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Do you think not having established names in the starcast was the reason for Zed Plus not doing well at the box-office?
First of all, my film was about a puncturewala, a guy who repairs tyres, and no big star would have wanted to play a poor worker. Moreover, I wanted someone who was talented, yet could look like a puncturewala and then a politician. I found Adil Hussain perfect for the role. And rightly so, he has done a fabulous job, as have all the other actors. But when I met some distributors they told me that my film should either have a star or great music for it to draw the audience. That’s when I realised that we have still have a long way to go when it comes to experimenting with different genres in Hindi cinema.
Was it difficult for you to accept the failure of the film?
Nobody can deny that Zed Plus is a clean film. I have been travelling to many places since and not one person has told me that they have not liked the film or that they have not enjoyed it. The critics trashed the film but they spared the work of the technical crew which, to me, was a positive sign. I had the best of people in different departments and was happy that their work was not ridiculed. There was cameraman H. M. Ramchandran, production designer Muneesh Sappel, action director Sham Kaushal and many others who are experts in their fields.
The film was released alongside the Emraan Hashmi-starrer Ungli and Zid, an erotic thriller, yet when it came to content, Zed Plus was a better film.
Yes, but those films did better at the box-office.
Considering the audience enjoys masala entertainers, what were your expectations when you went about making a film with a non starcast and set it in a small town?
I did not expect this kind of an ‘acceptance’ at all. Unfortunately, in the interiors of North India like Jharkhand, Benaras, Lucknow, Nagpur, people were not even aware of the film’s release as there was no publicity, hoardings or even advertisement in the local papers. We faulted also as we did not promote the film very well in the North where Zed Plus is actually set in. Since the film caters to the problems of small town people, we should have cashed in on that. Then there would have been chances of the film doing better, at least in these places, as people would have identified with it. It’s a lesson learnt.
What has this failure taught you?
That I should take at least four months to promote my film and make sure that it reaches every corner possible. I must also tell you, Pinjar, my earlier film, was badly trashed by the critics when it released in 2003. Today the same people are telling me that it is a classic and a landmark film. Same, I hear, was the case with films like Mera Naam Joker, Teesri Kasam which over a period of time were realised as films that had great potential. Having said that, I will never be able to make commercial potboiler just because of market compulsions. I would rather go back to writing and not make films. In any case, I just have Mohalla Assi which is ready for release though I have to yet fix a date.
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