Shoojit Sircar speaks from Kolkata on finding his protagonist in Deepika, putting a paunch on Big B and Shoebite.
Your next is titIed Piku. Isn't it an unusual name for a girl?
It's her nickname. But everyone calls her Piku, which is common with Bengalis. It's a cute, unisex name, apt for Deepika's (Padukone) character.
Deepika, a mainstream star, is an unconventional choice for a Shoojit Sircar film...
When Juhi (Chaturvedi) and I work on a script together, sometimes we have certain actors in mind. While writing Vicky Donor, we knew we had to get Annu Kapoor to play Dr Baldev Chaddha and Dollyji (Ahluwalia) for Vicky's mother Dolly. In the case of Piku too, we wanted Mr Bachchan (Amitabh) and Irrfan (Khan) but casting Piku was a bit of a dilemma. I wondered if I'd be able to convince Deepika, a big star, to do the role. To my surprise she jumped at it.
Irrfan and Deepika make an interesting love match...
Actually, Piku is not a love story. It's Piku's story, and Irrfan is one of the characters around her. It's a significant role. We rehearse for almost half the day before going in for a take. The trio has never worked together and I can see the bonding happen, offcamera.
Do you ever discuss Shoebite with Mr Bachchan?
We do, though it is not a happy memory. It's one of his best films. Now that the legal issues have been sorted out, I'm urging the studio to release it soon.
Kolkata is in a tizzy because their 'jamai babu' is on the city streets shooting a film after eight years...
Yes, and even better, he plays an elderly Bengali gentleman who could have stepped out one of Hrishida's (Hrishikesh Mukherjee) films. Having lived in Kolkata and knowing a lot of Bengalis, Mr Bachchan worked on his get-up with me. The saltand-pepper locks, the glasses...
And the paunch. Is that because of digestive problems? Buzz is, Piku is a comedy about constipation...
No, it has nothing to do with any medical ailment. It's basically a father-daughter story.
You're returning to the City of Joy again for your next film, 1911, a film on football. The sport is getting popular again thanks to the Indian Football League. Will IFL help your film?
It's too early to talk about 1911, which is a special film since we're still scripting it. I genuinely want to give a boost to football in India, and it has nothing to do with my film or the IFL. Football was my first passion.
Out of Kolkata's three elite football clubs, Mohammedan Sporting has shut down. East Bengal and Mohan Bagan too are under a cloud because one of their sponsors, Saradha, is under investigation and the government has sealed the bank accounts of the two clubs. Will you approach these clubs for your film?
1911 is about a historic Mohan Bagan win but I will take the help of both clubs. Eventually, football must win.
Why isn't Runningshaadi.com releasing even though it's complete? And when is director Amit Roy's next film, Agra Ka Daabra, going on floors?
My job as a producer was to get Runningshaadi.com made and deliver it, which I have done. Now, my co-producer will decide on the release date. It's a sweet film revolving around a matrimonial website and I'm eagerly waiting to see it on screen.
As for Agra Ka Daabra (earlier Hamara Bajaj), once Amit Roy is done with the script, it'll roll.
Kolkata is not going to leave you without giving them a Bengali film...
(Laughs) They have to wait only a couple of months for that. Singer Anindya Chattopadhyay of Chandrabindoo, a Bangla band, is making his directorial debut with Open Tee Bioscope, which I am producing. It will open on January 16.
Talking about debutants, Minissha Lamba whom you launched in Yahaan is today an inmate of the Bigg Boss house. As her mentor how do you view the direction her career has taken?
I still remember Minissha as my Ada from Yahaan. And I thank her for being a part of my first film. I hope she gets better films and the right roles for herself.
Sampoorna
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