Rakeysh Mehra colored in happiness

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sheetal

@sheetald

Rocker

Posted: 19 years ago

'Aks' didn't work for him, but the opening figures of 'Rang De Basanti' surely shows that it is way ahead of its other competitors. And the one man who is left grinning is none other than Rakeysh Mehra. His dedication and belief in the project speaks in every frame of the film. Post 'Rang De Basanti' we get in touch with him to learn about his reaction, the kind that his film is getting and unwrap with him many events on the film.

Excerpts from the Interview:

What is the news that you're receiving from the trade about the film?

The response is overwhelming and I hear that it is more than can be expected. I hear that the opening is the highest ever for a Hindi film. The figures are yet to come in. I'm keeping a straight face as of now.

Why was the whole unit tight lipped about the film prior its release?

The film does have patriotic ingredients but it is not a Bhagat Singh or Mangal Pandey film. Aamir Khan has of late worked in patriotic films. I didn't want a wrong word of mouth to ruin the prospects of my film.

The film comes as a refreshing change in Bollywood being one of the most original and with an innovative storyline.

It is very original. Even some events from my real life finds place in the film. When I was doing my education I wanted to join the air force and then when I was in university in Delhi I was a sportsman. But I couldn't cherish my ambitions because I came from a lower middle-class family. Money was more important than anything. I had heard Indira Gandhi speaking and still remember the patriotic songs on the loudspeaker while flying kite. That was the essence of freedom and India I wanted in my film.

What led to the making of Rang De Basanti?

Rang De Basanti might look contemporary but the story and idea was with me in my heart even before I made Aks seven years back. I wanted to make a film Awaaz. Awaaz has led to Rang De. I wanted to make the film with Abhishek, which revolved around boys working in a garage and their struggles with life. At that time I was also toying with the idea to make a film on the life of Indian freedom fighters. I wanted the young people as revolutionaries and titled the film as 'The Young Guns Of India'. Then the patriotic kinds of film started flooding the screens mainly made on the life of Bhagat Singh. I was interested but didn't want to be a part of the rat race. I remodeled my story keeping both the ideas in my mind and wanted to make a film on generation of 17-23 age. We did research on the subject and got out what the Indian youths spoke of. I learnt about their ambition and things that they couldn't connect to India and the revolutionaries of freedom. I wanted to make a film, which could connect them together.

And the characters of the film fit in so fine?

That is true. Aamir doesn't look dominating and yet does things more than I can expect from him. He worked on his accent and lived his character. We wanted to bring the spark out of the hearts of Siddharth and Soha but couldn't do it. And moreover the youth now are more mature than us in case of love. Love rarely has a happy ending nowadays.

Were you ready for the controversies that came along?

Yes I wanted to fight it out. It was a sensitive issue but the defense ministry wasn't too much bothered with the MIG crash. The clearance came rather early in three days. Than the film got postponed and the booking in the theatres had to be cancelled. We were answerable to 550 screens. The joy of releasing the film got ruined in the process. But it happens and it's fine.

What are the strengths of the film according to you?

The cast, Aamir and all of them. The camerawork of Binod Pradhan is world class. The screenplay.