Finding Fanny posters!! Stills pg4, Highlight to read SPOILER - Page 3

The director talks about his upcoming film which will be released in Hindi and English, the comedy and reincarnation drama planned for next year, and why he considers his last film 'kosher'.


Didn't you write Finding Fanny back in 2009?

Yes, it was stuck in my mind for a long time. I wanted to make it before Cocktail but the logistics didn't work out. I'm not superstitious but I believe a film has its own momentum. After Cocktail, my producer, Dinesh Vijan gave me the freedom and the budget to make Finding Fanny my way.



How did the search for Fanny start?

With an article about a postman in Italy who'd collect the letters, return home, dump them in a room and spend the day sipping wine and watching TV. That left me wondering what would happen if someone had proposed through a letter and believed he had been rejected without knowing that the letter, written 46 years ago, hadn't been delivered.

I had Naseer (Naseeruddin Shah) in mind to play this heartbroken character. And we were both laughing during the narration and we ended our meeting with him telling me, "I didn't understand what I was doing in Being Cyrus while we were shooting for the film and even after we'd finished. I think I understand this one."



And how did Pankaj Kapur react to the script?

He heard the narration without any change in expression and told me he'd get back. He did, after a week, and asked me to come over. I thought he'd refuse but he accepted the offer after I addressed a few of his concerns. He plays Don Pedro, a quirky artist with a fascination for voluptuous Reubenesque figures, in this case, Dimple's.



How does the gorgeous Dimple Kapadia allow you to de-glam her in film after film?

(Laughing) I made her wear a 20-kg prosthetic bottom and a huge tummy. She told me, "M****d, I'm known for Bobby which made me a sex symbol at 16. Now you've taken me back to Goa and made me a Bobba."

She's an amazing woman who still displays the nervousness and excitement of a newcomer. We've done three films together and while shooting the promo of this one, she asked me about my next. I started narrating the story, only to be told that all she cared to know was if she was in it.



Reportedly, your first choices were Imran Khan and Sonam Kapoor...

We had spoken to Sonam, considered many combinations, but things didn't work out. I didn't know Deepika (Padukone) before Cocktail, but during the making we developed an amazing synergy. When I narrated this story to her, she immediately told me she was ready for Angie. (Laughs). Ditto Arjun, who I thought was perfect for Savio, this brooding guy who finds it difficult to express his inner angst. Youngsters today are hungry for good roles. Having Deepika and Arjun on board before the release of Chennai Express or 2 States was great.

My film revolves around five dysfunctional characters. We inhibited their world for 36 days and a week more for patchwork. It was hard work, but we found our patches of sunshine despite the weather. Success for me is not how much money my film makes, but how much fun we had making it.



Before the film bug bit, you were happy diving into the deep and watching the pretty fishes?

Yes, I was a diving instructor but I love telling stories and films are a good medium for that. I came up for air and ended up making three films. And now I don't have to restrict myself to one island, I can travel the world. I even went to the Galapagos Island in Eucodor to swim with the sharks. (Smiles) It's not always pretty fish. Adventure is in my DNA, too many of our tomorrows become yesterdays as we stand at the edge of a cliff. But I'll jump down, even if I don't know snowboarding. I'm this kid who never grows up.



Being Cyrus and Finding Fanny was an extension of your world but Cocktail wasn't...

Well, it wasn't my story. I was just given the job to direct it. I enjoyed doing a big budget film, knowing well that the pampering would end soon. Had Cocktail been my film it would have had sex, drugs and debauchery and not been quite so kosher. But I still enjoyed doing the film and watching Deepika evolve as an actress post interval.



Is Finding Fanny premiering at the Toronto Film Festival?

We want to enter it for Toronto and other prestigious fests but a newspaper jumped the gun and said we were premiering it there before the film was even ready. It was just a wild rumour.