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Ayan Mukerji is a blur in the Dharma office. He has a crucial session with Pritam, some lastminute shots to be canned with Madhuri, his breakfast (egg whites and green tea) to finish and a thousand other loose ends to tie up before he can plan his next big trip to the Himalayas. Which of course, can happen only after Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani releases. Even then, he perches on the table in his cabin, and chats up a storm Excerpts from an interview:
How has Ayan changed from Wake up Sid to Yeh Jawaani?
I feel more confident as a filmmaker. After my first film I felt too young and raw and I looked young and raw as well (laughs). Now that I am truly settling into my groove, there is no cap on that personal growth process. When the film was incepted I did not know how it was going to play out. Part of the journey of making a film is that personal growth that happens insidiously. You know, when you realise you were 10 years old yesterday and now you are 15...
Well, you are turning 30 this year…
(Nods vigorously) It is a landmark of sorts. And that is part of the film as well.
That is the sense one gets from the promos…
That journey or transition from being younger to slightly older, that journey through the 20s is present in the film
Wake up Sid also seemed to draw from as personal an experience.
Did you feel like that? Personal? Autobiographical?
Not autobiographical, but very personal.
That wrestling with the personal is also a part of Yeh Jawaani... In both my films I have written about characters of a similar age as me. That's how the personal theme seems more apparent. Even if I were to make a film about a superhero, I think there is a way for the personal to seep into the work.
How did you cast for the film?
Ranbir is probably the most significant creative collaboration I have had so far. He agreed to do my first film, which was a huge leg up for me. He stood by me on my second film when the idea seemed very amorphous. Up to this point I am still discovering the film but his faith in me is meaningful and has bolstered my confidence. And now the relationship feels like an old marriage.
How's that?
(Shrugs) It's not that exciting. Not like the first film where every day we were discovering something new about each other. Now it feels like old solid comfort. I am now subconsciously writing for him. Deepika was part of my thought process when I first wrote the world of the film. Kalki and Aditya too fit into the parts and helped my film tremendously.
You have shot at some spectacular locations. A standout is the moment when Ranbir and Deepika are on the edge of a cliff. Where is that?
In Manali, right above Rohtang Pass. We accessed that spot in a chopper. I spent a lot of time in my early college days trekking in the Himalayas - my favourite part of the planet.
There is also the shot in which when they are crossing a beautiful valley.
When you gain access in a chopper, there are spots you can reach that would never be possible in real world for trekkers to reach. Certainly not for Deepika and Ranbir who are awful trekkers.
What were the biggest challenges for you while making this film?
In its scale and visual movement, it is much more than what I had dealt with in my first film, which was shot in one flat with two characters. In Yeh Jawaani… every sequence is a whole world in itself. I struggled with logistics, budget and simply keeping it together… But the most difficult thing was truly articulating on paper the story I wanted to tell.
Which is?
You know those seemingly random moments like when you are drunk and dancing at a wedding surrounded by people who have been with you for 20 years. Or you walk into your school after 20 years…. When you go like …shit! I can see the light that makes life so beautiful. This profound feeling is so fleeting and far between and that is where the heart of this film was born. I had to keep it simple, because I also have a great desire for the film to be a commercial juggernaut!
There is a certain joie de vivre in the songs...
The biggest mistake I made in my first film is that I did not celebrate music as much as I have in this film. The big Hindi film songs have gotten associated with films that are not cerebral in some way. For me that is bullshit. The music should express a joy and happiness that you can capture on a CD or your phone and carry with you. And special thanks to Pritam. We have been making this film with a while. Some people stuck by me with some measure of unwillingness. Pritam is the only one who has not tired of this project…
Whose idea was it to cut the promo to end it with Deepika's dialogue: 'Mujhe Tumse Pyar Ho Jayega… Phir Se'?
(Pauses) Honestly, it was the Paddha Brothers who cut the promo. In the film it was very natural when we shot the scene… But with Ranbir and Deepika there is always another layer to be captured because they were in a relationship. Also, it is one of the few scenes that had kind of slightly dramatic overtone and it worked in a double-edged way… whatever it takes to bring the people in!
Given their history, what were they like while shooting for the film?
They make a wonderful couple on screen. They are both at the top of their game. Off screen, none of the relationship baggage was on the table. I have known Ranbir when he was in a relationship with Deepika and I can tell you, they have moved on. Today they are really great friends.
Interesting... not many former couples share professional camaraderie…
Now that you say it… yes. There were some controversial statements on Karan's show as well. Deepika and Ranbir never went down quietly. It is a really amazing place for both of them to have reached. Great for our movies that they are working together. The curve is changing in subtle ways. Ranbir and Deepika represent the gen next actors. Maybe this will be the sensibility going forth from here… that it is okay to be entangled and disentangled and still understand each other and work together.
http://www.mumbaimirror.com/article/30/201...d-marriage.html
How has Ayan changed from Wake up Sid to Yeh Jawaani?
I feel more confident as a filmmaker. After my first film I felt too young and raw and I looked young and raw as well (laughs). Now that I am truly settling into my groove, there is no cap on that personal growth process. When the film was incepted I did not know how it was going to play out. Part of the journey of making a film is that personal growth that happens insidiously. You know, when you realise you were 10 years old yesterday and now you are 15...
Well, you are turning 30 this year…
(Nods vigorously) It is a landmark of sorts. And that is part of the film as well.
That is the sense one gets from the promos…
That journey or transition from being younger to slightly older, that journey through the 20s is present in the film
Wake up Sid also seemed to draw from as personal an experience.
Did you feel like that? Personal? Autobiographical?
Not autobiographical, but very personal.
That wrestling with the personal is also a part of Yeh Jawaani... In both my films I have written about characters of a similar age as me. That's how the personal theme seems more apparent. Even if I were to make a film about a superhero, I think there is a way for the personal to seep into the work.
How did you cast for the film?
Ranbir is probably the most significant creative collaboration I have had so far. He agreed to do my first film, which was a huge leg up for me. He stood by me on my second film when the idea seemed very amorphous. Up to this point I am still discovering the film but his faith in me is meaningful and has bolstered my confidence. And now the relationship feels like an old marriage.
How's that?
(Shrugs) It's not that exciting. Not like the first film where every day we were discovering something new about each other. Now it feels like old solid comfort. I am now subconsciously writing for him. Deepika was part of my thought process when I first wrote the world of the film. Kalki and Aditya too fit into the parts and helped my film tremendously.
You have shot at some spectacular locations. A standout is the moment when Ranbir and Deepika are on the edge of a cliff. Where is that?
In Manali, right above Rohtang Pass. We accessed that spot in a chopper. I spent a lot of time in my early college days trekking in the Himalayas - my favourite part of the planet.
There is also the shot in which when they are crossing a beautiful valley.
When you gain access in a chopper, there are spots you can reach that would never be possible in real world for trekkers to reach. Certainly not for Deepika and Ranbir who are awful trekkers.
What were the biggest challenges for you while making this film?
In its scale and visual movement, it is much more than what I had dealt with in my first film, which was shot in one flat with two characters. In Yeh Jawaani… every sequence is a whole world in itself. I struggled with logistics, budget and simply keeping it together… But the most difficult thing was truly articulating on paper the story I wanted to tell.
Which is?
You know those seemingly random moments like when you are drunk and dancing at a wedding surrounded by people who have been with you for 20 years. Or you walk into your school after 20 years…. When you go like …shit! I can see the light that makes life so beautiful. This profound feeling is so fleeting and far between and that is where the heart of this film was born. I had to keep it simple, because I also have a great desire for the film to be a commercial juggernaut!
There is a certain joie de vivre in the songs...
The biggest mistake I made in my first film is that I did not celebrate music as much as I have in this film. The big Hindi film songs have gotten associated with films that are not cerebral in some way. For me that is bullshit. The music should express a joy and happiness that you can capture on a CD or your phone and carry with you. And special thanks to Pritam. We have been making this film with a while. Some people stuck by me with some measure of unwillingness. Pritam is the only one who has not tired of this project…
Whose idea was it to cut the promo to end it with Deepika's dialogue: 'Mujhe Tumse Pyar Ho Jayega… Phir Se'?
(Pauses) Honestly, it was the Paddha Brothers who cut the promo. In the film it was very natural when we shot the scene… But with Ranbir and Deepika there is always another layer to be captured because they were in a relationship. Also, it is one of the few scenes that had kind of slightly dramatic overtone and it worked in a double-edged way… whatever it takes to bring the people in!
Given their history, what were they like while shooting for the film?
They make a wonderful couple on screen. They are both at the top of their game. Off screen, none of the relationship baggage was on the table. I have known Ranbir when he was in a relationship with Deepika and I can tell you, they have moved on. Today they are really great friends.
Interesting... not many former couples share professional camaraderie…
Now that you say it… yes. There were some controversial statements on Karan's show as well. Deepika and Ranbir never went down quietly. It is a really amazing place for both of them to have reached. Great for our movies that they are working together. The curve is changing in subtle ways. Ranbir and Deepika represent the gen next actors. Maybe this will be the sensibility going forth from here… that it is okay to be entangled and disentangled and still understand each other and work together.
http://www.mumbaimirror.com/article/30/201...d-marriage.html
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