away from that. Every generation will come up with its own voice. There was a time when every film had songs. Then came a time when we didn’t watch songs. It’s cyclical in that sense. However, filmmakers shouldn’t fall into the trap of what the market needs.

You received some extreme reactions for your interpretation of Satyajit Ray’s story in the Netflix series Ray. How did you process that?

If you are touching Ray, you should expect those brickbats. I didn’t want to make it as a sincere, front-bencher. It was always going to be a rogue interpretation. But it did find love from some unexpected quarters. I can’t touch Ray’s movies. But if I have to adapt his stories, then I have to make it my way. If I try to be like him, I will falter. In spite of the criticism, I appreciated the child-like love people have for Ray. It’s the child in them that makes them hate this interpretation. Because it’s their childhood memory that has been tampered with. If I adapt his story again, I will probably make it the same way or even more intense.

What are the movies you wish you could have made?

Even if we wish, we can’t recreate what the masters have done. For instance, the songs in Johny Mera Naam (1970) are so perfect. For my generation, Mr India (1987) would be the movie that one aspires to recreate. It presented a very different palette. Till then, we had drama and an angry Amitabh Bachchan. By blending Brahmachari (1968) with Star Wars (1977-), Shekhar Kapoor created something that we had not seen. Mr India has the scope for reinterpretation although hardcore fans may not agree.