In love with love

Mausam is special for many reasons,but the most important of all is the subject. We don’t do classic love stories like these anymore. We mostly have rom-coms that revolve around issues between man and woman and their understanding of love. That’s nice and exciting,but not larger-than-life. Films like Veer Zaara,Mughal-e-Azam and Titanic make one feel that unconditional love exists even today. Watching these films makes you want such improbable love to come into your life too.

But isn’t that representation of love misleading?

We all have the ability to love unconditionally,but we are scared to share it with a partner. We instead reserve it for our family. The fear probably stems from the fact that we are never sure if the relationship will work,whether the love will be reciprocated. Yet,I connect with the idealistic optimism of love on the celluloid. You have to look at it for what it could be.

Which is your favourite romantic film?

I remember watching Titanic with a group of male friends. We expected it to be a chick-flick,but found ourselves hiding our faces so no one could see the tears in our eyes. I also like Mughal-e-Azam,Devdas,Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge,Maine Pyaar Kiya,Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak and Jab We Met. I didn’t want to name one of my films but then Jab We Met deserves to be mentioned.

How does love evolve in Mausam as your character’s graph changes?

The film spans ten years and revolves around a Punjabi boy and a Kashmiri girl. So it starts with me as the young adolescent good-for-nothing chap Harry who falls for Sonam Kapoor’s character,Aayat at first sight. But given the societal norms,he cannot dare to approach her and chooses to look at her from afar. As the film progresses and Harry becomes an air force officer,the romance is mature and very proper.

How was your vision for the film different from that of your father’s?

It was difficult to understand how dad saw Punjab. His understanding of the place comes from personal experiences whereas mine comes from its portrayal in films. While shooting on an early morning,I noticed smoke outside the houses. I was told that they were buckets of coal which are used as heaters to keep the house warm in winter nights,that were being extinguished with water. Also the fact that according to the rules of that society,if you walk up to a girl and chat with her,you’ve as good as had your first date.

Is your father a strong influence on you?

Yes,every time I watch him on screen I realise how bad I am at my job. He is inspirational and has tremendous passion and single-minded determination towards his craft. Even at the age of 58,he wakes up with so much drive,which is a great quality.