Raju Hirani on 3 idiots!

TallyHo thumbnail
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Posted: 16 years ago
#1
Raju Hirani aka the creator of Munnabhai is not a wildly funny man though he is given to fairly frequent bouts of laughter. At the moment, he is
completely immersed in the editing of 3 Idiots; while doing so he enters that world and actually forgets the real world, he says. We drag him back to answer some questions....

Say something Munnabhaiesque
No tension. Apun hai na. (laughs)

When making Lage Raho Munnabhai did the success of Munnabhai MBBS put any pressure on you and is a similar pressure delaying the next in the Munnabhai series?
It's actually how you look at it. I have never looked at it as pressure from any quarter. If at all, it's me who keeps pressurising me and that bogs me down. I actually work too hard on my scripts. I keep asking myself, "Is it good enough?" I'm not usually worried about what somebody else is going to say. You need to feel very happy about what you are doing. If you are not happy, then there is pressure.

We (Vinod Chopra and me) are not trying to cash in on the success of the two Munnabhai films. If we were doing that then we would make one Munnabhai every year. We would have Munnabhai cartoons, comics and animation. We could actually milk the brand in that sense. The reason for not actually making another one is because I am working on the script and I am not happy with the final script which is also what happened with Lage Raho Munnabhai. I took so many years to make it because I wasn't too happy with it.

You have to strive to think of a unique idea and sometimes, for that, you have to keep waiting till it strikes you. With Munnabhai Chale Amrika, I have reached a stage where I have found a completely unique idea. It is not a 'fish out of water' situation in which two characters go from this world to that world. That's done to death. It's not as simplistic as that. It's much funnier and much deeper.

How does a comic scene evolve?
It's not about evolving a comic scene or a dramatic scene. You just do whatever the story needs. I work with Abhijat Joshi and we completely go by the gut feel of the scene. If it is a comic scene and when I am narrating, we look into each other's eyes and if it makes us laugh, then that is a scene that is working. And when it is an emotional scene, our eyes get wet. So it's completely from within, rather than structuring it, or trying to manipulate it.

You have worked with an intelligent actor like Aamir Khan (3 Idiots) and a less structured actor like Sanjay Dutt. How is your approach different with actors?
Sanju (Sanjay Dutt) is completely an instinctive actor. If I ask him for a rehearsal, he will look into my eyes and say "What? You want to rehearse one month in advance?" which is completely impossible. And I know if I make him do that, he will come prepared and will fail miserably. But if I ask him to do something impromptu, he does it the way you want it. If I think it's not right, then he will instinctively do it another way. Then there is Boman Irani, who, if I don't rehearse with, will die on the sets. So he has to be prepared a month in advance. Like when he was playing Lucky Singh, I had to take him to meet some Sardarjis, he had to sit with them, he had to drink with them, he had to observe them, video shoot them. Arshad was completely given the lines, he got the gist and modified them. If I tell him to follow the lines as given, he will not be able to do so. So with every actor, you have to realise his strength and utilise it. Like Aamir loves to get involved with the script, he analyses the script, he prepares a lot. There is a completely different joy in working with Aamir.

But that's the job of a director. When you work with Boman, as you enter the set, you have to go to his van and hold his hand and talk to him for 10-15 minutes every day, otherwise he feels neglected. I may not do the same with Aamir. I know he has rehearsed and understood the script and he will come on the sets and perform. Actually direction is also about human resource management.

What happens when there are three very individualistic people like you, Vinod Chopra (as producer) and Aamir Khan involved with a film. Do sparks fly?
It works like magic. Vinod is a great producer. He takes care of a lot of the producer's problems, so that's an area I don't have to worry about. Actually, in the last two films I used to get involved in the production too. This time, I am running out of time, I am locked up here editing while he is taking care of marketing, and distribution. Aamir says he is good at marketing, and somebody else is good at distribution, so everybody is doing their defined roles.

How true are you keeping 3 Idiots to the book by Chetan Bhagat Five Point Someone?
3 Idiots is inspired from the book but it is completely different. I would say just five per cent of it is the same. Books and films are different. So the moment you decide to pick up a book and make a film as it is, it will be a disaster. It's a nice book, but it's anecdotal and films can't be anecdotal. It has to have a story. The reason I mention this is because people should not go to the theatre thinking, we are going to watch Five Point Someone and later find out that it's a completely different film.

When you get stuck with your writing, what do you reference for inspiration?
I actually don't go back to films or even books as reference points. If we get stuck when writing, we keep prodding at it and don't move ahead. Abhijat and I do very stupid things if we get stuck at something. We move out of the house for a walk and tell ourselves that we won't return till we get a solution. There have been times when we haven't returned till five in the morning and 99 per cent of the time, we have cracked it. We could be sitting at Bandstand at 4am and are just about to go back, suddenly one of us will say, "Lets try for three more minutes" and in those three minutes we will generally get a spark of an idea. We actually work for 16-18 hours everyday on the script. Abhijat stays in the US, I work through the day and send him an email. He works through the night and sends me an email. We completely work like maniacs. We do stupid things. Like once we stopped at a signal thinking over a scene and we didn't realise that we had stopped there for 20 minutes. Mostly we pick up stories from our life.

Raju Hirani's favourite five films
1) Pyaasa. It's one of Guru Dutt's finest works.
2) Anand for the kind of story that it is - a dying man still trying to live a great life.
3) One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest is one of my favourite films. I love stories where you fight against the system for your rights. That's what came through in Munnabhai too.
4) Amol Palekar's Golmaal. It's a funny film. The whole idea of making a film revolving around a moustache is a unique idea.
5) Lagaan again for its unique idea. For me Lagaan fits the bill of, theoretically speaking, a perfect script.

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-Divyaa- thumbnail
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Posted: 16 years ago
#2
i love his films and he seems a great person too ,can't wait for 3 idiots.
415781 thumbnail
Posted: 16 years ago
#3
Thanks for the interview. I am glad they moved away from the book for the film. I am not a fan of Chetan Bhagat's writing. Looking forward to the film.


TallyHo thumbnail
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Posted: 16 years ago
#4
I am so relieved to know that it is only inspired by the book...coz the book ,tho'a very breezy read, wouldnt make a very good film if translated to celluoloid verbatim!
desigal90 thumbnail
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Posted: 16 years ago
#5
That's why there's so much confusion about aamir and kareena being paired up.
Coz sharman and kareena get married...and in the book neha is paried wtih sharman's character, but in the movie she's also paired up with aamir, so that will be interesting.
And kareena plays a doctor in teh movie...which isnt the case with teh book I believe.
TallyHo thumbnail
19th Anniversary Thumbnail Rocker Thumbnail + 2
Posted: 16 years ago
#6

Originally posted by: bluemoon86

Thanks for the interview. I am glad they moved away from the book for the film. I am not a fan of Chetan Bhagat's writing. Looking forward to the film.


ya Chetan bhagat is a very...if I may use the word.."casual" writer but I like the fact that he uses very contemporary subjects and characters..."the three mistakes..." is his best work till date...he seems to be improving his style and story telling with each book...maybe he will blossom into something a lil later 😊
293418 thumbnail
Posted: 16 years ago
#7
This was a very nice interview. To echo the chorus, I am very glad it is not a faithful adaptation because I think this will allow Hirani to make a better film. Also, it was nice to hear of the different working styles. Although I wonder how Boman feels about the comparison of hand holding to free rein with Aamir. Usually, Rajkumar Hirani films have really nice trailers, so I think my expectations will be higher when I see a promo or something.
TallyHo thumbnail
19th Anniversary Thumbnail Rocker Thumbnail + 2
Posted: 16 years ago
#8

Originally posted by: desigal90

That's why there's so much confusion about aamir and kareena being paired up.

Coz sharman and kareena get married...and in the book neha is paried wtih sharman's character, but in the movie she's also paired up with aamir, so that will be interesting.
And kareena plays a doctor in teh movie...which isnt the case with teh book I believe.

i am going to watch it for Raju's prowess!😊
TallyHo thumbnail
19th Anniversary Thumbnail Rocker Thumbnail + 2
Posted: 16 years ago
#9

Originally posted by: dizzyonlemonade

This was a very nice interview. To echo the chorus, I am very glad it is not a faithful adaptation because I think this will allow Hirani to make a better film. Also, it was nice to hear of the different working styles. Although I wonder how Boman feels about the comparison of hand holding to free rein with Aamir. Usually, Rajkumar Hirani films have really nice trailers, so I think my expectations will be higher when I see a promo or something.

😃 ya i wonder , too!
MalahFirangi thumbnail
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Posted: 16 years ago
#10
thanks god its not same as book now i can say one of the best 2009.

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