Irfan K, Vikramaditya M and John A in conversation @ 'The Front Row'

Anupama Chopra: Irrfan, The Lunchbox' releases this weekend and it's your first time as an actor and producer. How difficult was it to bring this film to life?

Irrfan Khan: It was the collaboration between different countries- India, America, Germany, France- that made it possible and I think this is a new model of interesting filmmaking. We get a universal approach because the talent coming from different countries will contribute in their own ways. That's exactly what happened with The Lunchbox' because the story itself was a universal, human story.

Anupama: "The Lunchbox" has appealed universally. It has gone to the film festivals in Telluride, Colorado, and Toronto, Canada. It received a standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival in France. Did you have any idea that it would soar so high when you were making it?

Mr. Khan: When I choose a film, I connect to the heart of the story. If it works for me and it's manifested in a similar way, it does have that kind of effect. You don't imagine things in a detailed way, but you know that this film has something which might create a magic. And sometimes that happens.

Anupama: John, you seem to straddle all kinds of cinema with ease. You starred in "Housefull 2," [a 2012 comedy movie] and more recently, in "Madras Caf" [a 2013 espionage thriller set at the backdrop of Sri Lanka's civil war]. How do you manage this?

John Abraham: I like to do films that have impacted me in some way and "Madras Caf" was a story that was very close to my heart. Shoojit [director Shoojit Sircar] had offered the role to me seven years ago and it resonated with me somewhere. I think after maybe couple of years, the culmination would be not just to stick to the Madras Cafs of the world but to also make sure that returns at the box-office double up. That way we can all, as a community, be proud of the kind of films that we make.

Anupama: As a director, how do you find the strength to function when actors are so focused on starring in films which have a mass appeal and are capable of huge success at the box-office?

Vikramaditya Motwane: The great thing in India right now is the fact that we can make relatively low-budget films compared to anywhere else in the world. It will get expensive to make films over the next few years but at least now it's a lovely time to make quality films within a budget.

Mr. Abraham: I feel we've underestimated our audience. Running after these numbers, we've stopped creating films, we've only created proposals. Get an A-list hero, the heroine will jump on the bandwagon, create five songs and you create your proposal. Where is the film?

Anupama: Who is at fault? John, is the acting community responsible for this state of affairs, where it's all about box-office?

Mr. Abraham: It's a vicious cycle. I think we all succumb to the diktats of commercial success. I also feel studios in our country are still very myopic. In Hollywood, for instance, The Wolverine' would make Hugh Jackman a star. You don't take Hugh Jackman, the star, and then make The Wolverine.' I think we need to see a little more faith from our studios.

I hope studios become a little more farsighted.

Anupama: Vikram [director Vikramaditya Motwane,] "Lootera" is my favorite love story of the year, after The Lunchbox.' You used mainstream stars and songs but created a mood that we rarely see in Bollywood. Do you think the pacing and sensibility limited the film's appeal? Do you regret not making it more broad-based?

Mr. Motwane: No, I wouldn't have done the film differently, though I do think that the script could have been better. I know Lootera' is a polarizing film. I've heard some people tell me that they thought it was fantastic, while others have hated it. That's much better than somebody being indifferent.

Anupama: All of you have done really amazing work but the fact remains that the biggest hit this country has produced is a purposefully loud masala film like "Chennai Express." Is this depressing?

Mr. Khan: Somewhere it is. But you also understand the power of the star [Shah Rukh Khan], the way he worked hard towards publicizing the film. That also gives you a kind of hope that you can pull it off. Whether the product is right or wrong, it's his labor which really manifested like that.

Mr. Motwane: I think each film has its own audience and if it's any good, it'll find its audience. I loved the fact that on Eid one could actually walk into a theater and choose between Chennai Express,' [a typical Bollywood action comedy] and "Ship of Theseus" [a philosophical drama]. That's a great sign.

Anupama: John, you said in an interview that you are not on a mission to change the face of Bollywood. Do all of you think it is a mission?

Mr. Abraham: I don't think I can do anything single-handedly and when a film like Madras Caf' gives you so much respect as a producer and an actor when you least expect it, you really start hoping that they are people like you who will change things around. I really hope that the films that we believe in gross larger amounts at the box office and I am optimistic about that.

Mr. Motwane: It's been the filmmaker's complaint for the longest time that why don't the people who have the power put their names behind the movies that need it. And it's finally happening. John [Abraham] and Karan [Johar], in the case of The Lunchbox,' and Anurag [Kashyap] are finally putting their names behind the movies. Another example is of Aamir [Khan] & Kiran [Rao] with Ship of Theseus.' I'm so glad that it's happening. It's lovely that they are using their muscle to push the film out there and just have people see it.

Originally posted by: SudhaSangeet

Anupama: As a director, how do you find the strength to function when actors are so focused on starring in films which have a mass appeal and are capable of huge success at the box-office?

Mr. Abraham: I feel we've underestimated our audience. Running after these numbers, we've stopped creating films, we've only created proposals. Get an A-list hero, the heroine will jump on the bandwagon, create five songs and you create your proposal. Where is the film?

Anupama: Who is at fault? John, is the acting community responsible for this state of affairs, where it's all about box-office?

Mr. Abraham: It's a vicious cycle. I think we all succumb to the diktats of commercial success. I also feel studios in our country are still very myopic. In Hollywood, for instance, The Wolverine' would make Hugh Jackman a star. You don't take Hugh Jackman, the star, and then make The Wolverine.' I think we need to see a little more faith from our studios.

I hope studios become a little more farsighted.

I think JA had an interesting insight about Hollywood and Bollywood viewpoints, but I'm not sure there is that much difference really. The industry in Hollywood is much more vast than Bollywood, but Bollywood made Aashiqui 2 and Kai Po Che with actors who were relative "unknowns" on the big screen and made "stars." And Hollywood still creates star vehicles for big names.

Anyway, I enjoyed reading the conversation. Thanks for sharing this!

Originally posted by: HZAnita

I think JA had an interesting insight about Hollywood and Bollywood viewpoints, but I'm not sure there is that much difference really. The industry in Hollywood is much more vast than Bollywood, but Bollywood made Aashiqui 2 and Kai Po Che with actors who were relative "unknowns" on the big screen and made "stars." And Hollywood still creates star vehicles for big names.

Anyway, I enjoyed reading the conversation. Thanks for sharing this!