Madhuri - She is a cut above everyone!

How different is directing a film from shooting a film?

It's very different and I hadn't imagined that it would be so different (laughs). When you are out there as a cinematographer shooting the movie you think that you know everything, but direction is completely a different animal. And it's very easy to fall off this animal and be consumed by it completely. It's a bit of a thing in the mind because there's a lot of stuff you carry around in your head. In physical terms you may not have a lot to do but you are taking calls all the time, making decisions for the betterment of the movie. It's a more abstract task and therefore more taxing. But Aaja Nachle has been a very fruitful ride for me, a great learning curve.

Was direction your goal?

I have been evading directing quite successfully for many years but it finally caught up with me. I was shying away because I thought I didn't have the wherewithal to direct a movie. I truly believe it needs exceptional talent to direct a film. You are involved with so many aspects and you need to be informed about everything. Film-making must be the most taxing of all professions.

It all started with a casual conversation that I had with (producer) Adi (Aditya Chopra) on the sets of Veer-Zaara. He wanted to know what sort of stories interest me, what kind of films I want to direct. He then started weaving a story right there. Then every time he met me after that, he kept prodding me with that story. I have to hand it to him for pushing me to direct this film. I have done this with a lot of help from Adi and Jaideep (Sahni) who wrote the script.

So what is your kind of film all about?

Aaja Nachle's story is set in small-town India and has to do with the theatre space which is being demolished. It is a space that interests me because I believe that living in big cities and speaking in English, we have started to forget the realities of life. That is something I want to deal with — the language that is spoken, the local flavour of small towns. Theatre is close to me because I have spent some time in Delhi at whatever amateur level doing a little bit of theatre. Jaideep's sensibility is something I can relate to and he, Adi and me would sit and discuss and finally we came up with Aaja Nachle.

When did Madhuri come into the picture?

Pretty early on. At a stage when we just had the seed of the idea, Adi stopped in the middle of a sentence and said what if Madhuri Dixit was the protagonist (smiles).

Was it a male protagonist before that?

Yes, kind of. We had just started working on that character. We were fleshing out all the characters before looking for a cast. Once he had said that (Madhuri as protagonist) it just drove the script in a certain way and everything started falling into place. It was great from Madhuri's side that she was interested to do a film like this after just listening to the threadbare idea, and that too with a new director.

What was her first reaction?

That only Adi would know. But she was keen from the word go. And that's surprising because whatever I might have done as a cinematographer, this was my first film as a director. For a person of her experience and stature she could have said anything. And incidentally we hadn't even worked together as cinematographer-actor, so it's not as if we knew each other professionally. We both knew of each other's work.

And were you a Madhuri Dixit fan?

(Smiles) I still am. I think she is really an iconic figure. Of all the performers I have seen all these years I think she is a cut above. Now that I have seen her working from close quarters I feel all the more so. The idiom's changed and we don't do the kind of movies she did earlier but the way she came and just took to the film is amazing. Forget the dance aspect, which everyone knows about, just as an actor, the kind of value she brings is rare. I have worked with all the leading actors working today but she is an exceptional talent.

Aaja Nachle seems a lot like Lagaan, which you shot, about an individual trying to get together a team of amateurs for a cause…

Absolutely! When we were writing it, I became aware that the structure of this film is very close to the structure of Lagaan. And there's no shying away from that. It's not that we set out to make another Lagaan. We set out to tell our own story but it got structured in a similar way. Akshaye Khanna called it Lagaan-ish (laughs). It's a classic structure; it cuts across many movies.

What about the ensemble cast?

I could have actually got the Lagaan XI (laughs). But seriously, I wanted a curious mix of actors. We have managed to put together a cast which is all about fine actors. Incredibly, as a director, I didn't have to do much because they are all such intelligent actors. There's Raghuvir Yadav, Yashpal Sharma and Akhilendra Mishra from the Lagaan team. There's Kunal (Kapoor) and Konkona (Sensharma). There's Vinay Pathak, Ranvir Shorey, Jugal Hansraj, Sushmita Mukherjee… Quite an incredible ensemble.

Why didn't you shoot the film yourself?

I never felt I would be able to handle both direction and cinematography. I feel you need to have exceptional talent to do the two together successfully. Santosh Sivan was able to pull it off; I am not that good. I was very clear about that right from the start. Film-making is so collaborative; I treasure the contribution of everyone.

You obviously don't belong to the Sanjay Leela Bhansali school despite shooting Khamoshi and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam…

(Laughs) I know there is an auteur theory. These are people of extraordinary talent. There was only one Satyajit Ray. He could do his music, photography, direction. I am not one of them.

Why choose Mohanan (Don) as the cinematographer?

I have known him for many years. He did second unit work on Lagaan. He worked with me on Agnivarsha. I like the way he approaches his work. And I made sure I didn't eat into his space.

What next?

I don't think about another film till one film is completely done. Even as a cinematographer I have never taken up a project until the last one is completely over. Also, a lot will depend on what kind of phone calls I get. There may not be another direction offer after this one (smiles).