BOI: Is this your toughest film to date?
AG: In a way, yes, even though it doesn't have battles and wars. Jodhaa Akbar had three battles, which was a huge challenge. The toughest part was to use one's imagination while still being credible.
BOI: Ashutosh, there is a certain amount of scale in your films - Mohenjo Daro now, Lagaan, Swadesand Jodhaa Akbar. Do you think filmmakers have to cash in on scale to differentiate a film from the mobile screen?
AG: No, I don't think so because the films that are being made now are '2 crore films. There are '2 crore films and there are '4 crore films. I know of films that have been made for '60 lakh and '90 lakh and they are gems. They get selected at Cannes, Berlin an so many other film festivals, where they win awards because it's powerful cinema. If a film like that is made with '2 crore and it does business worth '5 crore, its returns are more than 100 per cent.
But, for me, a film's returns are never uppermost on my mind. My first thought was, is there anything engaging that I want to tell in this part of the world, the Indus civilisation? After Jodhaa Akbar, I toyed with making this film for five to six years. I also wondered how I would make it so that it is relevant to today's audience. Agar relevance nahi hai then the audience will not connect with it. When I decided to make this film, I was not trying to outdo cell phones or laptops or small-screen entertainment.
BOI: Would you like to make a small, intimate film?
AG: I am constantly trying looking at those ideas. What's Your Rashee? was actually one of those. What I liked about that film was that every girl needed some kind of empowerment. She felt empowered because of Yogesh Patel and how they find themselves and break away from the shackles of society and family. I think I could have said it in a shorter amount of time because that genre needs that's but I had 12 girls. That was an idea-based movie. Possible nahin hai with one actress playing all 12 roles. I am on the constant lookout for that ultimate movie which I make on a budget of '1 crore and where I earn '50 crore. That's a dream. (Laughs)
BOI: Do you think that on August 12, Mohenjo Daro will connect with the audience?
AG: Yes, it will.
BOI: What are your expectations on August 12?
PH: I expect you all to love me. (Laughs)
I really don't know what I am going to feel on that day. I expect that the night before, I will be very nervous. Let's see how it goes. It is my first film.
AG: I think it will still be easier for her because what happens is when the trailer comes out, Hrithik bada acha hai, Rahman ka music kamaal hai, Javed saab ne bohot ache gaane likhe hai, oh the girl is good. Teesra gaana bhi pasand aa gaya par direction ki koi baat nahi kar raha hai, nobody is talking about the script and direction. The only thing they are talking about is woh galat hai, yeh galat hai, yeh galat likha hai woh galat likha hai. The pressure is on me on the day of release.
BOI: What do you think about the clash with Rustom?
AG: Clashes are bound to happen; there's one every Friday. And if you have a film which has two stars, then it's a big festival clash because if there is a huge star vehicle, the distributor and the producer want to release on a public holiday and want maximum revenue. I was expecting another film to release alongside ours. Every three months mein, I used to think kaun si film aane wali hai.
First, I thought it would be Raees; then I thought it would be Dangal; thenShivaay. I announced the release on January 26 last year. So now it's Rustom. I think screen space ko share karna yeh inevitable hai and I hope both films work. I mean, uss hafte mein dono dekho!
PH: We shot at the same place as Lagaan. So I hope a little bit of that Lagaan luck rubs off on Mohenjo Daro. We will be going to the Locarno Film Festival, just as Lagaan did.
CID
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