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The Adnan Patrawala case of 2007,in which a Mumbai teenager was killed by his three online friends,not only shook filmmaker Bejoy Nambiar but also inspired him to make a film on the darker side of human nature. The result is Shaitan,Nambiars debut film that has opened to mixed reviews this week.
I was clear that it would not be a boring retelling of murder facts. I wanted to keep the plot real as well as entertaining,and something that the audience can relate to. I wanted it to be something one can watch repeatedly, says the Nambiar,32,about the 120-minute-long thriller. The response has been encouraging,especially since I did not have a producer till the last moment, he adds.
Nambiar,who also has an eight-minute short film,Reflections (1995),to his credit,worked as an assistant director with Mani Ratnam in Guru and as the line producer in Raavan. But directing feature projects was always his aim,and he achieved that in part after winning a reality TV show,Gateway to Hollywood,which offered him a chance to work with Hollywood producer Ashok Amritraj. Shaitan was initially in English,meant to be shot in Mumbai. But Amritraj wasnt too kicked by the script so we parted ways, sighs Nambiar,who fought off the temptation of joining his fathers textile business.
For the script of Shaitan,Nambiar did not restrict himself to the Adnan Patrawala case. Shaitan,a story of five rich-and-reckless youngsters from Mumbai,who live in their universe of drugs,alcohol and clubbing until their lives get mired in kidnapping,ransom and blackmail,also borrows from the 2006 Alister Pereira hit-and-run case and a Colaba guest house murder giving fiction a dark and realistic edge. There is always a dark side to us which manifests itself in pressure situations.
I have tried to expose that in the most graphic,yet entertaining manner, says Nambiar,who researched for the film through 2007,by spending time at police stations.
He spent a year casting and pitching the script to other producers. His prayers for a producer were answered once Anurag Kashyap agreed to take up the project. Anurag was instrumental in meeting my requirement of actors like Pawan Malhotra and Rajeev Khandelwal. He set things up and gave me complete liberty with the budget,which is under Rs four crore, explains Nambiar,who is conscious of the constant comparisons with Kashyaps style of films. No matter how much I refute it,people will always compare me with Anurag. It is unfair,since Anurag had no hand in the script, he continues.
The film has been shot in digital format with a feel of Mumbais street action and scenes from Bhindi Bazaar and other markets. There is also a liberal use of hi-speed cameras for stylistic impact in a scene.
Nambiar has already locked the script of his next project and is in pre-production work.
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