It almost seems like that the purpose of these posters is to engage those who sit there waiting for him as was the case with this writer.
Dhulia is on a roll as he has three major releases coming up this year: Shagird, Sahib, Bibi Aur Gangster and Paan Singh Tomar. The first of them is Shagird which releases on Friday.
Eventually, after finishing what looked like an important meeting, the director arrived, apologising profusely for the delay, and we started chatting. Excerpts from the interview:
You specialised in acting from National School of Drama. How did direction happen?
When I was in NSD, I acted in a play which was a disaster. I realised I am a bad actor but always had an interest in films. I was an assistant for Ketan Mehta's Sardar and Arundhati Roy's Electric Moon. While I was casting for Bandit Queen, Shekhar Kapur liked my work and made me an assistant for the film.
As a casting director, what is one thing that you seek in an actor?
The person should physically look like the character. The actor should have a good on-screen presence with at least a little acting ability.
After assisting on films, why did you go onto the medium of television? (Shows like Krishna's Dream, Hum Bambai Nahin Jayenge and Just Mohabbat?)
While I was assisting Shekhar Kapoor, he got busy with two of his films Dushmani and Time Machine and left the country. I was handicapped without him. During that time, the only way to become a director was to assist somebody and try and get close to the actors or producers and later pitch them your own idea. But I was not fortunate enough for that. I was a married man, so I did TV to earn a living but I simultaneously wrote for a lot of films. Also, TV was much better then. Hum serials bade pyaar se banate thhe uss waqt. (Back then we made serials with much love).
You went through a very rough patch after you made Charas.
Post Charas, I began filming for Killing of a Porn Filmmaker. We shot the film for merely 7 days and the producer ditched me. Then I started a period film called Ghulami with Sunny Deol. The producer of that met with an accident and did not recover for a year and the movie got stalled. I lost 3-4 years of my life and went into depression.
How did you get out of that bad phase?
'Shagird' is an adventurous film'
Varun Vazir, May 13, 2011, 11.25am IST
Tags:
* Shekhar Kapur|
* Nana Patekar
I got myself a Labrador and named it Action. Just so that I could say Lights...Camera...'Action'. (Chuckles)
Tell us something about Shagird.
The film is about a treasure hunt in the city. The treasure is none other than Anurag Kashyap and everybody is chasing for him. It's an adventurous film. In short, a political drama set in Delhi with a lot of twists and turns.
Why did you cast such unconventional actors in Shagird?
Nana Patekar was an obvious choice. I wanted somebody who doesn't hold a baggage so I picked Mohit Ahlawat and lastly, Anurag Kashyap as I wanted to have a surprise element in my film.
Is it true that this film was completed last year?
Yes, the film was almost completed last year but Nana Patekar injured his leg and the climax was yet to be shot.
Why isn't Shagird being promoted extensively?
I completely agree with you. The promotions are not up to the mark. But the Reliance people (BIG Pictures) have their own agenda. I am doing every bit from my side.
We've seen Nana Patekar play a cop in the past. How different is it this time?
This cop is very humorous and witty unlike what we saw him in Ab Tak Chhappan. We have crispy one-liners throughout the film. Nana's character is also a film buff and music lover.
How do you prepare your actors?
I write and cast myself, so half of my work is done. While shooting, I just execute it. I do not believe in conducting intense workshops; actors lose their spontaneity. An actor should have animal instincts.
You will be seen acting in Anurag Kashyap's next, Gangs Of Wasseypur. How did acting happen after so long?
Anurag's casting director approached me with a role and I accepted anticipating it would be a cameo. However, when I read the script, I realised I was playing the main villain. I play the role of a Bihari politician, inspired by Surajbhan Singh.
What's your take on the recent spate of hard hitting films that have emerged in Hindi cinema?
I feel rom-com and chick flicks are over and done. All this started because filmmakers found a new overseas market and made films which catered to the NRIs rather than the Indian audiences. People were forced to see films like I Hate Luv Storys but due to the growth of multiplex cinemas, things have changed and films like Ishqiya and Dabangg did well critically as well as commercially.
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