Mohenjo-Daro Updates-Thread closed - Page 31

Originally posted by: AllBlacks1

Ashu's 2 hours is IST... so 2 n half.. not bad! 😆

He still has to promote BB so better not too much b4 ppl say he had fake body! 😆

BOI: But when you start a project, let's sayMohenjo Daro, is it a creative or a commercial call? What is the mix between the two?

SG: It's always first a creative call. The numbers follow and they never match. The economics of the business and the ideas never gel and we try very hard to blend them. If he says he doesn't wear the producer's hat, that's not completely true because we both have a common goal. And both of us can work well only if we work together. It's like being parents to a film. If there are problems, he listens. Many a time, he is adamant but he does adjust. So we put it all on the table. Of course, we do have our differences!

AG: We have tremendous fights.

SG: But they are all work-related and we don't take our work home.

AG: Like I wanted 200 elephants for Jodhaa Akbar and we wanted to make them look like 1,000. We argued about that and she gave me 100, which too is not a small number and we achieved a balance in the compromise.

SG: Once he gives us his requirements, we go back to him and say This is working out too expensive and we have to cut out one thing out of four, and of those four, which are the three that you really want?'

AG: Like Agra Fort... when we decided to shoot at the real Agra Fort, we realised we could not shoot there at all. Permissions were available for either early in the morning or at night after the tourists had left. But that would give us very little filming time. So we decided to recreate the fort in all its glory - the size, the look. The exterior fort wall was turning out to be 70 feet tall and the cost was not working out. Then you brought it down by how much?

SG: Nitin (Chandrakant Desai) said we needed to reduce the height of the wall to 40. But Ashutosh was not prepared to listen to us and said, Do whatever you want, but I want it 70 feet high and I am not budging.' So Nitin and I went and started working at the logistics again. Finally, Nitin and I took a call to keep it at 70 feet because he wanted that perspective and the look was important. So we re-examined the budget to figure out where we could get things at the cheapest rates.

AG: And you brought it down to... ?

SG: We didn't cut anything.

AG: (Cuts in) You changed the material.

SG: (Laughs) Yes, we changed the material. I was not going to bring this up but, yes, we cheated on him with the material. Another instance was there is this scene wherein Jodhaa is cooking and a big kadhai (utensil) was required. He had said a big kadhai'. When we showed him what we found, he said, Not this, I want a BIG kadhai.' So I sourced one from a soap factory and I sent him pictures of the utensil and he said it was perfect. I told him we would have to transport it to the sets with a crane. Then, he was like, Okay, let's do it.' Earlier, when he used to put me in situations like this, I used to panic but now I know my way around.

BOI: You collaborated with UTV on Swades, where you launched a new actress. 10 years later, you will be collaborating with UTV again and launching another actress.

AG: That's so true! Did not realise the similarity. (Laughs)

SG: Actually, he always emphasises on a new heroine as he's looking for freshness, and after all it's his vision and he sees it best. I just try to increase the number so I push for stars.

AG: The casting of the male protagonist is critical for me. He carries the film on his shoulders. Then comes the female protagonist, who might be in a supportive part and a fresh face does justice to that part. Or you make a film which has a hero or a heroine equal in parts, like Jodhaa Akbar, where Jodhaa was as important as Akbar. So I didn't demand a new girl for that film.

SG: (Cuts in) No, there too you started out with a new actress.

AG: (Cuts in) No, not all. I wanted only Aishwarya Rai Bachchan for that film. In Jodhaa Akbar, the actress was also very important. The female character demanded an established actress. What's Your Rashee?demanded 12 characters, so you needed a star and that's how Priyanka (Chopra) came in. Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey needed Deepika (Padukone) to play Kalpana Datta. For Gita's character in Swades, we cast a new girl - Gayatri Joshi. I don't necessarily need a new actress for every film. It all depends on the script. For instance, for Everest (TV show), we cast a new girl Shamata Anchan and two guys - Rohan Gandotra and Sahil Salathia. Similarly, Mohenjo Daro too demanded a fresh face and hence - Pooja Hegde.

BOI: All we know is that Mohenjo Daro is going on the floors next month and that Hrithik Roshan and debutante Pooja Hegde features in it. What about the rest of the cast?

SG: This time, we have a few surprises.

AG: Give us one week and we will announce everything.

BOI: In your movies, apart from the leading jodi or leading man, you usually opt for lesser-known actors in the support cast.

SG: We have, for Mohenjo Daro we have a few established actors in supporting parts.

AG: My attempt it to create a real world, peopled with real faces. If there is a bearded character, then ideally I would like him to grow his facial hair. If a character needs to look slim, then the actor needs to lose weight. I would like them to be present at the readings or for the look test. I want them to be there for cast and crew meet-and-greet meetings.

The more established the character actors, the busier they are as they are committed to television shows, theatre performances and several other films. And hence they are not able to give that much preparation time. Hence I usually like to go for character actors who are very good actors but are lesser known.

During the pre-production of Swades, I told Shah Rukh that we were having script reading sessions for Kishori Ballal ji (Kaveriamma), Gayatri and Smit Sheth (Chiku), and I requested him to drop in during the reading session. I wanted them to get rid of their anxiety of working with Shah Rukh Khan! Shah Rukh came in and did the reading with them. After that, they realised how warm Shah Rukh was as a person and their anxiety vanished and they gelled very well on the shoot.

BOI: We saw Hrithik in a different look in Jodhaa Akbar and now you are working with him again in Mohenjo Daro. Without revealing anything about the film, can you tell us about his different look this time too?

AG: Yes, he has a very different look. (Smiles)

SG: Exactly, when we were doing the look test and he was standing in front of the mirror, I went up to him and said, My God, from an emperor to a...'

BOI: To a...'?

AG: (Laughs)

SG: Okay, I need my marriage to last. (Laughs)

BOI: Everyone is aware that Mohenjo Daro is a love story but what exactly is the film about?

AG: Mohenjo Daro is a look through a magnifying glass at our oldest civilisation. Indus Valley Civilisation falls in the Pre-history era and hence there isn't all that much material to fall back on, except for excavation sites and study materials by various archaeologists. Even the script they used hasn't yet been deciphered. So there is no research material except for archeological sites. I am most interested to see how this civilisation lived, what were their manners and morals, traditions and culture and how strongly they are relevant to our times - but all this through a love story.

BOI: Will the audience be able to relate to the film as they are not familiar with that era?

AG: Whenever I am doing a historic film, the story needs to guide it. The story connects and the audience finds relevance with that part of history. The only film I felt very strongly about, which was more of a biopic, was Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey where we focused on Surjya Sen and his world and the way the Chittagong uprising was carried out. Despite Abhishek's (Bachchan) superb portrayal, the audience didn't connect with it because they probably did not feel interested in this part of history and moreover, they probably did not connect with the script. So that was a huge learning experience for me in terms of the creative aspect of storytelling, that a biopic will not connect with an audience if it doesn't have relevance. So in Mohenjo Daro, the contemporary relevance is very strong.

SG: The world is different from ours but you will be able to relate to it.

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