Aiyyaa: Going wakda

Was it a deliberate attempt to portray the characters in a loud manner?

I have borrowed the style from popular Marathi films and from my language. Hindi films are familiar with the loudness of Punjabi characters whilst showing comedy. In Aiyyaa,I have woven the pattern of what a loud Maharashtrian family would be when it is performing in a dramatic zone. It had to be insane and loud for me to show that the girl not only has fragrance around her but also wants to seek solace from her family whom she finds unbearable.

Is it a realistic portrayal of how a normal Maharashtrian family would behave?

Yes and no. In cinema,the characters evolve from your own imagination. Hence,I cannot precisely say that they are absolutely realistic or not. Aiyyaa is the product of my own fantasy and reality.

When I make a film,a pilot or broad outline is sketched and the tenor decided so that I know how my characters are supposed to behave. Whatever you see on canvas,was deliberate and everyone was told to act in a loud manner.

Is Aiyyaa a remake of your award-winning Marathi film,Gandha which was a compilation of three short films?

From the beginning Anurag Kashyap and I had planned to remake the first part of Gandha. That was the premise from where we took off.

What was the contribution of Anurag Kashyap who is also the co-producer of the film?

Anurag has nurtured the project by supporting it and standing by me. He has provided the infrastructure and helped in bringing Rani Mukerji and Prithviraj on board. It was because of him that the story was presented to Viacom18,co-producer of the film. Apart from this,he has not interfered in the creative process. I had written the script with Rani in mind. Prithviraj was recommended by a friend in Kerala,as I wanted a South Indian actor.

Prithviraj plays the role of a brooding character,with hardly any dialogues.

That is the way his character was sketched. It is the basic pretext of the film.

What kind of audience response has the film garnered?

It was a completely divided response. People are either completely loving it or hating it. I am happy that the audience is responding in such a manner as it was meant to be that way. You either love or hate the film,there is no midway. At present,I am trying to absorb their reactions.

As long as you can make the film the way you want to,you have to accept the criticism along with the compliments. I gracefully accept their verdict.

The film opened in a confusing manner,with the depiction of song sequences from other films. What was the idea behind this?

I wanted the film to begin that way as that is the basic plot. I did not want to confuse people. The idea was to show that the protagonist Meenaxi (Rani) is dreaming about Sridevi,Madhuri Dixit and Juhi Chawla.

What about Rani’s dance moves? Did they have to be so in your face?

Everything I wanted to express and show in the film is for you to see. I felt it was required and I stand by my work.

Will your next film be in the same vein?

I haven’t decided it as yet.

farida.khanzada@expressindia.com