Face off

quot;It was a ghazal about separation, and the first thing I did was toss out the traditional sad themes like death and mourning. It had to be something different, and in keeping with the dignified images of both Jagjitji and my father.quot; And it wasn8217;t easy, considering she had never even picturised a song in her entire life.

Different8217; seems to be the catchphrase that makes 25-year-old Meghna tick. While her contemporaries from thefilm industry are gunning to carve a niche for themselves on screen, she prefers to stay behind the camera and make a mark from there.

quot;I was always certain that I8217;d be involved with something creative, and it couldn8217;t be acting. There8217;s a certain flamboyance, some flair you need, to be an actress and pull it off when there are over 900 million people looking at you. I don8217;t have it. Furthermore, I8217;m an intensely private person, I couldn8217;t live up to that kind of scrutiny.quot;

So, behind the scenes it was8230;

quot;Yes. I was anchoring a show at one time, when I found myself more interested in what was happening on the other side. So I thought, why not?quot; With creativity in her blood, Meghna first thought she8217;d give a shot to professions like architecture and interior designing, which seems pretty mundane by comparison. What decided her was that she was useless with Maths, and therefore, couldn8217;t even qualify, Meghna says seriously.

So, what happened to anchoring?

It was and is stillaround. But now there8217;s more of direction, which began with Saeed Mirza, who Meghna was chief assistant to while making an NFDC production, Naseem. It went on to become an award-winning venture.quot;Working with him was wonderful. He is very young in his thinking he8217;s open to ideas, takes the trouble to communicate and is a great teacher. And most important was the fact that Naseem was not a commercial venture; it was a project we wanted to do, and enjoyed.quot;

What about working with her legendary father, Gulzar?

Meghna assisted her father with a TV serial, Kirdaar, seven years ago, after which she was the chief assistant director for Hu Tu Tu. n So, how were her experiences while working with him? quot;Vastly different. My father had yet to come to terms with the fact that I was no longer the kid he used to change diapers for. And he would not react so well when I8217;d suggest a different shot or something. There were clashes and friction, and it took a while for us to get attuned to each other.quot; And a wholelot of good came out of the process a sensitive film like Hu Tu Tu, for instance.

So who can tell this serious, and somewhere, angry young woman where she8217;s going wrong?

Pat comes the reply: quot;My mother. She8217;s my biggest critic, and very vocal about it, and sometimes, not tactful at all. But then, I know where she8217;s coming from, and even if it doesn8217;t sound constructive, I can take it well. My father, on the other hand, doesn8217;t criticise. He merely makes suggestions. They strike a good balance in that department.quot;

After a music video as successful as Sham se8230;8217;, aren8217;t the wannabe music sensations beating her doors down to have her direct something for them?

quot;No. I haven8217;t even got one call yet.quot; There are film scripts under discussion, but it would be premature to talk at this early stage. There is also another TV programme she8217;s anchoring and one she8217;d like to direct, but Meghna doesn8217;t really want to talk about any of these things.