"If on one hand we have a bare-chested Rajat Kapoor in a swimming pool, then on the other hand we have a bearded Milind Soman" - Sagar Ballary
By IndiaFM News Bureau, April 11, 2007 - 03:15 IST
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| | Some films have a strong story line and some films have strong characters, but Bheja Fry seems to be a film that has both the elements in the right place. From Rajat Kapoor to Vinay Pathak, Ranvir Shorey to Milind Soman, Sarika to Bhairavi Goswami… you name the theatrics and they all are present in this film. Where Rajat Kapoor is a frustrated music company owner, Vinay Pathak is an Indian Idol inspired character, a singer who wants to make it big... the Idiot who actually makes a fool of the smart people around...
Director Sagar Ballary details about each ingredient of Bheja Fry…
The Central character of an Idiot got triggered from the Indian Idol scenario but what about your story line and other characters...
In real life too there is an idiot in all our friends circle and there is one singing idiot who you usually make the bakra and make fun of his talent. When you ask him to perform he/she may think they are very good but in actual the other 5 people present are having fun at his cost. This is exactly what the film does. It is about rich people who invite idiots and they make the idiots perform his or her talent so that they can poke fun at the idiot. So in Bheja Fry, Bharat Bhushan is the idiot who sings and Ranjeet Thadani is the music company owner who needs an idiot for his talent party and that is how he gets introduced to this idiot.
| The initial choice for Sarika's character was Yana Gupta | She made a come back with Parzania and now this Stunning actress will be seen in Bheja Fry... How did Sagar think of casting Sarika
We needed someone very stunning as Rajat Kapoor's wife in the film and stunning because the screen time is just enough to mesmerize the audience with the presence of the character. We wanted someone who would just come on the screen and everybody across India would recognize her and make a connection, so we thought of lot of people and we were not getting anybody in our budget. The initial choice was Yana Gupta because she was quiet a fresh face and quiet stunning and across India people know her because of her Babuji song. Another reason was that she is not mainstream. But it didn't work out with Yana and at the same time I saw some photographs of Sarika in the newspaper and someone mentioned to me that Sarika was acting in Parzania. Parzania at that time had yet not released, so I went and met up with her and Sarika was stunning. Even today she is stunning. When she comes on screen every one says "arre sarika!" And we needed someone like that and that's how we cast Sarika.
| Even today Sarika is stunning. When she comes on screen every one says "arre sarika!" | Moreover we did not need anyone young, we needed a middle aged actress and someone who could match Rajat Kapoor. Sarika was the right choice as she has that aura and that stunning factor. She till date holds a special place in the hearts of the male brigade across India.
Was Rajat Kapoor an obvious choice as "the mean music company owner" or because you have earlier worked with him you thought of casting him
No, not because I have worked with him. But because One, is he is accessible, two, he really fit the role and three, he was ready to work in that kind of money and also because he did it for me he was paying me back for all the kind of work I've done for him. But actually all these reasons form only 10- 15 % of the main chunk. The real and major reason is because of his character. When I saw Monsoon Wedding I knew Rajat was my character. I know Rajat Kapoor as a director and I know Rajat Kapoor as an actor. As an actor his character was very akin to this Ranjeet Thadani in my film, just like Monsoon Wedding where he plays this harami and even in Mixed Doubles he is playing this smooth criminal. If you see the film you will notice how he is very smooth and subtle in trying to hit on 'Malti'. Thus I needed some one who is slightly harami and slightly subtle so his, this kind of image hit bang on with my kind of character in the film.
Vinay Pathak is the biggest idiot of them all ….the driving force behind Bheja Fry.
Vinay Pathak and Ranvir shorey both are big idiots in the film .. but the biggest idiot is Mr Vinay Pathak and he has done his job brilliantly. He was always my choice, always always, always the driving force of Bheja Fry. At one level, the movie was just about the idiot and from start that idiot was Vinay Pathak He is just too good in the film. Though the hero of my film is the script but it is also Vinay Pathak for his performance. People will watch him and say 'what an idiot he is'. Seriously What an idiot! It is like you can't match this idiot for a very long time to come and of that I am very confident. Hats off to Vinay.
Is the film a satirical take…that a fool is actually making a fool of all the smart people around
In a way yes… the film is about idiots but the message that comes across in the end is that arrogance never pays. Ranjit's character played by Rajat Kapoor is a very arrogant person in the film and right from the beginning you come to know that this character is going to fall so we as audience are waiting for that fall and somewhere down the film we start sympathizing with the idiot because at some point in our lives we identify with the idiot, so when the idiot is hurt, we feel hurt and when the idiot takes revenge, we take revenge so that is how the story is and somewhere it is a message of how an underdog is always under estimated but he in the end he comes out victorious.
| Whoever has watched the film has commented that Rajat Kapoor comes across as a sex symbol and Milind comes across as an actor in the film. | What about Milind Soman
Well according to me this is Milind's finest performance. Whoever has watched the film has commented that Rajat Kapoor comes across as a sex symbol and Milind comes across as an actor in the film. We have a swimming pool shot of Rajat Kapoor with bare chest and all but we don't have any swimming pool shots of Milind Soman. If on one hand we have a topless Rajat Kapoor then on the other hand we have a bearded Milind Soman. So that way we have reverse roles, and we have broken stereotypes within these existing small actors who are not big stars but still they have been stereotyped by the industry.
Your story, actors, characters all shout theatre
Any kind of photographed theatre is bad cinema and I will try to stay away from it... Bheja Fry has no doubt more lifelike people expressed by characters who had become famous on the stage, so if you see it as drawback, well then it is but once you see the film, it is going to break all the stereotypes that you have about theatre and other pre-notions because you wouldn't have time to get indulged into those kind of thoughts coz that's the way the script is moving in the film and that's the way the story is placed and paced.
Who is Arpita Chatterjee
Arpita Chatterjee is a friend of mine, she writes for Mid day. It is her first film as a screenplay writer. Though the screenplay is written by me and Arpita together, the story and the concept is completely mine. This film is a first for many people involved the cinematographer, dialogue writer and the sound recordist.
How much Bheja Fry happened during the shoot?
The film was shot only in 18- 19 days so there wasn't any time to savour memories. I know the actors were having a great time because the actors had to wait when the lighting was going on so they were busy playing a fool. But to think of it one such memorable thing that was happening during the shoot was that we had kept every body's turn to get some kind of food on the sets. So all of us used to get something special to eat. Vinay, my asst director and all would get something but it was Sarika who actually surprised us by putting up a complete working station, sort of a thella on the sets. She came one night on the sets and put up her stall. It comprised of everything, a coffee maker, tea maker, jalebis, samosas and everything you usually get. She got the table and other props and she stood behind the kiosk. When she arranged for all this she had no shooting that day and she was serving tea the whole night We have in total shot for 12 nights continuously, so you see it was quiet tough and we had no time and we couldn't even complain.
| Bheja Fry was earlier titled 'Ding Dong Baby Sing A Song'. | As a first time director was it easy for you to make your actors perform
I've got the best f performances from all of them... I did not shoot this film like a low budget film. We shot with the best of techniques possible and shot it completely like a high budget film. The only thing was that we had to work faster and harder to create that thing and the magic of performances from everybody from Milind to Vinay to Rajat to Sarika ..we have got it all because of various improvisations and various discussions and also because of the proximity with them and because I am friends with them I managed to get the performances required otherwise it would have been very difficult.
So who has been the Biggest idiot off screen
I played the biggest idiot on the sets as I was yelling a lot to my assistants and every time I could not shout at my actors as I am a junior, I would yell at my assistants and they would understand 'kuch toh gadbad hai' So I think I was the biggest idiot coz I couldn't communicate to them directly.
What is your message in a bottle?
I don't want to call this film an offbeat film .. it is a commercial film, it may go in single screen theatres but the only difference is that there are no 'stars' in the film because of which there wouldn't be any commercial considerations as such. But at the same time we are making a lot of prints and we want everybody to go and watch it but we don't want to call it an offbeat film because that offbeat genre is over. Now a days every film made in the hindi film industry has to be a commercial venture. Thus Bheja Fry is a commercial venture it will make people laugh .. we are very confident about it. and I am not nervous as I'e done my job to the best of my abilities.
Umm .. hmmm what about the title - why Bheja Fry ?
The title was mine and Arpita's because when Sunil Doshi agreed to do the film the title was something else… It was 'ding dong baby sing a song'. Sunil didn't like the title and he said 'Sagar yeh title mei zara kuch kardo yaar' and I said yeah yeah I'll do it and as usual I delayed on it. So one final day Sunil called as he had to register the title and he said Sagar what about the title so I told him I'll get back to him in 4 minutes and I called Arpita and asked her about the title... Arpita said 'Sagar don't bheja fry me right now" I'm doing something and then she just kept quiet and said "Sagar, bheja fry .. I said What? Bheja Fry, what a horrible title, what a bad title, we cannot do this so she said no it is Bheja fry! That idiot is Bheja frying every single day so I said ok lets just keep it as a working title and then we told Sunil. He was so happy he said this is the name of the film After that whom ever we've told Bheja Fry, they used to laugh. So we thought if film dekhne se pehle log smile kar rahe hai toh yeh acha shagun hai.
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