Tables turned

You worked on the film while you were still working as a journalist. Was it difficult to balance both jobs?
Not really. About two years ago, my grand-mother passed away, and since she was the only family I had, there was this emotional vaccuum she left behind. I had a lot of time and feelings to be put into something else, and that8217;s how the idea of this film came about. As far as my job in journalism is concerned, it8217;s not a totally mechanical job, and doesn8217;t require 24 hours of my time, so it wasn8217;t very stressful. Besides, I8217;m quite fast at it.

Did you know all along that you wanted to direct this film?
Actually, no. I worked on the script over a period of two years, and then I drove to Panvel to speak to Ramgopal Varma, who I thought might be the right person to direct this kind of a film. Ramu Varma, who was shooting for Kaun at the time, took it to his room at lunchtime and came out after about two hours saying he liked it very much, but asked for some changes. On the drive back home, I thought hard and although I didn8217;t mind the changes so much, I decided against it, because I felt Ramu is individualistic and might not be the best person after all. So I put it on the backburner, until I met Santosh Sivan in Chennai, who kept saying I should do it myself. He really is the one who pushed me. Also, he8217;d met with Karisma Kapoor at the National Awards, where the two of them discussed the script. On their return, they suggested that we do this film together, and egged me on to direct it myself.

Considering you haven8217;t ever made a film in the past, was it difficult to raise finances for the movie?
Initially, I thought we would make a small film under a crore, but I found that people weren8217;t comfortable about giving you eighty lakh rupees because they didn8217;t know what kind of movie you8217;d end up making. Then I went to Pradeep Guha and he read the script, after which he said he would raise the money. He approached his school and college friends and collected the money. The film has ended up becoming larger than I expected. Not because we have stars in the movie 8212; they were always meant to be there. I guess the song picturisations have a more lavish feel. I8217;d planned to shoot at China Creek in Mumbai and other local places, but we ended up shooting in Rajasthan. It8217;s no longer a small-budget film. I8217;d call it a medium-budget film 8212; certainly made under Rs 10 crore.

You signed Hrithik Roshan for Fiza before he became an overnight sensation with Kaho Naa8230; Pyaar Hai. What made you choose him for the part?
I remember seeing him as a child in Bhagwan Dada and thinking that he was terrific. I8217;ve also seen him several times at parties, even at his father8217;s studio in the past. I felt he would be right for the role, but I was unsure whether he8217;d do it, because I thought maybe he wants to be more of a typical hero. But Karan Johar, who knew him and had told him about the role, suggested that I go see him. So on a rainy day in July last year, I met Hrithik with my script. I was not familiar with script narrations, so I just read it to him like I8217;d read a book, and he said yes as soon as I8217;d finished reading.

Was the whole process of making this film a difficult one?
No. It was very easy, in fact. I thought I would be nervous. I thought I might not know where to put the camera, where to make the actors stand, where to shoot from, but none of that happened. Since we had storyboarded most of the film in advance, discussed camera angles and actors8217; positions with the cameraman and the stars we didn8217;t have much trouble. There were times when we had to reconstruct scenes because of last minute hassles, but that happens on every set. My main concern was to make sure that no scene exceeds three minutes. I didn8217;t want the film to get ponderous or boring.

Are you a comfortable film-maker to work with?
I8217;ve been told I8217;m calm. On the exterior I have this Zen-like grin, but inside I8217;m all knotted up. I don8217;t lose my temper on the set, I don8217;t fire people. And I think that has helped a lot, because the pace has been very fast. There were days when we did 70 shots a day, but, of course, credit for that goes to Santosh Sivan who shoots only in natural light.

Has your quot;outsider8217;s perspectivequot; to film-making helped you make a better film than what you see being made around you?
To begin with, I don8217;t know if it8217;s fair to call it an outsider8217;s perspective, because once you like films and watch them so closely, you become a part of the process. Also, my grandfather owned cinema halls, and my neighbours were into the distribution business, so film trials and shootings were always a part of my life. However, yes, having critiqued films for so long now, one is conscious not to plagiarise things. One does try not to make those obvious boo-boos. But then, no film is perfect. There may be some flaws in my film too.

Fiza has been described by many as a non-commercial film. Is that an appropriate description?
It depends. Would you call the films of Mani Ratnam, Shekhar Kapur or Ramgopal Varma non-commercial? That8217;s the kind of style I8217;ve used. But I have used populist ingredients like songs and dances, major emotional overplay, even Johnny Lever. Look, I can8217;t be David Dhawan. But I can8217;t be Mani Kaul either. Ideally, I8217;d like to wear Mr Ratnam8217;s shoes, but perhaps that8217;s being too ambitious. Incidentally, my tastes in film are eclectic. I can enjoy anything from Manmohan Desai to Martin Scorcese.

Between writing film scripts and directing a film, which process have you enjoyed more?
Most of all, I8217;ve enjoyed writing my reviews. Nothing compares to that. I started writing since I was 16. That has given me my greatest satisfaction, my biggest thrill. Making a film was perhaps a more lavish way of writing. I guess I ended up writing scripts and making a film because had I only written reviews all my life, I8217;d have felt stagnated. I believe it8217;s essential to have a second life.

Are you ready to make a film again, once Fiza is released?
I don8217;t think so. Not for the moment, surely. Next, I8217;m going to be working on my book of fiction which I8217;ve tentatively titled The Aladia Sisters. I have a contract with Penguin for that book, and I8217;m really itching to begin work on it. I8217;m looking forward to doing some stylistically inventive writing. I like to play with the language, with the story8230; I like to constantly extend myself as a writer. In fact, I8217;m also thinking of going back to painting. I used to do paint earlier, but for years I have not touched the paintbrush. Last year I picked up some paints and a canvas, but didn8217;t do any work. I want to go back to that.

Did all the three scripts you8217;ve written for Shyam Beneal turn out on screen exactly the way you8217;d conceived them?
Mammo was written a bit like a thriller, in that typical Costa Gavras style. It started out fast, but became more reflective and intimate. Sardari Begum was also more personal than I8217;d expected it to be, but I8217;m grateful to Shyamji Benegal for making films out of them, and they8217;re all very good films. I haven8217;t seen Zubeida so I don8217;t know how faithful the film is to the script, but I can safely say that it8217;s my best script.

How does it feel to be in the dock now? After years of tearing apart others8217; films, the industry can8217;t wait to see what you have to offer8230;
That8217;s constantly being thrown at me these days! It would be nice to have a taste of my own medicine. Several film-makers like Subhash Ghai have said they would like to write a review of my film, but I only wish someone would print the review exactly the way Subhash Ghai would write it. As far as the rest of the film industry is concerned, I8217;m sure there will be venom from some, there may also be some bouquets among the brickbats. After two decades in this job, I know that no film-maker praises another unless it8217;s for an on-the-record story. Ghai bitches about Sanjay Bhansali, and others bitch about their rivals. So I8217;m well prepared. In any case, the film is made for the audience. Sure I8217;ll value a little pat on the back, but only from those I respect. If Mani Ratnam says he likes even five minutes of the film, I8217;d be over the moon.