Reality Check

Director ASSHU TRIKHA on why Koyelaanchal has done well at single screens and about making a hard-hitting, realistic film

Koyelaanchal

Koyelaanchal has done extremely well at single screens. Did the response meet your expectations?

■ We have attempted to raise a very sensitive issue through the film. A lot of research and detailing has gone into making this film. I am quite disappointed with the response, as I expected more people to watch it, but that did not happen. However, through word-of-mouth, people are becoming aware of the film and are liking it too. I believe, there are certain films that take time to pick up.The film has done extremely well at single screens and interiors of Maharashtra, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand and the entire North belt. The film did not connect with the urban audience, as it was not a masala film, so the target audience was limited.

How did you decide on casting the actors in the movie?
■ I decided to cast Suniel Shetty and Vinod Khanna as I have worked with them earlier and share a good rapport with them. Vinod Khanna who plays the ‘Godfather’ in the film is brilliant. I was also very confident about Suniel Shetty, despite the fact that the audience would see him in a clean shaved look from his younger days almost after 15-20 years. He plays an IAS officer but has very limited action.

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The critics felt that there was too much brutality in the film. Comment.

■ I disagree completely, as I have depicted reality that is prevalent in our country. Living in a metropolis like Mumbai, we do not realise the circumstances under which people in the Northern belt live. While the critics will praise the violence shown in a film like Kill Dil, and call it a cult film, they will denounce the violence shown in my film. Out there, a handful of powerful people define the laws and everything works according to their dictates. One has to experience the kind of existence these people lead to understand their plight.

What was your experience while you were shooting in Jharkhand, which is a Naxal area?
■ I was very scared as the security of the actors was my biggest concern. The local government had provided three jeeps of commandos to take care of us. I do not know whether the Naxals were aware of our presence but the locals were happy when they realised that we were making a film on them. However, the critics response has hurt the sentiments of these people.

What are the aspects that you kept in mind while dealing with a sensitive subject based on the mafia?
■ My prime concern was to make an authentic film. There is a scene in the film, where the boys are dancing, dressed as females. Any other film-maker would have easily put an item number but I focussed on their food habits, lifestyle and their culture. At the pre-production stage, I took care of all the details, so that everything went off smoothly. I have shot on real locations and nothing has been created for dramatic effect.

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