Bollywood Gallery #8 - Page 3

T hough Rang De Basanti gave him a great high, he's not flaunting it. One of the most sought after filmmakers, he's piled up with loads of paperwork in his plush Bandra office. The cast of Delhi 6 is yet to material- ize.. he has many-a-project up his alley. Not getting bogged by uncalled for media hype about his Oscar feat, he's back in the city breathing easy while I throw a vol- ley of questions at him: Rang De Basanti was to re-release on Republic Day. What happened? I wanted to do that. Since Salaam- e-Ishq was also releasing then, there was a problem getting the right the- atres. But, it'll be re-released soon. What about the documentary you were planning on it? It's on. My wife Bharathi is making it completely from her perspective. Where do you think Rang De Basanti missed the bus? I'll have to retrospect more. We had a great time during our promo- tional exercise. The film was appre- ciated, many saw it and recom- mended it to many others. But at the end of the day its only five films , that make it. The language of the film is differ- ent. Our method of story telling is different from theirs. Babel might win the Oscars, but that does not make The Departed any less a great film. Ditto Rang De.. They chose Water, because it's closer to their perception of Indian cinema. With two Indian films, there might have been some confu- sion in their minds. Do you feel that you didn't lobby well? I don't know what is lobbying. There's a pattern you've to follow. Many films that made it to the top slot, were released recently. As a result their marketing and promo- tion was in full swing. The expenditure on publicity is high in the US. We didn't leave a stone unturned and played every trick in the book. Probably we should've released the film in the US now. But since Rang De Basanti released in India in January 2006 that option is ruled out. It didn't make sense either. Oscars are essentially a western platform. Does it have anything to do with the film'sconceptbeingderivedfromJesus Of Montreal? No, I've not seen Jesus of Montre- al. I've read about the compar- isons though, but I don't know where they come from. I cant get inspired by a film without watching it. You seem to be having a tough time finalizing the cast for Delhi 6 after Abhishek Bachchan opted out? It's media hype. I have no clue about it. Have you heard anything from me or any of the actors? Neither of us have confirmed anything to the press. The rest is fluff. Why did Abhishek Bachchan opted out of Delhi 6? I couldn't get the dates I wanted. He had other commitments. What can I say then? Why don't you approach Aamir Khan? When you see the film, you'll know why Aamir doesn't fit in.. the char- acter doesn't suit him. I'll have my cast in place by April. Would you agree that the fate of a film depends on its actors? I hope so, they're our posterboys. A film is made by teamwork. No film- maker depends on a certain actor. You write a story and shortlist options for the cast. That's how it was for Rang De Basanti. The director must know his job and do justice to it. No actor or director can be bigger than the film. Didn't you have a tough time casting for Rang De..? Casting is tough. Name me a film which hasn't gone through a cast- ing hassle. Whether it's Apoca- lypse Now or A Beautiful Mind, they've all gone through it ..and they're great films. It's a part of the filmmaking process. You can't avoid it. Has the industry's attitude changed? I've never socialized with the indus- try's who's who. I'm not a social per- son that way You'll never see me at . parties. So I can't comment on that. My rapport and comfort level has- n't changed with the few that I know well. I usually get along well with everyone. Which is your next film Paanch Kaurav or Delhi 6? Right now, it looks like Delhi 6. I may end up doing Paanch Kaurav first. I'm working on the cast for both together. I'll start whichever cast is finalized first. But please, don't ask me names now. Are you considering Abhishek Bachchan for Paanch Kaurav? Are you obsessed with Abhishek? Stop it please. What about your animation film? It'll happen in 2009. I've started work on it. I'm readying the script and planning characters. Any plans of reviving Samjauta Express? The subject is dated. A lot has changed. Samjauta Express is not topical anymore. And what about the film you were plan- ning to make with Amitabh, Jaya and Abhishek Bachchan? I'm not making it at the moment, it's only Delhi 6, Paanch Kaurav and the animation film on my mind. How do you balance your personal and professional relations with your wife? Bharathi knows her job. I don't interfere. Ditto with cinematogra- phy music and art direction. They , don't interfere with mine. Our think tank is very strong; Prasoon Joshi, A R Rahman, Binod Pradhan and I are like-minded. It's not about difficult or easy kaam to karna hai. , So how does that matter? I don't tell my actors how to act ..only when they go out of character, do I tell them to straighten their act. It's been the same for 15 years now. Have ads taken a backseat now? Right now, ads have taken a back- seat. It's a full time job. You have to be completely devoted to it. After RDB, I made a few commercials; a Coke ad with Aamir, two Reliance ads with Amitji and one with Saif Ali Khan.