Luthria changes lanes

Luthria changes lanes

The director's Taxi 9211 and his next venture will prove that

Subhash K Jha

He is reclusive to the point of being invisible…that's Milan Luthria for you. "I like it that way. It's better to let my work speak for itself." But with Taxi No. 9211 hitting the marquee this weekend, Luthria finds himself in the midst of media attention.

But what's with the title? "Well, someone suggested it and we thought it suited the film's mood. And by the way, it isn't a remake of (Tom Cruise-Jamie Foxx starrer) Collateral. That's a very dark film. Ours is a light-hearted one. The whole idea was to do a film against the clock, like Run Lola Run, Phone Booth and Enemy of The State. It's a story based in a mad city and what happens to two guys who meet one day," he says.

But when the two guys in question are chalk and cheese, it is certainly intriguing. Tell him that and he is quick to reply, "That's how we liked it. They play two characters who don't want to take responsibility for their lives being in disarray. They come to a point where they realise they're quite like each other." Making the film was not that easy. "When we started out Nana had taken a hiatus and John's films were not doing well either. It was difficult to raise funds. We were told we were going down the wrong road. But Rameshji (Sippy) is a man of very strong convictions. We pulled through," he says.

This isn't the first time he has two characters from diverse socio-economic backgrounds in his movie. His Kachche Dhaage had Saif Ali Khan and Ajay Devgan working together. Also it explored the theme of male bonding. Is that his forte? "I agree my Kachche Dhaage was about the bonding between Ajay and Saif. But it was hardly the first of its kind. I'd say my producer Ramesh Sippy's Sholay was the first big male bonding film. It's a nice territory to explore. It always breaks the clutter. Taxi No. 9211 breaks the mould, though I can't say whether it cracks a new genre," says Luthria.

Even though Taxi 9211 is a largely song-less film, Luthria isn't against the song-and-dance formula. "I saw some great films recently. But I got restless watching them, because of the songs. I wanted the story to get on. Songs and dances will always be there. Though city audiences in India aren't so fond them, overseas audiences still love it. I think the old formula has to be adjusted to audiences' limited attention span."

But this deviation from the song-and-dance formula was not easy for Luthria. "I changed my entire team. I got a crew from LA and got a new-age music director duo Vishal-Shekhar. I still remember Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan who did the music in Kachche Dhaage telling me, 'You've given me a treat to my ears'. I feel music in a film touches the soul. Even in Taxi 9211 I've used a couple of songs in the background."

With Taxi… behind him now, Luthria is keen to direct a young love story for the Sippys. "I intend to get prolific now. Earlier, things got out of my hands. Chori Chori took too long to make. I couldn't abandon it when it was stuck. The same happened with Deewaar. I had the option to start another film and go back to Deewaar later. But if you look at the old directors, they always made one film at a time," adds Luthria.

For now though Luthria seems upbeat about this new project. "When my writer Rajat Arora narrated it to me I was stunned. It's a very young and modern love story with established stars,"
But like everyone else, he too has unfulfilled dreams. "I would like to make a successful film with Mr Bachchan. Too bad Deewaar didn't work. There's so much to learn from him. And there's a lot to come in the near future. I've come to a stage in my career when I'm in control of the medium. My family thinks Taxi 9211 is my best work to date," he signs off