Shoojit Sircar & Ronnie Lahiri Interview

Shoojit Sircar & Ronnie Lahiri are a director- producer duo that stands together through thick and thin. The good times came with the slice of life sleeper hit, Vicky Donor' & the realistic Madras Caf'. Exciting days are ahead with Piku'. And then, there were really bad days when Shoe Bite' with Mr Bachchan got stuck (forever). We speak to the Delhi boys on their journey in bollywood so far, and on the quirky father daughter story, Piku'.

Shoojit Sircar

1. How did Piku' come about? Did you write the film keeping Mr Bachchan, Deepika Padukone & Irrfan Khan in mind?

Answer: My writer Juhi Chaturvedi and I were knocking around ideas and she came up with this idea- why not make a film on this subject around a father- daughter relationship? And we went ahead and wrote the film. All our stories are personal; both of us draw from personal experiences to write a film. So you will see bits of us in this one too. The film is set in a specific milieu, that of C R Park in Delhi. So you will get a very Delhi flavor. But even if you don't know Delhi, the film is still very relatable. Each character might be someone you can relate to when you see him/her onscreen. For me, milieu is important.

We kept these actors in mind and wrote it. Luckily for us, all three agreed to do this film, once we approached them.

1. How did you think of casting Mr Bachchan as an ageing Bengali man?

Answer: You will have to see the film to understand why I cast him in this role (smiles). This is quite a new avatar of his onscreen. In this film we have worked with 3 fine actors. I had a great time watching them act together & it was good fun!

2. Shoojit, as Shoe Bite' still remains unreleased, despite being praised by Mr Bachchan as a brilliant piece of cinema, how do you deal with the frustration? Much of the issue seems like inter- corporate rivalry.

Answer: I have said this before. For a filmmaker, it feels like having delivered a stillborn child. You can feel how a mother feels at that moment. It is that disheartening for Ronnie and me. For us it's not the money that matters. It's the piece of art that we created. As filmmakers, we work everyday. But Shoebite is based on a beautiful philosophical thought. My films are always based on a central thought. And for a legend like Mr Bachchan, who has worked so hard on a film- and for technicians to give their all, that work doesn't get exhibited. We definitely feel let down. Yes I have overcome it. But since Shoe Bite' has shelf life, we still work towards its release.

3. Conclusively, you are amongst few filmmakers today who collaborate with a writer on all projects (Juhi Chaturvedi). More often, directors also have a writer's credit in films. Do you think writers get a raw deal in Hindi films?

Answer: I think writers still have it very tough in Bollywood today. They simply don't get any recognition. A film will always remain a director's vision, but the writer's vision counts too. Add to that, all that effort that a writer puts into a film! I wonder why everybody wants to take away a writer's credit (smiles).I am happy being the director.

Ronnie Lahiri

1. Deepika is reported to have just grabbed Piku once it was offered to her. Although she hasn't said it in as many words, I believe she has adjusted her fee for the film too. When you approached her with this film, she had just become number one heroine. Was she easy to sign up, or did you find her starry?

Answer: No not at all! I didn't face any starry issues with her. She was very prompt. When we went to her, we assumed she is a big star and would take her time to read the script and think over it. But I think after we did the narration, the very next morning she agreed to do the film and cleared out all her dates! She adjusted to multiple things while making the film. Actually, Deepika has been amazing and she has juggled around a lot to make time for this film.

2. How did you get Irrfan Khan on board? He is no less a star today.

Answer: We wrote the script with Irrfan Khan in mind. We are happy that all 3 actors agreed to work in this film. Irrfan is one of the finest actors we have and our international star.

3. It's been almost six years since Shoe Bite' was made. Where does it's status stand?

Answer: Rohini Lahiri- Litigation that began between UTV Films & Fox Star India years ago over certain rights is now over. Now Walt Disney Company India, which owns UTV Films & Fox Star Studios, the global entity has finished the litigation aspect. Both studios now need to agree to certain terms & conditions, which is acceptable mutually. They still haven't come to terms with that, and now the release issue has gone up to the levels of both international entities of these studios (sighs). It has been absolutely frustrating. The non-release of Shoebite actually set us back by 4-5 years and it took us a lot of time to move ahead of that as a team. We have managed to overcome it now, and have learnt a lot from what happened to shoe bite'. Despite everything, we still try that it releases. The film is not about a particular trend so it has good shelf life.

4. How has it been working with MSM Pictures & the Sony Network on Piku'?

It has been a lot easier to work with MSM Pictures for Piku'. It's important that the studio is right for a particular film. We spend time, effort & money in building a product and we take our time. But if we approach a studio that does not believe in our product, then there's no point. For this studio too, they believe in Piku', not just as a product but as good cinema. With their experience and the entire Sony Network backing it for distribution, they have the power to scream out loud about this film and thereby, generate good business.