Basu on Bengali cinema, JJ and more (Telegraph IV added on page 2)

He has recently decided not to speak much. The reason " the more you speak, more the controversies you court. But his resolve to keep low-key took a serious beating when Anurag Basu was in town last week. "I have a foot-in-mouth syndrome, it seems," he told us laughing. What followed was a candid chat on the big breakup in Bollywood, why Jagga Jasoos is taking long to hit the screens and what isn't working in Bengal's favour. Excerpts:

What was the last Bengali film you watched?

It's been long since I last saw a Bengali movie. I think the last was Srijit Mukherji's Rajkahini. I might have seen one or two after that too, but I don't remember. Maybe Nirbaak, which released earlier...

So, do you like Srijit's movies?

Not all. But I like his good works. He has a signature style and is not a passive filmmaker. His shots and frames are always saying something, the cameras are moving, the actors are doing something " he is a good storyteller.

You always have one foot in Tollywood and regularly cast actors from here. What do you have to say about the industry, which is going through a dull phase in terms of hits?

It's easier said than done. Since you asked, I will say... having interacted with a lot of my filmmaker friends, I have realised they don't respect the larger audience, who will make their films a success. The day, the ace filmmakers will respect rickshaw-pullers from Bolpur and Malda and make films that touches them as much as the urban audience, the crisis can be addressed. The rickshawallahs also have the right to be entertained. Reason, Rajkumar Hirani's films always do well. Apart from being good films, they also cater to the masses. Here, we aren't looking across the spectrum; the movies are either too urbane or too masala for urban tastes. Tarun Majumdar's films used to bridge this gap. That is what should be done. Good films that are commercial successes happen to be the need of the hour.

Do you think the other regional industries have moved far ahead?

I think the talent in Bengal is envious. When I see a good film, I am like: 'Ei takaye eto bhalo chhobi banachhe'. Then I wonder what they would do if more money is pumped into the projects! You need immense talent to make a 'good-looking film' on a small budget. It's not always the filmmaker's problem. The audience in Bengal has become more cosmopolitan " they speak in Hindi. So, the makers are fighting Bollywood and Hollywood and still making movies. There are some great filmmakers... See, Marathi cinema has a huge market. Bangla cinemar bazarta sesh hoye gechhe. I can't understand the market here, if I did, I would have made a Bengali film by now.

You had told us long back that you don't want to make a Bengali film as that would mean restricting yourself to a smaller audience...

I don't want to make a film that would run in Sodepur, Durgapur, Siliguri and Kolkata multiplexes. If I can crack a story which the whole of Bengal will watch, I would love to make it. Till now, it has not happened. More than me, people who live here can try doing it.

What about producing Shabdo?

I am still keen on doing Shabdo. When you are making a film and buying the rights, there is a legal process involved.

You can't just start making it. In between, somewhere, the project has got stuck. I'm not getting the rights. I can't do anything on verbal basis.
Kaushik Ganguly has made a handful of films after Shabdo. Have you seen them?

I haven't. I know he has made quite a few films; I don't know how; it's immensely difficult. There are those who make four films a year and there is me, who makes one in four years (laughs out loud).

So what's taking you so long? Your last, Barfi!, released in 2012...

I was not doing anything. Frankly speaking, I made some money with Barfi! Before that, I had never made money. Even after giving hits, I earned nothing and had to focus on my next. So when Barfi! happened, I wanted to sit at home and do nothing. For a year and a half, I was doing nothing.

Didn't the shoot get delayed because of Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif's breakup?

Ranbir and Katrina are so good that no one said, 'Dada ke date diyechhilam, he didn't shoot'. They are very nice people. If I am doing a film in four years, I should have shot for at least 300 days. I didn't go beyond 100! No, the budget too did not shoot up either. Ranbir had told me before the film that I would have to shoot in parts as he had other films; I had no issues. I want to go slow in life. I have just done the Tagore series and given time to my family. Just because I make films, doesn't mean I won't spend time with my children.

Jagga Jasoos is going to be the first release after Ranbir and Katrina broke up. As a director, was it difficult handling the two stars?

Not at all. It was easy. I came to know about their breakup before anyone else. I was shooting the very next day and I thought it wasn't serious. This was a month before the media got a whiff of what had happened. Two-three days into the shoot, I realised it was rather serious. The major part of the shoot happened abroad and after their breakup. Both of them were present. A lot of our videos from Morocco have already got leaked on YouTube. But I have faced no problems. I saw them concentrating more on their work. But yes, things were not normal after the pack-up. We were not going to restaurants together like before. This was the only change. Workwise, there was no major difference. When we went to South Africa, we had a lot of fun. That changed in due course of time.

Internet was full of news that Katrina had a fallout with you, hinting at your closeness with Ranbir...

Fallout in what sense? It's not true at all. I had more fights with Priyanka (Chopra) and Ileana (D'Cruz) while doing Barfi! I scream on the sets and that's true. And with Katrina too, it was the usual director-actor relationship. It has nothing to do with Ranbir or their relationship.

Last year, in an interview you had said it is more interesting to work with a bigger risk-taker like Ranbir than the 'boring' Salman. With the spate of hits by Salman, which is definitely not meaningless cinema, do you regret what you had said?

The one thing I realised after that interview is that you can't be frank with any journalist. I still say, I quoted that. That was my opinion and I stick to it. I have not seen Salman's latest film. I loved Bajrangi Bhaijaan. Kabir (Khan, the director) is my very good friend. The way the latest film has performed, it's good for the industry. And because it is good for the industry, it is good for me. But that doesn't change my opinion.

Is that the reason why you said you can never approach another composer for your film?

I can't! It's like having a sister at home and you still say, 'Bhai Phonta nebona'. It's a given that he will be scoring for my films. It doesn't matter if they are hits or flops. By now everyone knows. So, no one comes with a request, 'Sir ekta gaan niye nin'.

Coming back to Kolkata, long back, you had wanted to give a break to Koel Mallick. Is anyone else on your mind now?

I had come here for the auditions of Gangster. I liked Koel. She was excited to do the film, but there was this one kissing scene that she wanted to change. I could have changed that but being very stubborn, I refused to do that. I didn't want to change one shot. She knew her rights and wrongs and we couldn't work together. I wouldn't have told the story, if she herself had not acknowledged what had happened. Among the current crop, I love Abir. If I ever get a chance, I will cast him. Jisshu too is very good. He did a bit role in Barfi! and I must make up for it. He has become a mature and good actor.

Do you secretly take pride in launching Kangana Ranaut, who has made it big in Bollywood?

I take pride, not for launching her, but for grooming Kangana. More than her luck, it's my luck that I found her. The popular notion is that I spotted her at a restaurant and then she was doing my film. Kangana had to audition for the role " once, twice, thrice... She was trying to be a model at that time.

You are here for Super Dancer. Does that make you nostalgic, since you started off with Tara on television in the '90s.

You feel nostalgic when you have done something long back. I did television only last year " a series on Tagore's works. Whether it's fiction, non-fiction, judging or non-judging, I have done enough of television. I don't know why I do it, but think I do well when I am multi-tasking. Super Dancer is a kids' show, every one of them will be given a choreographer. I am hoping we'll get some great kids for the show.

What about your own kids, Ishana and Ahana?

Very few television shows are allowed in our home. I am taking extra care that the show shapes up so well that I can show it to them. They have not seen all my films. They saw Barfi! and didn't like it much. I remember everyone coming out of the auditorium, hugging me and showering me with compliments. My daughters came out and made faces that meant the film was just about chalta hai. Frankly, mujhe bahut bura laga tha...

Ranbir and kat both need good films to bounce back.

It can still be part of the promotional campaign. I mean why will Basu not play along. It's also his film 😛😆 We will know once the film releases anyway. Or rather when they promote the film. And Ranbir loses his head like always 😆

Telegraph IV

http://epaper.telegraphindia.com/details/202391-164758165.html