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Welcome to another episode of Express Conversations, a podcast where eminent voices from the
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world of politics, governance, sports, business and the arts talk to us
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about their lives, work and issues
that really mattered. In this episode,
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we hear from a dynamic duo.
Acclaimed writer director Megna Gulzar and versatile active
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Vicki Koshel joined the exclusive conversation with
the two of India's brightest talents who have
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left an indulible mark on the film
industry over the years. Both Gulzar and
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Koshill have earned accolades for their impressive
individual body of war. Having previously collaborated
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on the critically acclaimed and commercially successful
Razi, they are now set to bring
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to life the inspiring journey of Phild
Marshall sam Manikshaw in the upcoming biopic sam
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Bahado And with this movie, whose
much anticipated release in theaters is scheduled for
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the first of December, their creative
partnership is now considered one of the most
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exciting collaborations in contemporary Hindu cinema.
They were in conversation with Anan Kuenka,
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executive director of the Indian Express Group
and the film critic of the Indian Express.
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Hey, je been very warm.
Welcome to the Ada ex. I
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thing to be in conversation with my
good dear friend Ricky and Megnaw, somebody
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who have really admired a director Schubrah
hasn't, but I have seen the movie.
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I had a chance to here yesterday. VICKI, I want to start
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by asking you know you have you
have done? Or? You are the
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Indian Army's favorite actor. You're my
favorite actor. You are you? You
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worked for three years to play like
this incredible, the biggest military name you
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know in India pretty much you you
know, you're fit, You've trained really
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hard. So I think the important
question, the most pressing thing that you
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want to talk about right now is
Katrina's fight scene. How like? I
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mean, you know you you you've
you've done it all, You've done all
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this kind of prep. But it's
your wife's fight scene two weeks before this
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that the internet is blowing up with. So just how did she did you
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teach her anything about? Like watch
of you on the fight scene? First
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day? So I had gone for
the screening of the film and we were
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watching the film together, obviously,
and when that scene came and that sequence
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came in the middle of the sequence. I just inclined towards her and I
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said, I'm not going to argue
with you from now on. I don't
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want you to beat me up wearing
a towel. But I thought it was
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incredible the way she pulled it off, and I said that to her that
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you are probably the most amazing action
actress Bollywood has, So I was really
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proud of like the hard work she
puts it for everything she does, and
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it's very inspiring to see that.
No, obviously I haven't seen Tiger,
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but with that scene I have seen
over outstanding. Can I say that I
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have seen Tiger and I think it
was I saw it in Riard about ten
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hours before it released uh in India
and it was a theater which is completely
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full, not only in our rise
but a lot of local people. And
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when Katrina comes on screen, he
got that Charlie's more than Salmandon. Yeah,
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absolutely, especially in the towels.
Seen that famous thing. Yeah,
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Meg, Now I'll tell you a
sure story about Vicky. Then we get
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into the details of Sam. You
know, I met Vicky for the first
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time on the sets of Love for
square Foot, the producer of which is
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a dear friend of mine, a
friend of ours, and uh, you
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know, we met a bunch since
and you know, I both my wife
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and I were just you know,
we just loved him. We just said,
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this guy is such a nice person. He's just so down towards humble,
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and he's so committed to his craft, and he works really hard.
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And the one thing that just kept
coming out when you talk to VICKI is
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just how nice the guy he is. And you know, when twenty nineteen
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happened, the biggest blockbuster of the
year, and you know, he sort
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of was publicly dating the most desired
woman in India. So when we then
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and I kind of spoke, we
said, this guy, okay, are
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like, you know what, we
didn't but he's stuck. He's still the
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same guy. He's still humble,
he's still down to earth, He's still
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does that you think come in the
way of sort of does that make it
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harder for him to be this star? I mean, because he is a
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star today. He walks on me
one of the few stars was actually nice.
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So if I don't know about him, and I think we pretty much
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think the same way. I think
if you had to choose between being a
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nice person and the star. I
think he choose being a nice person,
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yeah, every day, and I
think that's his best quality. Three reasons
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why he popped into my head to
play Field Marshal Sam Money. So one
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was his nose, Two was his
acting prowess, and three years because he's
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a nice person. And that has
to come across on screen because costume,
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makeup, wigs, all of that
are external accouterments. Your niceness will the
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camera will catch. And that,
actually, I think is what would bring
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across the field Marshal spirit a lot
more because that's what he was as well.
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So being an inherently nice person has
also helped his performance a lot nice
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on this one. Interesting, But
you know, it's a question I've asked
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a few times to a few people, and I'm a very curious about it.
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Is stardom what it is today?
And you know, just I just
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I've not met nice stars. With
the exception of Wiki, I've not met
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a star who's just nice. I
have never heard him really implying on something
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so much, like in thirty seconds
he said that fifteen times. But does
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it come in the way or like, I mean, how does he manage
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to do it? I mean,
do you do you feel like stars need
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to have a certain sense of,
you know, high maintenance, a certain
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sense of, you know, being
able to work a room in a certain
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in authentic way. You know,
I think when I'm saying the word nice,
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I'd rather I'll replace the word nice
but authentic. You know, he's
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a very authentic person. Is it
possible to be a star and authentic generally?
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Because he's obviously maybe started the exception. I think it should be prescribed.
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Whether it's possible or not, I
don't know, but it should be
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prescribed because, you know, I
think people the audience, they sniff artificiality,
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and that comes in the way.
I mean, your stardom can be
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one thing. Look stardom, I
honestly believe, having seen it very closely
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as a child, even when the
world was very different. My mother was
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a star in her own right,
with no social media at that time,
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so that was just pure and raw
stardom that she had. Stardom can often
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be created, inflated effective. The
true sense of it is when, like
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he says, when when you're walking
through an airport and the guy at the
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security check, of the soldier at
the security check, or the ATPX RAY,
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We'll talk to you, recognize you, appreciate your work. You're standing
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in a hotel lobby somewhere and somebody
will come up and speak to you,
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not because you're a starboard because they
genuinely have this affinity for you. So
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I think stardom also is different things
to different people. For him, I
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think it is getting the adulation and
the approval of his audience for his work
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more than the trappings that stardom is
also known for. This, I mean,
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this is it's a very personal interpretation
of what stardom is or should be.
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But I mean, I don't see
his lacking or wanting in any way.
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Can I take you back to a
little bit, like you know,
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a few years back when you were
not a star, when you just started
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off, and uh, you do
come from a film family, but it
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is there are film families and film
families, and there was a lot of
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the N word that is floating around
in the in the ecosystem, and you
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chose to do I mean, I
know that you worked with Anaraksasha in Gangs
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of Vashpur. You were behind the
scene, and you've done a couple of
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roles before you came to Massan,
which is Neira Gabon's film. And in
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that film, I think your character
completely blew me away because here's a boy
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from Bombay who goes in who makes
me believe that he's always been in Banaras,
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he's always lived in a family which
which has they burned the dead for
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a living and the ledger with which
you picked up. So I was,
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like I said, it was a
I think it was a great breakout film.
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I wondered, what was your process
before you came to that film?
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What what? What were the thoughts
that brought to you brought you to that
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film and convinced you to do it
in the way you did it. At
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that time, ma'am, I was
simply a boy who was not getting options
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and choices on a platter key what
work would you want? What do you
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want to say yes to? And
what do you want to say a no
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to? So I was just a
boy looking out for opportunities, a very
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hungry and a very stubborn boy who
was just wanting opportunities. Massan happened.
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I gave an audition and I got
selected for that part. And when we
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went on to that journey, it
was a film, you know, apart
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from Richard Chadan, Sanja Mishraji on
that film. It was everybody's first film,
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including technicians, including the actors,
including the director, including the editor,
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everybody's So it was getting made with
a lot of purity, if I
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can say, and a lot of
what's the English word for alhadapana like it
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was just like a lot of novices
coming together with a lot of passion and
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that breakout opportunity, opportunity that we've
all gotten, and we're just very very
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excited about this, very passionate about
this, and with the attitude of nothing
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to lose. So we went there
and I knew that it was a completely
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alien world to me Banaras. Of
course we had shot gangs of our super
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over there, but I did not
immerse myself in Banaras that the language,
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the culture, especially the Dome community
where I had to be a part of
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that. That guy as only and
only seen that in his life, and
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he wants to venture out and get
out of that world and probably explore new
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opportunities for himself. So of course, my preparation for any role starts with
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the director, because it's a directors
medium. Nidras Gaven and Burn Grover,
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the writer of the film. They
had spent a lot of time in Banaras
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and varun Is from Bhu. He
studied there, so they were really well
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versed with the culture over there,
so I spent time with them. I
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went to Banaras about three weeks before
we started shooting, and I tried to
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uh just be one with the with
the place, apart from learning the language,
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the culture and everything. I remember
that one thing I used to do,
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uh is I had an audio track
with me which was just ram nams
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up there, ram nambs up there, and I used to put that in
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my like on my headphones, and
I used to try and go to sleep
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on that music. Firstly, it
used to be very haunting, but I
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tried because that boy at the puck
it must have been his lullaby because he's
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only lived there, and just like
because if he doesn't get there get that
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sound, probably he's not able to
sleep. So that's where I wanted to
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push myself too. Uh spend a
lot of time at the at the cremation
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ground. I remember the first time
I went there, I couldn't sit there
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for fifteen minutes, but then I
was eventually able to spend days over there,
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have a cup of tea right next
to a warning fire and say that
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it is my shatkame. So it
was just just surrendering to that whole world,
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not knowing what's going to come out
of it. And I was really
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surprised. It's the first time I
actually felt like, you know, your
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job is to to give something to
the character, but what ended up happening
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was the complete opposite the fear when
you did the first film. You know,
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I feel like when you do something
the first time, there is a
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little fear that that pit in your
kind of stum up when you become me
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the first time. Do you feel
that with Sam? Because it was such
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a it was so much of an
immersive experience for you to go and kind
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of pick up something. You know, it's a very different roles, very
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unusual person. Also, was there
a fear that kind of also there in
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you when you started off? For
every day? I'm said every day because
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just the magnanimity of the glory is
left me and the legacy is left me.
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And the more and more we got
to know about him, what he's
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done, all the things that have
happened to him, and how he's come
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out as the winner in every situation
I see. There's a there's a certain
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kind of responsibility that you feel when
you are wearing the Indian Army uniform for
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what you're representing. Uh, and
then it's Field Marshal Sam manick Shaw's uniform.
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It was a whole new kind of
I used to make a conscious decision
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when I used to leave my van
and go on said that I'm not gonna
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for one second indulge in the thought
that to remember what man you're playing,
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I would just believe that I am
that man. And I went with that
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conviction because the moment that thought would
come that the Field Marshal Sam, I
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I tried to make him my friend. I tried to make him like my
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own so that that magnanimity never made
me nervous, because that would have affected
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my confidence. But you know,
I was telling you one of my favorite
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films of all time was Razzi.
I think you know you were incredible in
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that film. In the movie but
you and he said that to me multiple
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times, multiple times. I really
think that the you know, the the
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the the gentle list with which you
approached the characters, it was just something
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to spectacle and you know, VICKI
obviously just uh just as always outperformed,
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out delivered. But what was that
that that difference between you know, thinking
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about Razi versus Sam, I feel
like, you know, in my sense
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is that when I saw Sam,
you were in devotional love of Sam.
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You know. I feel like in
Razi you sort of you weren't in love
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with you. You you you loved
their stories, you didn't love the character.
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Maybe that could be am I am
I right in that assessment. No,
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it's not that I didn't love her. I empathized. There was a
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lot more empathy than love. There
was also a lot of gray in the
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character, right, she was not
only black or white. There was a
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lot of gray in her. But
to treat that gray gently so that there
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is redemption at the end of the
film, you have to empathize with the
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character and the decisions and the choices
she's making. With Sam, there is
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reverence and only reverence. There is
no black, no white, no gray.
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There is just pure reverence. I
can't feel any other emotion there.
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It's just because of the person that
he is, or maybe how I've absorbed
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him or internalized him. And so
that was my approach in writing the film,
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in executing the scenes, in looking
at him in every shot. I
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mean, I I don't know whether
everybody will notice it, but my camera's
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never at his eye level. It's
always looking up at him. It's always
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looking up. It's always low looking
up because and he's got this louch and
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he's looking down at all of us. Yeah. I wanted to ask you,
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Magna. A couple of years ago, when I had reached out to
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you for my book on it Phan, I had asked you about your journey,
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and I'd asked you about how you
had started making movies like Pill Hall,
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and then many years there was nothing, and then you were in a
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very great dark place, you told
me, and then something happened and you
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got Talvar. I want to tell
us a little bit about that, because
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you've been for so many years there
was silence, and then there was depression
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in your own words, and then
and then there's something happened. What was
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that something that happened? Yeah,
So I just said this earlier today.
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Also, I like we have BC
and AD. My life is before Talvar
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and after Tulver. That's how I
divide my life. The first fifteen years
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of my career from the release of
filhal. The films didn't meet with success,
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and when your films don't meet with
success, getting work is difficult.
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It doesn't matter what your surname is. So that is my explanation for the
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N word that people keep throwing at
us all the time. What switched on
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was Vishal Barberg. It was him
who threw the idea of kalvar at me.
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I thanked my stars that I said
yes in a blink. And I
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think what changed was the stories that
I began to tell after that. So
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the stories became real, they became
tougher, made me work harder, and
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I think that's what started working with
the audience that was watching my films.
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So I really can't say that I
switched on something in myself. I think
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it's the stories that found me that
changed something in me. Yeah, it
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is such a tough, tough story
to handle. It is something that breaks
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your heart every single time you think
about that little girl and about what happened
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to her. I wonder what was
going through your mind as a mother,
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you know, and as a filmmaker. I wonder what was it that made
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you say yes I will do this
and yes I will try and be honest
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to every side, I wonder what
was that one thing. I was following
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the case like everybody else was,
and I was also constantly flipping between what
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I was believing. I was believing
what I was being fed when I was
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being feded. So when we were
being told that the parents were guilty,
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I was believing it. When I
was being told that it was actually not
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the parents but the household help,
I was believing it. And then suddenly
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everything went silent on it. And
that's when this idea came from which Alcer
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and I was like, of course
I would want to understand what actually went
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down. I was not only a
mother, I was also a daughter,
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So it was very difficult to execute
with having any kind of emotional investment in
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the film. So there was just
complete clinical objectivity for me. They were
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characters. It was not a real
incident. I had not even met Rajash
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and Nupur. I had not even
met them when we were making the film.
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It took me about three months to
process that after the release of the
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film, that this was real.
These people exist, and that's when you
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know, kind of like the redemption
of it happened with me, the resolution
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of it. It was not easy, but I think I think what happened
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is you became more of a journalist. Actually, yes, because it was
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important to just put what was happening
was that when the information was coming out,
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it was coming out over a period
of eight years. All we did
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was put it all together, both
sides of it, in a concise timeline,
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and then we left it to the
audience. Key, we leave it
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to you. You all decide,
because even we don't know the truth,
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even we don't know what when,
But you've been doing like a lot of
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reality since. I mean, and
even Sam. So though somehow journalism seems
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to a bitter you without you knowing, I guess is what kind of seems
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to happen? You know? The
thing is my stories choose me. It
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seems like a design, but it's
all coincidence that they're all true. Like
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if we go back to Sam and
you know, I remember my first war
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film that I saw was Border.
I'm looking at Sam now, I feel
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like, in a sense, war
movies have come a long way, VICKI
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from Border to Sam, right,
and I think you know, you know,
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if I look at it, by
the way, I finally saw Ury.
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Sorry, Okay, so I just
want to share something with you.
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Guys. An is the only guy
whom I call my friend even after he's
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not seen Uri. He saw it
now before this session because I told him
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I'm not doing it time. If
you don't see Uri before this, and
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I don't care if you want sam
or not, but this is long pending.
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So I saw Uri, and I
totally understand why it was that huge,
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blockbusters and incredible. Again. I
was I was gripped at the edge
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of my seat. It was fantastick
and what acting has always I'm not going
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But you know, if I can
just compare the class I mean a Border
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or even an Uri to Wow's Love, even an Uri to a sam Mani
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Shaw or even Razi, it's very
clear. In URI's very clear. In
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Border, you know who the bad
guys are and who the good guys are.
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And it's very simple. Obviously,
you know, we know who sided
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or when you're making Samanic. Sure
we know who cide it when you're making
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Razi. But there's a certain sense
of other rising and villainizing that Border and
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Uri did, which your war films
haven't done. Is that a conscious thing?
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Is that just you as a person, that you don't you don't alienate
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somebody. No, it's not about
alienating. I often believe that a person
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is is who that person is purely
because of circumstance. Which side of the
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circumstance you are on makes you either
the hero or the villain, and the
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person who's calling you a hero or
villain, it depends on that person's perspective.
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Again, if I'm standing on the
other side and looking at something,
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I can say this person is not
a villain. So it's a it's a
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very subjective thing. With Razi,
I honestly believe that there is no hero
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or villain because again, when Samath
is doing what she's doing, she's a
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hero in somebody's eyes, but she's
a villain in that family's eyes who she's
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destroying. Right, So it's there's
always two sides to a coin. With
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sam there is no there is no
scope for villainizing anybody. It's not that
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story. And he's not that man, you know. I mean he didn't
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do it in his lifetime. I
can't do it in his film. No.
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I mean he fought like he was
in five sort of he did,
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but he he fought to defend his
country without villainizing his enemy. Otherwise,
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the treatment that he gave to the
ninety three thousand prisoners of war that we
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had would not have been given if
he was villainizing those people. He treated
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them with humanity and with respect that
a soldier merits, So there he was
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not midalizing them. It's very clear
you did Ruman Ragha okay, which was
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immediately, which is such a dark
character. And where does all the niceness
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go to? That's one and the
second one is when you talked about yourself
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as being very stubborn. I want
you to tell us a little bit about
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what you meant when you said I
was a very stubborn guy right in the
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beginning for two things. Ramana of
two point two was a film I had
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done which was directed by an Ura
rush Up, which was a very dark
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film. I was playing a cop, which my mother was very happy about,
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but I did not give her the
details of what kind of a cop
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he is. Uh a very dark
and twisted story about a cop and a
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serial killer. So so she asked
me about how he was saying how much
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of a nice guy I am?
And how was I able to play that?
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So, to be very honest,
I still feel that that's my worst
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performance still date because agree you agree, right, I am not surprised because
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I just felt like I hadn't lived
enough experiences to fully get into the depth
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of that guy. And that is
one role I feel every five years of
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my life I will play differently and
I will play it better because of the
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complexities of that person. I fortunately
come from a very protective upbringing, very
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secure upbringing, and that is not
what his life was. And at the
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age of twenty five when I was
playing that part, there was a little
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bit of a gap that I had
to fill to understand that and that bridge
327
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I today in retrospect, feel that
I couldn't cover. So I tried my
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best, but I still feel like
there's a lot more I can do today
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if I get that role. Second
question was regarding the stubbornness. Yeah,
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when I first thought that I want
to be an actor, it was when
331
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I was doing my engineering. I
had not graduated. This was about two
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thousand and seven, two thousand and
eight. I said that, Okay,
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after finishing my graduation, I'm going
to do pursue acting and not do anything
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related to engineering. At that time, also, I did not have the
335
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confidence that I want to be an
actor. I want to say, I
336
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want to tell this to anybody that
I want to be an actor, because
337
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at that time, actors were launched, stars were launched. Today, fortunately
338
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we are in a time where an
actor comes in a film and he does
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two good scenes and you will google
his name out. Okay, who was
340
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that actor? We saw this actor
somewhere and he will get better opportunities after
341
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that. In two thousand and ten, when I started off, that was
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not the environment at all. It
was not the environment for a film like
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Masan to come out. So at
that time, what I mean by saying
344
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that I was a stubborn actor is
that when I used to go for additions
345
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and I would say that I want
to I want I want a role,
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I want an opportunity, I want
to be an I am an actor.
347
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I sometimes would be at the receiving
end of like you know, a person
348
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checking me out, like scanning me
from top to bottom. That oh,
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and that's when I would be even
more confident and say I want to be
350
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an actor. So that stubbornness was
actually what gave me confidence. More than
351
00:26:44.680 --> 00:26:47.519
proving a point to the other person. I wanted to prove a point to
352
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myself when I was not getting any
opportunities that do it because you love it,
353
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Do it because it gives you happiness, and things will change. And
354
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things did change super now the craft
of filmmaking and VICKI, both of you,
355
00:27:03.559 --> 00:27:07.279
it's become like when you make a
movie. Now you're kind of like
356
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making up fmcg product like a shampoo
or like an instant noodle. Because you're
357
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doing focus groups, you're sitting in
addressing like you know who the target audience
358
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is. You're asking very intelligent marketing
questions. Now, is that somewhere compromising
359
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on the on the on the pure
form of storytelling, on the pure art
360
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form of filmmaking? Is that something
you guys think about? It all depends
361
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on who your producer is and what
your conviction is. Sambado didn't go through
362
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any of that. I say it
didn't, and at that only comes from
363
00:27:38.920 --> 00:27:44.359
the conviction of Ronnie's truvella. Okay, yes, films go through that.
364
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And it's important also because there is
a lot at stake. There are there
365
00:27:48.680 --> 00:27:52.960
is a high investments involved, there's
a time and uh effort of a lot
366
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of people, and so to safeguard
that is it's not. It's not a
367
00:27:56.920 --> 00:28:03.319
wrong thing necessarily provided it does not
distort the initial intent and vision that you
368
00:28:03.400 --> 00:28:07.720
set out to make the film with. Having being armed with added knowledge is
369
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never a bad thing. Vicky was
saying about how he didn't have that experience
370
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with what we name it, You
said, Raman Ragha, we didn't have
371
00:28:17.839 --> 00:28:21.480
that experience in order to play what
that guy had gone through, the character
372
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gone through. You know, the
audience also needs to resonate with with the
373
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character in a certain way. And
in India there's so much diversity now especially,
374
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I mean, identity has changed a
lot, right compared to our people
375
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to identify themselves as fifty sixty seventy
years ago. So when you're thinking about
376
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audience and this identity is constantly shifting
and it's so diverse as a director and
377
00:28:48.680 --> 00:28:52.559
as an actor also, VICKI,
do you kind of sometimes feel like short
378
00:28:52.640 --> 00:28:56.400
audience called like just like, do
do my craft like to do what I
379
00:28:56.440 --> 00:28:59.640
want to do, what comes from
my heart? Or do you sometimes feel
380
00:28:59.680 --> 00:29:03.559
like there's somebody I have to appeal
to, There's somebody or an there's some
381
00:29:03.599 --> 00:29:11.240
identity I have to match somewhere.
To be very honest in those regards,
382
00:29:11.279 --> 00:29:17.119
the job of an actor is much
simpler than that of a director because from
383
00:29:17.160 --> 00:29:19.759
an actor, all that is expected
is honesty. Of course, during marketing
384
00:29:19.799 --> 00:29:25.119
and campaigning for the film and promoting
a film, that's a whole different aspect
385
00:29:25.119 --> 00:29:30.240
of filmmaking. But when what my
job is between action and gut to play
386
00:29:30.279 --> 00:29:33.759
that character, it is only the
honesty of that emotion, the truth of
387
00:29:33.839 --> 00:29:37.359
that emotion that I have to hit. At that point, if the truth
388
00:29:37.400 --> 00:29:41.279
has reached the audience, that is
what they are wanting that in that black
389
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box when they're sitting and watching that
film, they need to see that character.
390
00:29:44.440 --> 00:29:45.960
That is where my focus is.
Of course, when it comes to
391
00:29:47.039 --> 00:29:49.640
marketing a film, it's a whole
different drama, which I'm still trying to
392
00:29:49.720 --> 00:29:55.200
understand and I think I'll take fifty
years to understand that. But when it
393
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comes to making a film, I
mean, i'll let Meg not talk about
394
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that process, which it's a huge
task, and we'll just take some question
395
00:30:03.240 --> 00:30:07.400
from the audience. First observation I
have is one of the first photographs you
396
00:30:07.559 --> 00:30:11.799
flash off the field, Marshals,
he's without a belt. He was never
397
00:30:11.880 --> 00:30:18.519
without his belt. You're going to
get a lot of this. Yeah.
398
00:30:18.880 --> 00:30:25.720
Secondly, I remember when he came
to us in Silong and most of us
399
00:30:25.759 --> 00:30:32.200
young officers gathered around him in the
bar and said, so he must be
400
00:30:32.240 --> 00:30:36.119
removed from a change, have a
change in location. So he said,
401
00:30:36.119 --> 00:30:40.880
why so it rains here all the
time and it's not good for training.
402
00:30:40.960 --> 00:30:44.720
We confined to the barracks. It's
cold. This is not much of a
403
00:30:44.759 --> 00:30:48.359
place. We can't get out of
the unit line. So he said,
404
00:30:48.599 --> 00:30:52.920
at your age, I don't see
why you should feel the rain or the
405
00:30:52.920 --> 00:31:02.079
cold or any such hardship. Come
get off. Also, I've I think
406
00:31:02.119 --> 00:31:04.599
Maya's here with us, Maya.
That is yes, wonderful. So this
407
00:31:04.759 --> 00:31:18.160
is Sam's daughter and this is yeah. So no, I'll ask you a
408
00:31:18.279 --> 00:31:22.440
question and you tell me whether my
first one. Have you seen the film
409
00:31:22.519 --> 00:31:26.440
yet? Yes? Okay? And
is there is there? What was the
410
00:31:26.640 --> 00:31:32.880
what was that one moment in the
film that you think was was where you
411
00:31:33.000 --> 00:31:37.839
felt like proud of your father's story
being told, one moment where you felt
412
00:31:38.119 --> 00:31:42.799
that not that that the country will
be sharing your pride. Can I take
413
00:31:42.839 --> 00:31:47.519
it this is somewhere else? Sure, See, pride will always be there.
414
00:31:47.880 --> 00:31:52.839
They have made the film to make
the country proud of whatever it was.
415
00:31:52.400 --> 00:31:59.240
But the time that I tear up
every time. I've seen the film
416
00:31:59.279 --> 00:32:04.200
twice now and I've peered up both
times. Is the last two seconds of
417
00:32:04.279 --> 00:32:08.839
the film when you turn to the
audience and you're smiling. That just kills
418
00:32:08.920 --> 00:32:15.359
me every time. Cool. Thank
you for being here, and thank you
419
00:32:15.400 --> 00:32:19.480
so much for just be taking time
and interacting with us. It's all lovely
420
00:32:19.519 --> 00:32:24.759
to stop meeting like this. I
totally agree, Maya. But listen,
421
00:32:24.799 --> 00:32:30.079
guys, for the last two seconds, you'll have to watch the entire film.
422
00:32:30.759 --> 00:32:35.039
All of you over here, did
you respect to Jaho Krishna? And
423
00:32:35.039 --> 00:32:39.359
all I'm jerk I want was big
caution? How much of I learned?
424
00:32:40.319 --> 00:32:53.440
Can you speak? Uh? All
I know is a bra and uh and
425
00:32:53.880 --> 00:33:00.720
say one thing? Take my alcher, I'm I didn't want to say one
426
00:33:00.720 --> 00:33:04.079
thing. When I went to Stavaka. I went twice to his house with
427
00:33:04.119 --> 00:33:07.440
my wife when I was a staff
college and he took all the ladies to
428
00:33:07.519 --> 00:33:12.319
the bedroom and he share a secret. Ladies. You know one thing.
429
00:33:13.119 --> 00:33:15.279
I could never salute it with the
basis when I became bold, so he
430
00:33:15.359 --> 00:33:19.480
had a replica with him. I
have a photograph of that basis, which
431
00:33:19.480 --> 00:33:22.640
you always carried with him, which
was the replica of the actual bacon,
432
00:33:22.680 --> 00:33:27.839
because he says at eighty one,
I can't salute with that baby. He
433
00:33:27.839 --> 00:33:30.039
has got a replica which is there
his bedroom on the first flow, and
434
00:33:30.119 --> 00:33:34.960
there was a full lift which could
take his toast and omelets and bread from
435
00:33:35.000 --> 00:33:37.160
the kitchen to his bedroom. And
he never took all of us. He
436
00:33:37.200 --> 00:33:43.839
already took the ladies there. That's
all head martial connecture. And my last
437
00:33:43.880 --> 00:33:47.000
thing is we adore him because he
always said one thing, never be a
438
00:33:47.079 --> 00:33:53.000
yes man in the yard board cowardly
things. If you call himself a yes
439
00:33:53.079 --> 00:33:57.880
man, be yourself. And that
is what we have learned in the armed
440
00:33:57.920 --> 00:34:02.119
forces to be professionally again and called
stay stay, thank you very much,
441
00:34:02.480 --> 00:34:08.000
thank you, thank you. I'm
asking, I'm putting a mission on the
442
00:34:08.000 --> 00:34:13.360
spot and asking him to come.
He's just guys, actually our guest.
443
00:34:16.239 --> 00:34:22.519
I'm an author, but I actually
have a sam Manic Shraws story of my
444
00:34:22.639 --> 00:34:25.159
own. I don't think you knew
this. I had studied at Laurence School,
445
00:34:25.199 --> 00:34:30.000
Lovedale, where the Field Marshal had
studied as well, and I was
446
00:34:30.159 --> 00:34:35.920
there in the early eighties and the
Field Marshal had actually come for the march
447
00:34:36.000 --> 00:34:39.239
past and I was a part of
the marching parade, so I had the
448
00:34:39.400 --> 00:34:44.559
honor of marching and saluting, and
the Field Marshal himself was saluting at all
449
00:34:44.599 --> 00:34:46.360
of us boys. Of course,
we did the best we could, but
450
00:34:46.519 --> 00:34:51.480
we actually got the opportunity to salute
to the Field Marshal and he saluted us
451
00:34:51.519 --> 00:34:54.360
back because he was also from Lauren
School, the same school that I was
452
00:34:54.440 --> 00:34:59.440
in. So I am of course
a huge Sam Manic Show fan from that
453
00:34:59.599 --> 00:35:02.800
age, my entire family work,
and I'm a huge Wiki Kosal fan as
454
00:35:02.840 --> 00:35:07.719
well. Uh. So to get
to see them both in one movie,
455
00:35:07.800 --> 00:35:10.480
thank You Magna uh probably one of
the will be one of the best moments
456
00:35:10.519 --> 00:35:14.719
of my life when I see the
film loom for to thank you. My
457
00:35:14.840 --> 00:35:19.119
name is and there is no need
to expence that I am a friend is
458
00:35:19.159 --> 00:35:22.079
always saying, I was just going
to say this. This session is looking
459
00:35:22.159 --> 00:35:31.320
like a tribute to that towel fight
sceneer Sir, Sir, I am a
460
00:35:31.440 --> 00:35:35.760
point author and columnist and I'm a
teacher also, So I would like to
461
00:35:35.840 --> 00:35:39.960
ask a question that what is the
biggest motivation to you, like in life,
462
00:35:40.960 --> 00:35:45.960
in your career or live both all
your wart life. What is the
463
00:35:46.000 --> 00:35:52.320
biggest motivation I would like to Oh, my biggest motivation is I think just
464
00:35:52.480 --> 00:35:55.920
this this this love that I get
from the audience, which you just want
465
00:35:57.000 --> 00:36:00.440
to get keep getting multiplied. Uh, it's it's really what we work for.
466
00:36:01.000 --> 00:36:06.480
Apart from all the calculations and box
office and all of that, what
467
00:36:06.679 --> 00:36:10.039
really gives us a good sound sleep
is is this this really? I remember
468
00:36:10.079 --> 00:36:14.119
the first time I got I got
called by the character name that I had
469
00:36:14.159 --> 00:36:16.840
played. I will forget box office
numbers, but I'll never forget that moment,
470
00:36:17.280 --> 00:36:20.480
you know. So, so this
is what I live for. This
471
00:36:20.639 --> 00:36:23.400
is this is what we work hard
for to entertain people. And I would
472
00:36:23.480 --> 00:36:27.320
like to add one thing also,
what is the formula? Too many?
473
00:36:27.480 --> 00:36:40.239
Is the work life balance to manage? But life balance formula experienced formula question
474
00:36:40.800 --> 00:36:55.440
to you the directors interviews. But
that's that's my thank you sir. Please
475
00:36:55.519 --> 00:36:59.719
be right here. WI A personal
question. How do you get through moments
476
00:36:59.719 --> 00:37:06.679
of doubt? Oh? By not
indulging in them because it scares me And
477
00:37:07.800 --> 00:37:14.079
I don't know, it's just like
I I really I'm a huge believer in
478
00:37:14.159 --> 00:37:17.599
destiny and karma. So when I
do intend to indulge in self doubt.
479
00:37:19.239 --> 00:37:27.639
I rely on destiny and Karma's I'm
a nice guy, so God has better
480
00:37:27.719 --> 00:37:31.039
plans for me. I'm not capable
of knowing the answer of the situation,
481
00:37:31.239 --> 00:37:35.440
but maybe he has, and of
course he has, and He's always taken
482
00:37:35.480 --> 00:37:37.639
me out of those situations. So
I just focus on what needs to be
483
00:37:37.719 --> 00:37:45.920
done and keep going at it.
That's great. In fact, I I
484
00:37:45.079 --> 00:37:50.239
loved you the best in Sanju.
Sorry man, loved you the best in
485
00:37:50.360 --> 00:37:53.639
Sanju? Thank you too good.
But the only thing is that doing a
486
00:37:53.760 --> 00:37:59.639
movie like Saan Mani show, is
it intimidating difficult because actually to get into
487
00:37:59.679 --> 00:38:04.360
the car you have to really,
really maybe treat yourself in a very different
488
00:38:04.480 --> 00:38:07.480
way. Because in fact, I'm
sitting next to her and I'm feeling very
489
00:38:07.480 --> 00:38:12.760
empowered. I wonder when you're actually
doing him, it must be really feeling
490
00:38:12.800 --> 00:38:15.280
good by the way I have an
IPOs officer, he also wanted to ask,
491
00:38:16.719 --> 00:38:22.000
not wanting to intimidate you anymore,
No, it was it was like
492
00:38:22.079 --> 00:38:28.079
I mentioned before, He's just left
such a legacy that it just seems like
493
00:38:28.199 --> 00:38:34.440
a big task for an actor to
pull it off. And it's first I
494
00:38:34.599 --> 00:38:38.840
was really happy about the opportunity I
got and the times I would get to
495
00:38:38.920 --> 00:38:43.400
know the details about his life.
I would be like, oh man,
496
00:38:43.480 --> 00:38:47.280
this is a massive responsibility. So
so it was. It was intimidating,
497
00:38:47.360 --> 00:38:52.360
but at the same time it was
probably the most fulfilling experience as an actor.
498
00:38:52.559 --> 00:38:54.639
It was Wei keep this method acting
thing. You know, we've been
499
00:38:54.719 --> 00:38:58.840
hearing about it. I mean I've
been hearing about it a lot, especially
500
00:38:59.440 --> 00:39:02.079
you know these story somemers are bizarre, right, Like I mean I heard
501
00:39:02.119 --> 00:39:07.559
that Daniel day lewis apparently laying gangs
of you, So that is method acting,
502
00:39:07.639 --> 00:39:08.840
like he's the guru of method acting. To be very honest, I'm
503
00:39:08.920 --> 00:39:14.639
not a big this thing of method
acting because I mean, tomorrow, if
504
00:39:14.639 --> 00:39:17.079
I have to play a killer,
I'm not gonna, you know, just
505
00:39:17.159 --> 00:39:21.719
to understand the role. I'm not
going to do that. But sorry,
506
00:39:22.320 --> 00:39:27.880
I'm to rise the guy. But
but the thing is it it is for
507
00:39:28.039 --> 00:39:31.239
me. It's a tool that I
could use for a specific scene, for
508
00:39:32.199 --> 00:39:37.519
a specific moment, but not as
just like a general method for a role.
509
00:39:37.639 --> 00:39:38.840
I will never do that. I'll
just push that question a little bit
510
00:39:39.199 --> 00:39:43.320
and maybe you can take the first
shot of this, But when you're thinking
511
00:39:43.440 --> 00:39:47.599
about writing the character of a Pakistani
army man versus an Indian army man,
512
00:39:47.880 --> 00:39:51.599
what goes to your mind? Are
you are you how much is the Indian
513
00:39:51.639 --> 00:39:53.079
flag in the back of your mind
when you're making when you're writing that character
514
00:39:53.199 --> 00:39:57.920
or is it just human human human
emotion, emotion, emotion. I'm actually
515
00:39:58.000 --> 00:40:02.440
only writing the man because when he
has to react to what is going on
516
00:40:02.599 --> 00:40:07.920
with his wife at that point,
I think any man in that situation,
517
00:40:07.039 --> 00:40:10.920
whether he was wearing a Pakistani uniform
or an Indian uniform, would feel the
518
00:40:10.960 --> 00:40:16.880
same emotions of betrayals of heartbreak.
So you need to first write the man
519
00:40:17.239 --> 00:40:21.440
and then put him in the uniform. Interesting, Okay, yes, we
520
00:40:21.480 --> 00:40:24.800
get a question here. Please I
have one question. Firstly, I'd like
521
00:40:24.880 --> 00:40:30.199
to thank both of you for bringing
such movies because it helps us generations to
522
00:40:30.280 --> 00:40:34.079
kind of connect to what had happened. I also come from like my granddad
523
00:40:34.239 --> 00:40:37.400
was in the army and he's fought
all three wars and it's just such a
524
00:40:37.480 --> 00:40:42.320
delight to, you know, our
witness such movies. Later, I wanted
525
00:40:42.360 --> 00:40:45.800
to ask Vicky, since you've done, you know, a couple of movies
526
00:40:45.880 --> 00:40:50.840
from the army background, and we
know that. You know, the defense
527
00:40:51.000 --> 00:40:58.400
professionals usually have certain traits or habits
that define them. Is there something that
528
00:40:58.599 --> 00:41:01.039
you seem to be in by being
in your day to day life? Was
529
00:41:01.119 --> 00:41:07.199
my question, And I just wanted
to ask a Nuns which star has disappointed
530
00:41:07.280 --> 00:41:13.840
you so much? That's a great
question. Now that's a question. So
531
00:41:14.000 --> 00:41:16.480
you first you want to take the
first job. I mean, while you'll
532
00:41:16.480 --> 00:41:25.800
think about which star disappointed me?
I don't. I mean, I okay,
533
00:41:25.840 --> 00:41:29.760
to answer your question, I think
a lot of things. I think
534
00:41:30.119 --> 00:41:34.320
firstly, their spirit, like sir
said, calling a spade a spade.
535
00:41:34.880 --> 00:41:37.920
Uh. With Sam, the uniqueness
was that he could do that and still
536
00:41:38.199 --> 00:41:42.840
make the other person smile and become
a fan of him. But I try
537
00:41:42.920 --> 00:41:46.639
and do that, but I unfortunately
I'm not reset stage to end up making
538
00:41:46.679 --> 00:41:51.320
the other person a fan of mine. But I try and do that.
539
00:41:51.559 --> 00:41:55.320
That discipline, the etiquettes, their
manners, everything. I've not cracked it
540
00:41:55.400 --> 00:41:59.559
to that much degree, but I
try and do that every day of my
541
00:41:59.679 --> 00:42:05.320
life. Are but thank you,
ma'am, thank you, But that does
542
00:42:05.440 --> 00:42:07.519
happen that has happened to me after
playing Sam, I make sure that so
543
00:42:07.599 --> 00:42:10.760
many times I'm at a crossroad and
I'm conflicted in my mind that what to
544
00:42:10.840 --> 00:42:15.440
do, what not to do?
So many different moments in my life,
545
00:42:15.480 --> 00:42:17.920
and I keep asking myself what would
Sam sor have done? You know,
546
00:42:19.159 --> 00:42:22.239
what would have he done? And
that gives gives me a lot of courage
547
00:42:22.280 --> 00:42:25.320
to make decisions. So yeah,
thank you both. I have two questions.
548
00:42:25.440 --> 00:42:30.320
Sorry, sorry your your answer to
that question? Oh sorry, please
549
00:42:30.360 --> 00:42:36.480
please please carry on? No,
what would we Who? Who disappointed me
550
00:42:36.559 --> 00:42:40.639
as a star? I mean there's
nobody I've I have never seen him like
551
00:42:40.679 --> 00:42:49.480
this. I have never seen him
like this. I'll tell you the one
552
00:42:49.559 --> 00:42:52.519
community that always I feel more after
the community, not a person. Now,
553
00:42:52.880 --> 00:42:55.440
I have to be honest. It
always disappoints me. I think it's
554
00:42:55.800 --> 00:43:00.079
the business community in India. I
feel like generally, and no offense to
555
00:43:00.079 --> 00:43:04.519
all of them here is, but
I feel like they are normally they're always
556
00:43:04.599 --> 00:43:07.280
so scared of saying anything and it's
just always nervous. They don't open their
557
00:43:07.320 --> 00:43:10.960
mouths. Yeah, actually I know
ice, I know there's an ice,
558
00:43:12.519 --> 00:43:14.840
but you know, give you an
example. I was. I got very
559
00:43:14.880 --> 00:43:16.559
involved in the Bombay air pollution thing. I got personally very involved a four
560
00:43:16.599 --> 00:43:20.480
year old son in Bombay and I
called a few business people. You know,
561
00:43:20.559 --> 00:43:22.519
there are people who are like thirty
thousand and fifty thousand employees in my
562
00:43:22.639 --> 00:43:27.119
Astra was just, you know,
just help us make some buzz about this
563
00:43:27.360 --> 00:43:30.519
top you know, tweeted post it, you know, create some pressure on
564
00:43:30.679 --> 00:43:34.079
the government to kind of act on
this air pollution thin because Bombay has a
565
00:43:34.199 --> 00:43:38.239
nothing you know, BMC isn't actually
nothing and not one person did it.
566
00:43:38.320 --> 00:43:40.000
They are like, yeah, hump. But the beachman, I said,
567
00:43:40.039 --> 00:43:43.800
yeah, if you're going to be
so like nervous to put out a tweet
568
00:43:43.840 --> 00:43:47.119
of a news report, you know, so I think I'm not answering your
569
00:43:47.199 --> 00:43:50.800
question of a staff from Bollywood.
But that's the only as I could think
570
00:43:50.840 --> 00:43:57.480
of what he's gonna answer when he's
got a businessman at that that I'll do
571
00:43:57.559 --> 00:44:00.239
a quick rapid fire because I don't
want to not do this Rabbit. It's
572
00:44:00.239 --> 00:44:04.960
always like the thing that gets shared
around on Instagram. This is the scary
573
00:44:05.079 --> 00:44:09.320
version of the popular op rapid fire. Okay for both. For both,
574
00:44:09.360 --> 00:44:15.880
I'm starting with you manacausea was now
the last the one time you were angry
575
00:44:15.960 --> 00:44:22.679
with VICKI today? Ask him why
why? Why? Why tell him why
576
00:44:24.320 --> 00:44:32.639
you are ye? Joe Hall hair? So after like we did the college
577
00:44:32.719 --> 00:44:37.480
visit, we came back and we
were doing photo. She was she was
578
00:44:37.559 --> 00:44:40.760
not happy with my hair. She's
like, barbit, how we are juck
579
00:44:40.840 --> 00:44:47.039
and now she does that? Yeah, okay, the one time you've lost
580
00:44:47.119 --> 00:44:52.159
it on set we got some badges
and ribbons wrong and it was a serious
581
00:44:52.280 --> 00:44:58.960
mistake. Yeah, okay, the
one scene or moment in the film that
582
00:44:59.039 --> 00:45:02.639
you're most proud top WEEKI for So
we were shooting the do you have to
583
00:45:02.719 --> 00:45:07.199
answer rapidly or can I answer?
Take my time? If if this on
584
00:45:07.280 --> 00:45:09.960
top of us wasn't there, I
would take a long story. I mean,
585
00:45:09.960 --> 00:45:13.039
now, come on, okay.
If you were shooting the film backwards
586
00:45:13.119 --> 00:45:16.480
in chronology, so we were starting
with older Salmon going into younger Sam because
587
00:45:16.480 --> 00:45:20.039
he needed time to lose weight and
we didn't want to go into VFX and
588
00:45:20.079 --> 00:45:22.280
all of that. So I think
on the sixth or seventh day of our
589
00:45:22.360 --> 00:45:28.719
filming schedule of an eighty three day
schedule, he has done his retirement scene
590
00:45:29.599 --> 00:45:36.199
uh in the film. And to
commit at that point to how this person
591
00:45:36.280 --> 00:45:42.199
would be, how he would be
reacting at the culmination of his journey in
592
00:45:42.320 --> 00:45:45.280
the film. To commit to that
on the fifth day of the shoot of
593
00:45:45.360 --> 00:45:52.360
the film, and to do it
the way he did was Yeah. So,
594
00:45:52.639 --> 00:45:57.760
since you're taking more of a journalistic
you know, sort of a band
595
00:45:57.800 --> 00:46:01.159
of mine. Now, I'm If
you're forced to make a movie on any
596
00:46:01.199 --> 00:46:05.719
of the following events at the Indianet
Express has played a significant role in it,
597
00:46:06.280 --> 00:46:12.639
what would you choose? Vo first
Panama Papers, the emergency I see,
598
00:46:12.679 --> 00:46:16.199
I say, a video contract act. The Emergency is already being made,
599
00:46:16.360 --> 00:46:21.000
so that one is out of my
purview. No, the others are
600
00:46:21.079 --> 00:46:29.559
very boring. This is why more
people want Bollywood than read newspapers. No,
601
00:46:29.679 --> 00:46:34.360
find something else I'll do happily.
Okay, If if you got a
602
00:46:34.480 --> 00:46:37.280
chance to remake one classic film,
what would it be? You don't touch
603
00:46:37.320 --> 00:46:43.239
classics. I'll never remake one.
The one perk of being Gougard's daughter perk.
604
00:46:44.199 --> 00:46:47.320
Still have to find one. But
yeah, I have a lyricist on
605
00:46:47.559 --> 00:46:53.039
call on demand twenty for seven for
me when I'm making my films? Can
606
00:46:53.119 --> 00:46:58.239
I also give an anecdote over here? It is the most fascinating thing I've
607
00:46:58.280 --> 00:47:00.920
ever seen. I don't know if
I can share this, but I will
608
00:47:00.000 --> 00:47:09.159
sorry, we're on set untimely rains
and then I shoot a Q. She
609
00:47:09.440 --> 00:47:13.639
doesn't carry her phone when she's shooting
a film. I see her with a
610
00:47:13.679 --> 00:47:15.400
phone. I was like, what's
going on? Who is she calling?
611
00:47:15.719 --> 00:47:22.480
And she's texting? Like who are
you texting? Like Papa, watch some
612
00:47:29.440 --> 00:47:36.119
message? And the best part is
he replies. He replies, kidnap time
613
00:47:36.119 --> 00:47:45.000
Americas and she says half an hour, and he replies, this is a
614
00:47:45.079 --> 00:47:50.440
proper conversation. Thirty minutes the rains
are gone. Oh my god, Oh
615
00:47:50.480 --> 00:47:53.280
my god. I have no clue
how it happens. It happens every time.
616
00:47:53.599 --> 00:47:59.639
I don't believe. I know,
maybe that's exclusive for a shoot only
617
00:48:00.599 --> 00:48:07.679
I didn't think of it. Yeah, uh, maybe Bollywood has a habit
618
00:48:07.719 --> 00:48:09.920
of flogging a dead horse. Which
genre do you think is outstated? Its
619
00:48:09.960 --> 00:48:16.280
welcome? Biopics, horror comedies,
small town dramas, or any other dare
620
00:48:16.360 --> 00:48:24.079
not say biopics right now? They're
not. No. I don't agree that
621
00:48:24.199 --> 00:48:30.400
horror comedies or even small town genre
are I mean flogged yet because there's always
622
00:48:30.440 --> 00:48:36.119
a different interpretation to them. So
I would not take that slightly tough question.
623
00:48:36.519 --> 00:48:39.400
You can duck it if you like. But you know before that,
624
00:48:39.519 --> 00:48:44.639
when she went to that campus,
does it make a difference to your film
625
00:48:44.719 --> 00:48:45.719
you think at all? To have
any impact at all? You know,
626
00:48:45.880 --> 00:48:51.960
what do you think? I'm sure
that answer is pretty obvious. Yes,
627
00:48:52.000 --> 00:48:55.119
it did make a dent on the
film, because the conversation went from acid
628
00:48:55.199 --> 00:49:00.840
violence, which I intended the film
to amplify, to just okay, I'm
629
00:49:00.880 --> 00:49:04.960
not crying. I have cold air
coming into my eyes, so there's water
630
00:49:05.039 --> 00:49:10.320
coming out. So the conversation actually
changed track and went somewhere else. So
631
00:49:10.400 --> 00:49:14.960
of course it impacted the film.
Of course there was an impact on the
632
00:49:15.000 --> 00:49:21.280
film. There's no denying that,
VICKI, your turn got three period rapid
633
00:49:21.320 --> 00:49:22.559
fire for you. I'm not at
time to edit him down. You've got
634
00:49:22.599 --> 00:49:27.559
a great handwriting, and how do
you think that secret? Only I can
635
00:49:27.599 --> 00:49:31.800
read my writing? Okay, what's
the weirdest thing you've done to prep for
636
00:49:31.840 --> 00:49:37.360
a movie? For Raman Draga isolated
myself for five days with no phones,
637
00:49:37.440 --> 00:49:43.280
no newspapers, no TV, no
radio, no music. And it did
638
00:49:43.360 --> 00:49:46.480
not help me. I thought it
would, the isolation would do something to
639
00:49:46.599 --> 00:49:50.360
me. I came out frustrated and
I was like, I don't want this
640
00:49:50.480 --> 00:49:52.920
role. I don't want to do
anything. But yeah, that was the
641
00:49:52.280 --> 00:49:55.320
stupidest thing at it. What goes
in your what what goes on in your
642
00:49:55.400 --> 00:50:00.719
mind when your co actor shows up
to set without having learned of her line?
643
00:50:02.159 --> 00:50:08.360
Nothing, I'm too nice a guy, nicer guy. The one Hindi
644
00:50:08.440 --> 00:50:14.440
film you watched that you wish you
were in, I've actually, if I've
645
00:50:14.599 --> 00:50:17.320
loved the film, I've never felt
that I should have been in the film
646
00:50:17.320 --> 00:50:22.599
because I just love it for every
aspect of the film, so I get
647
00:50:22.679 --> 00:50:25.800
inspired to do something like that.
But I've never felt that I should have
648
00:50:25.880 --> 00:50:29.320
been in that film for that role. I don't know. Strangely, I've
649
00:50:29.360 --> 00:50:31.880
never felt that. Okay, now, who does action better? Katrina?
650
00:50:31.920 --> 00:50:42.880
Are wiki Katrina? For both of
you? You announced Sam release before Animal
651
00:50:43.000 --> 00:50:45.519
Days. Are you disappointed now that
you've got another film reaching on the same
652
00:50:45.599 --> 00:50:50.239
day or does it not make no
See? The thing is, I'll since
653
00:50:50.280 --> 00:50:52.360
there's been a cricket fever, I'll
put it in context of the of cricket.
654
00:50:53.239 --> 00:50:57.519
When two opening batsmen come to the
crease playing for the same team.
655
00:50:57.880 --> 00:51:01.119
You're not saying that the two batsmen
are clashing with themselves each other they're playing
656
00:51:01.280 --> 00:51:07.000
for a single team, so we're
playing for Hindi Cinema. While one player
657
00:51:07.119 --> 00:51:09.559
might hit the fours and sixes,
but the others, the other other player
658
00:51:09.599 --> 00:51:13.960
will be at the crease and take
ones and twos and maintain the strike.
659
00:51:15.320 --> 00:51:16.800
I really hope this is the person
with thinks the answer. I'm not.
660
00:51:17.599 --> 00:51:27.440
This is you're a trailer on this
okay that the audience will say, okay,
661
00:51:27.880 --> 00:51:30.920
since you went to cricket, you
had to pick one biography to play.
662
00:51:31.000 --> 00:51:36.599
Who would you choose? By the
way, if you all don't know,
663
00:51:36.679 --> 00:51:38.400
Vick is a huge cricket fan and
we actually last met at the cricket
664
00:51:38.639 --> 00:51:45.400
watching the match. Yeah, we
watched the semi finals together. The audience
665
00:51:45.440 --> 00:51:49.400
is saying art cool. Okay,
it's two people says we're one for said
666
00:51:49.760 --> 00:51:54.719
what's your answer? Good democracy?
Were heard? Coaliue care the same building,
667
00:51:57.639 --> 00:52:01.039
a better more access for research.
Na. Okay, if you have
668
00:52:01.119 --> 00:52:05.400
to pick one, Barbay, who
do you pick? Rohit Sharma, Veradkolei,
669
00:52:05.559 --> 00:52:10.920
rub Shastrini or Ganglia Again, Yeah, you're picking one. I made
670
00:52:10.920 --> 00:52:15.719
you between two and I'm give you
five of them. Biden the no,
671
00:52:15.880 --> 00:52:21.199
Now I'm committed, Okay, you
pick a if you play Barbara between Sharuk
672
00:52:21.280 --> 00:52:29.039
Salman Ahmed, who do you play? Okay? Okay, the internet calls
673
00:52:29.079 --> 00:52:31.800
you a green flag husband, what's
the one red flag you worked on getting
674
00:52:31.880 --> 00:52:37.360
rid of? So the biggest complaint
that Katina has always had them sometimes too
675
00:52:37.519 --> 00:52:43.199
stubborn, too stubborn, that needed
a little bit of moderation. Okay,
676
00:52:43.519 --> 00:52:45.559
uh so Katrina a few Katrina questions. And this is from Twitter actually not
677
00:52:45.639 --> 00:52:47.920
from my thing, but I still
want to ask you the one thing you
678
00:52:47.960 --> 00:52:52.440
miss about being singles. I've said
this before. See the missus is now
679
00:52:52.519 --> 00:52:57.480
my missus. So it's all good. Okay, you're who's the one person
680
00:52:57.519 --> 00:53:04.000
you think Katrina has the best on
same chemistry with you? I love number
681
00:53:04.000 --> 00:53:07.519
still London. And is it a
conscious decision that you would do not to
682
00:53:07.639 --> 00:53:12.920
interviews with your wife? No,
you've never called us super. I have
683
00:53:13.039 --> 00:53:15.320
to thank the audience for just being
so patient and just like waiting for the
684
00:53:15.400 --> 00:53:19.760
rain. Thank you, truly,
thank you so much, thank you.
685
00:53:20.039 --> 00:53:22.119
And I have to tell you I
did have the chance of seeing Sam just
686
00:53:22.360 --> 00:53:27.360
last two nights ago. I really
think everybody should make the effort of going
687
00:53:27.400 --> 00:53:30.280
to watch it in the big screen
because it just transports you to a world
688
00:53:30.400 --> 00:53:35.400
that is just it's really an excellence
to us. Now, thank you for
689
00:53:35.440 --> 00:53:37.840
making the time of being here.
Vicki's my old friend, so I can,
690
00:53:37.960 --> 00:53:38.800
I can, I can say thank
you, thank you to a second.
691
00:53:39.199 --> 00:53:42.480
Thank you, Thank you guys so
much, thank you so much everyone,
692
00:53:42.599 --> 00:53:47.159
Thank you, thank you. You
were listening to Vicki Kushin and Megna
693
00:53:47.199 --> 00:53:51.800
Gulzar on Express Conversations. If you
like the show, then to subscribe to
694
00:53:51.920 --> 00:53:54.440
us wherever you get your podcast.
You can also recommend the show to someone
695
00:53:54.519 --> 00:53:58.559
who you think will like it and
share it with the friend of someone in
696
00:53:58.639 --> 00:54:00.880
your family. It's the big way
for people to get to know about us.
697
00:54:01.119 --> 00:54:05.880
You can also tweet us at Express
Podcasts and write to us at podcasts
698
00:54:05.920 --> 00:54:07.199
at Indian Express dot com.
1
00:00:01.760 --> 00:00:06.480
Welcome to another episode of Express Conversations, a podcast where eminent voices from the
2
00:00:06.519 --> 00:00:10.439
world of politics, governance, sports, business and the arts talk to us
3
00:00:10.480 --> 00:00:14.320
about their lives, work and issues
that really mattered. In this episode,
4
00:00:14.320 --> 00:00:19.640
we hear from a dynamic duo.
Acclaimed writer director Megna Gulzar and versatile active
5
00:00:19.719 --> 00:00:25.000
Vicki Koshel joined the exclusive conversation with
the two of India's brightest talents who have
6
00:00:25.120 --> 00:00:29.399
left an indulible mark on the film
industry over the years. Both Gulzar and
7
00:00:29.440 --> 00:00:35.119
Koshill have earned accolades for their impressive
individual body of war. Having previously collaborated
8
00:00:35.159 --> 00:00:39.479
on the critically acclaimed and commercially successful
Razi, they are now set to bring
9
00:00:39.560 --> 00:00:45.079
to life the inspiring journey of Phild
Marshall sam Manikshaw in the upcoming biopic sam
10
00:00:45.119 --> 00:00:49.799
Bahado And with this movie, whose
much anticipated release in theaters is scheduled for
11
00:00:49.840 --> 00:00:54.079
the first of December, their creative
partnership is now considered one of the most
12
00:00:54.159 --> 00:00:59.399
exciting collaborations in contemporary Hindu cinema.
They were in conversation with Anan Kuenka,
13
00:00:59.479 --> 00:01:03.959
executive director of the Indian Express Group
and the film critic of the Indian Express.
14
00:01:07.400 --> 00:01:11.480
Hey, je been very warm.
Welcome to the Ada ex. I
15
00:01:11.560 --> 00:01:15.920
thing to be in conversation with my
good dear friend Ricky and Megnaw, somebody
16
00:01:15.920 --> 00:01:19.439
who have really admired a director Schubrah
hasn't, but I have seen the movie.
17
00:01:19.439 --> 00:01:23.400
I had a chance to here yesterday. VICKI, I want to start
18
00:01:23.439 --> 00:01:26.239
by asking you know you have you
have done? Or? You are the
19
00:01:26.239 --> 00:01:32.000
Indian Army's favorite actor. You're my
favorite actor. You are you? You
20
00:01:32.159 --> 00:01:37.560
worked for three years to play like
this incredible, the biggest military name you
21
00:01:37.599 --> 00:01:41.640
know in India pretty much you you
know, you're fit, You've trained really
22
00:01:41.640 --> 00:01:45.120
hard. So I think the important
question, the most pressing thing that you
23
00:01:45.159 --> 00:01:52.159
want to talk about right now is
Katrina's fight scene. How like? I
24
00:01:52.159 --> 00:01:55.599
mean, you know you you you've
you've done it all, You've done all
25
00:01:55.640 --> 00:01:59.760
this kind of prep. But it's
your wife's fight scene two weeks before this
26
00:02:00.599 --> 00:02:05.000
that the internet is blowing up with. So just how did she did you
27
00:02:05.040 --> 00:02:08.280
teach her anything about? Like watch
of you on the fight scene? First
28
00:02:08.319 --> 00:02:12.680
day? So I had gone for
the screening of the film and we were
29
00:02:12.719 --> 00:02:15.240
watching the film together, obviously,
and when that scene came and that sequence
30
00:02:15.319 --> 00:02:20.680
came in the middle of the sequence. I just inclined towards her and I
31
00:02:20.759 --> 00:02:24.159
said, I'm not going to argue
with you from now on. I don't
32
00:02:24.199 --> 00:02:29.759
want you to beat me up wearing
a towel. But I thought it was
33
00:02:29.800 --> 00:02:32.800
incredible the way she pulled it off, and I said that to her that
34
00:02:32.879 --> 00:02:40.520
you are probably the most amazing action
actress Bollywood has, So I was really
35
00:02:40.560 --> 00:02:45.560
proud of like the hard work she
puts it for everything she does, and
36
00:02:45.599 --> 00:02:49.759
it's very inspiring to see that.
No, obviously I haven't seen Tiger,
37
00:02:49.840 --> 00:02:54.479
but with that scene I have seen
over outstanding. Can I say that I
38
00:02:54.520 --> 00:03:01.960
have seen Tiger and I think it
was I saw it in Riard about ten
39
00:03:02.039 --> 00:03:07.520
hours before it released uh in India
and it was a theater which is completely
40
00:03:07.599 --> 00:03:13.439
full, not only in our rise
but a lot of local people. And
41
00:03:13.479 --> 00:03:19.360
when Katrina comes on screen, he
got that Charlie's more than Salmandon. Yeah,
42
00:03:19.400 --> 00:03:23.039
absolutely, especially in the towels.
Seen that famous thing. Yeah,
43
00:03:23.240 --> 00:03:27.120
Meg, Now I'll tell you a
sure story about Vicky. Then we get
44
00:03:27.120 --> 00:03:30.360
into the details of Sam. You
know, I met Vicky for the first
45
00:03:30.360 --> 00:03:35.240
time on the sets of Love for
square Foot, the producer of which is
46
00:03:35.280 --> 00:03:38.360
a dear friend of mine, a
friend of ours, and uh, you
47
00:03:38.400 --> 00:03:42.680
know, we met a bunch since
and you know, I both my wife
48
00:03:42.680 --> 00:03:45.000
and I were just you know,
we just loved him. We just said,
49
00:03:45.000 --> 00:03:47.639
this guy is such a nice person. He's just so down towards humble,
50
00:03:47.680 --> 00:03:51.080
and he's so committed to his craft, and he works really hard.
51
00:03:51.120 --> 00:03:54.919
And the one thing that just kept
coming out when you talk to VICKI is
52
00:03:55.000 --> 00:04:01.639
just how nice the guy he is. And you know, when twenty nineteen
53
00:04:01.719 --> 00:04:08.400
happened, the biggest blockbuster of the
year, and you know, he sort
54
00:04:08.439 --> 00:04:12.879
of was publicly dating the most desired
woman in India. So when we then
55
00:04:13.439 --> 00:04:15.879
and I kind of spoke, we
said, this guy, okay, are
56
00:04:15.959 --> 00:04:18.920
like, you know what, we
didn't but he's stuck. He's still the
57
00:04:18.959 --> 00:04:21.560
same guy. He's still humble,
he's still down to earth, He's still
58
00:04:24.560 --> 00:04:28.319
does that you think come in the
way of sort of does that make it
59
00:04:28.399 --> 00:04:30.759
harder for him to be this star? I mean, because he is a
60
00:04:30.800 --> 00:04:33.279
star today. He walks on me
one of the few stars was actually nice.
61
00:04:33.639 --> 00:04:36.920
So if I don't know about him, and I think we pretty much
62
00:04:36.959 --> 00:04:41.600
think the same way. I think
if you had to choose between being a
63
00:04:41.680 --> 00:04:45.399
nice person and the star. I
think he choose being a nice person,
64
00:04:46.480 --> 00:04:51.560
yeah, every day, and I
think that's his best quality. Three reasons
65
00:04:51.600 --> 00:04:57.319
why he popped into my head to
play Field Marshal Sam Money. So one
66
00:04:57.399 --> 00:05:05.879
was his nose, Two was his
acting prowess, and three years because he's
67
00:05:05.920 --> 00:05:13.079
a nice person. And that has
to come across on screen because costume,
68
00:05:13.160 --> 00:05:18.120
makeup, wigs, all of that
are external accouterments. Your niceness will the
69
00:05:18.160 --> 00:05:21.959
camera will catch. And that,
actually, I think is what would bring
70
00:05:23.000 --> 00:05:26.920
across the field Marshal spirit a lot
more because that's what he was as well.
71
00:05:27.240 --> 00:05:30.480
So being an inherently nice person has
also helped his performance a lot nice
72
00:05:30.759 --> 00:05:35.319
on this one. Interesting, But
you know, it's a question I've asked
73
00:05:35.319 --> 00:05:39.120
a few times to a few people, and I'm a very curious about it.
74
00:05:39.160 --> 00:05:43.959
Is stardom what it is today?
And you know, just I just
75
00:05:44.079 --> 00:05:47.040
I've not met nice stars. With
the exception of Wiki, I've not met
76
00:05:47.120 --> 00:05:54.920
a star who's just nice. I
have never heard him really implying on something
77
00:05:55.000 --> 00:06:00.399
so much, like in thirty seconds
he said that fifteen times. But does
78
00:06:00.399 --> 00:06:01.639
it come in the way or like, I mean, how does he manage
79
00:06:01.639 --> 00:06:03.680
to do it? I mean,
do you do you feel like stars need
80
00:06:03.720 --> 00:06:08.639
to have a certain sense of,
you know, high maintenance, a certain
81
00:06:08.680 --> 00:06:13.360
sense of, you know, being
able to work a room in a certain
82
00:06:13.399 --> 00:06:15.639
in authentic way. You know,
I think when I'm saying the word nice,
83
00:06:15.639 --> 00:06:17.079
I'd rather I'll replace the word nice
but authentic. You know, he's
84
00:06:17.120 --> 00:06:23.279
a very authentic person. Is it
possible to be a star and authentic generally?
85
00:06:23.319 --> 00:06:27.959
Because he's obviously maybe started the exception. I think it should be prescribed.
86
00:06:28.600 --> 00:06:30.120
Whether it's possible or not, I
don't know, but it should be
87
00:06:30.120 --> 00:06:39.160
prescribed because, you know, I
think people the audience, they sniff artificiality,
88
00:06:40.240 --> 00:06:42.319
and that comes in the way.
I mean, your stardom can be
89
00:06:42.319 --> 00:06:45.600
one thing. Look stardom, I
honestly believe, having seen it very closely
90
00:06:46.040 --> 00:06:47.639
as a child, even when the
world was very different. My mother was
91
00:06:47.680 --> 00:06:51.279
a star in her own right,
with no social media at that time,
92
00:06:51.360 --> 00:06:57.079
so that was just pure and raw
stardom that she had. Stardom can often
93
00:06:57.199 --> 00:07:03.240
be created, inflated effective. The
true sense of it is when, like
94
00:07:03.319 --> 00:07:06.000
he says, when when you're walking
through an airport and the guy at the
95
00:07:06.040 --> 00:07:11.839
security check, of the soldier at
the security check, or the ATPX RAY,
96
00:07:12.160 --> 00:07:16.879
We'll talk to you, recognize you, appreciate your work. You're standing
97
00:07:16.920 --> 00:07:19.680
in a hotel lobby somewhere and somebody
will come up and speak to you,
98
00:07:19.759 --> 00:07:24.560
not because you're a starboard because they
genuinely have this affinity for you. So
99
00:07:24.639 --> 00:07:29.399
I think stardom also is different things
to different people. For him, I
100
00:07:29.439 --> 00:07:33.360
think it is getting the adulation and
the approval of his audience for his work
101
00:07:34.199 --> 00:07:39.279
more than the trappings that stardom is
also known for. This, I mean,
102
00:07:39.439 --> 00:07:43.519
this is it's a very personal interpretation
of what stardom is or should be.
103
00:07:44.560 --> 00:07:48.240
But I mean, I don't see
his lacking or wanting in any way.
104
00:07:50.000 --> 00:07:53.360
Can I take you back to a
little bit, like you know,
105
00:07:53.519 --> 00:07:56.959
a few years back when you were
not a star, when you just started
106
00:07:57.000 --> 00:08:03.040
off, and uh, you do
come from a film family, but it
107
00:08:03.160 --> 00:08:07.920
is there are film families and film
families, and there was a lot of
108
00:08:07.959 --> 00:08:11.839
the N word that is floating around
in the in the ecosystem, and you
109
00:08:11.959 --> 00:08:16.639
chose to do I mean, I
know that you worked with Anaraksasha in Gangs
110
00:08:16.680 --> 00:08:20.079
of Vashpur. You were behind the
scene, and you've done a couple of
111
00:08:20.120 --> 00:08:26.800
roles before you came to Massan,
which is Neira Gabon's film. And in
112
00:08:26.839 --> 00:08:33.279
that film, I think your character
completely blew me away because here's a boy
113
00:08:33.320 --> 00:08:39.679
from Bombay who goes in who makes
me believe that he's always been in Banaras,
114
00:08:41.320 --> 00:08:48.519
he's always lived in a family which
which has they burned the dead for
115
00:08:48.639 --> 00:08:54.159
a living and the ledger with which
you picked up. So I was,
116
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like I said, it was a
I think it was a great breakout film.
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I wondered, what was your process
before you came to that film?
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What what? What were the thoughts
that brought to you brought you to that
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film and convinced you to do it
in the way you did it. At
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that time, ma'am, I was
simply a boy who was not getting options
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and choices on a platter key what
work would you want? What do you
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want to say yes to? And
what do you want to say a no
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to? So I was just a
boy looking out for opportunities, a very
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hungry and a very stubborn boy who
was just wanting opportunities. Massan happened.
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I gave an audition and I got
selected for that part. And when we
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went on to that journey, it
was a film, you know, apart
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from Richard Chadan, Sanja Mishraji on
that film. It was everybody's first film,
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including technicians, including the actors,
including the director, including the editor,
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everybody's So it was getting made with
a lot of purity, if I
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can say, and a lot of
what's the English word for alhadapana like it
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was just like a lot of novices
coming together with a lot of passion and
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that breakout opportunity, opportunity that we've
all gotten, and we're just very very
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excited about this, very passionate about
this, and with the attitude of nothing
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to lose. So we went there
and I knew that it was a completely
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alien world to me Banaras. Of
course we had shot gangs of our super
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over there, but I did not
immerse myself in Banaras that the language,
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the culture, especially the Dome community
where I had to be a part of
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that. That guy as only and
only seen that in his life, and
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he wants to venture out and get
out of that world and probably explore new
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opportunities for himself. So of course, my preparation for any role starts with
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the director, because it's a directors
medium. Nidras Gaven and Burn Grover,
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the writer of the film. They
had spent a lot of time in Banaras
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and varun Is from Bhu. He
studied there, so they were really well
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versed with the culture over there,
so I spent time with them. I
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went to Banaras about three weeks before
we started shooting, and I tried to
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uh just be one with the with
the place, apart from learning the language,
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the culture and everything. I remember
that one thing I used to do,
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uh is I had an audio track
with me which was just ram nams
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up there, ram nambs up there, and I used to put that in
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my like on my headphones, and
I used to try and go to sleep
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on that music. Firstly, it
used to be very haunting, but I
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tried because that boy at the puck
it must have been his lullaby because he's
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only lived there, and just like
because if he doesn't get there get that
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sound, probably he's not able to
sleep. So that's where I wanted to
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push myself too. Uh spend a
lot of time at the at the cremation
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ground. I remember the first time
I went there, I couldn't sit there
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for fifteen minutes, but then I
was eventually able to spend days over there,
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have a cup of tea right next
to a warning fire and say that
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it is my shatkame. So it
was just just surrendering to that whole world,
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not knowing what's going to come out
of it. And I was really
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surprised. It's the first time I
actually felt like, you know, your
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job is to to give something to
the character, but what ended up happening
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was the complete opposite the fear when
you did the first film. You know,
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I feel like when you do something
the first time, there is a
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little fear that that pit in your
kind of stum up when you become me
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the first time. Do you feel
that with Sam? Because it was such
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a it was so much of an
immersive experience for you to go and kind
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of pick up something. You know, it's a very different roles, very
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unusual person. Also, was there
a fear that kind of also there in
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you when you started off? For
every day? I'm said every day because
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just the magnanimity of the glory is
left me and the legacy is left me.
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And the more and more we got
to know about him, what he's
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done, all the things that have
happened to him, and how he's come
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out as the winner in every situation
I see. There's a there's a certain
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kind of responsibility that you feel when
you are wearing the Indian Army uniform for
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what you're representing. Uh, and
then it's Field Marshal Sam manick Shaw's uniform.
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It was a whole new kind of
I used to make a conscious decision
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when I used to leave my van
and go on said that I'm not gonna
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for one second indulge in the thought
that to remember what man you're playing,
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I would just believe that I am
that man. And I went with that
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conviction because the moment that thought would
come that the Field Marshal Sam, I
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I tried to make him my friend. I tried to make him like my
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own so that that magnanimity never made
me nervous, because that would have affected
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my confidence. But you know,
I was telling you one of my favorite
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films of all time was Razzi.
I think you know you were incredible in
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that film. In the movie but
you and he said that to me multiple
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times, multiple times. I really
think that the you know, the the
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the the gentle list with which you
approached the characters, it was just something
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to spectacle and you know, VICKI
obviously just uh just as always outperformed,
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out delivered. But what was that
that that difference between you know, thinking
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about Razi versus Sam, I feel
like, you know, in my sense
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is that when I saw Sam,
you were in devotional love of Sam.
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You know. I feel like in
Razi you sort of you weren't in love
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with you. You you you loved
their stories, you didn't love the character.
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Maybe that could be am I am
I right in that assessment. No,
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it's not that I didn't love her. I empathized. There was a
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lot more empathy than love. There
was also a lot of gray in the
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character, right, she was not
only black or white. There was a
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lot of gray in her. But
to treat that gray gently so that there
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is redemption at the end of the
film, you have to empathize with the
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character and the decisions and the choices
she's making. With Sam, there is
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reverence and only reverence. There is
no black, no white, no gray.
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There is just pure reverence. I
can't feel any other emotion there.
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It's just because of the person that
he is, or maybe how I've absorbed
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him or internalized him. And so
that was my approach in writing the film,
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in executing the scenes, in looking
at him in every shot. I
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mean, I I don't know whether
everybody will notice it, but my camera's
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never at his eye level. It's
always looking up at him. It's always
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looking up. It's always low looking
up because and he's got this louch and
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he's looking down at all of us. Yeah. I wanted to ask you,
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Magna. A couple of years ago, when I had reached out to
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you for my book on it Phan, I had asked you about your journey,
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and I'd asked you about how you
had started making movies like Pill Hall,
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and then many years there was nothing, and then you were in a
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very great dark place, you told
me, and then something happened and you
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got Talvar. I want to tell
us a little bit about that, because
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you've been for so many years there
was silence, and then there was depression
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in your own words, and then
and then there's something happened. What was
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that something that happened? Yeah,
So I just said this earlier today.
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Also, I like we have BC
and AD. My life is before Talvar
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and after Tulver. That's how I
divide my life. The first fifteen years
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of my career from the release of
filhal. The films didn't meet with success,
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and when your films don't meet with
success, getting work is difficult.
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It doesn't matter what your surname is. So that is my explanation for the
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N word that people keep throwing at
us all the time. What switched on
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was Vishal Barberg. It was him
who threw the idea of kalvar at me.
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I thanked my stars that I said
yes in a blink. And I
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think what changed was the stories that
I began to tell after that. So
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the stories became real, they became
tougher, made me work harder, and
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I think that's what started working with
the audience that was watching my films.
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So I really can't say that I
switched on something in myself. I think
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it's the stories that found me that
changed something in me. Yeah, it
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is such a tough, tough story
to handle. It is something that breaks
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your heart every single time you think
about that little girl and about what happened
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to her. I wonder what was
going through your mind as a mother,
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you know, and as a filmmaker. I wonder what was it that made
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you say yes I will do this
and yes I will try and be honest
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to every side, I wonder what
was that one thing. I was following
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the case like everybody else was,
and I was also constantly flipping between what
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I was believing. I was believing
what I was being fed when I was
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being feded. So when we were
being told that the parents were guilty,
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I was believing it. When I
was being told that it was actually not
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the parents but the household help,
I was believing it. And then suddenly
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everything went silent on it. And
that's when this idea came from which Alcer
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and I was like, of course
I would want to understand what actually went
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down. I was not only a
mother, I was also a daughter,
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So it was very difficult to execute
with having any kind of emotional investment in
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the film. So there was just
complete clinical objectivity for me. They were
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characters. It was not a real
incident. I had not even met Rajash
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and Nupur. I had not even
met them when we were making the film.
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It took me about three months to
process that after the release of the
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film, that this was real.
These people exist, and that's when you
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know, kind of like the redemption
of it happened with me, the resolution
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of it. It was not easy, but I think I think what happened
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is you became more of a journalist. Actually, yes, because it was
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important to just put what was happening
was that when the information was coming out,
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it was coming out over a period
of eight years. All we did
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was put it all together, both
sides of it, in a concise timeline,
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and then we left it to the
audience. Key, we leave it
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to you. You all decide,
because even we don't know the truth,
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even we don't know what when,
But you've been doing like a lot of
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reality since. I mean, and
even Sam. So though somehow journalism seems
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to a bitter you without you knowing, I guess is what kind of seems
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to happen? You know? The
thing is my stories choose me. It
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seems like a design, but it's
all coincidence that they're all true. Like
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if we go back to Sam and
you know, I remember my first war
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film that I saw was Border.
I'm looking at Sam now, I feel
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like, in a sense, war
movies have come a long way, VICKI
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from Border to Sam, right,
and I think you know, you know,
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if I look at it, by
the way, I finally saw Ury.
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Sorry, Okay, so I just
want to share something with you.
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Guys. An is the only guy
whom I call my friend even after he's
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not seen Uri. He saw it
now before this session because I told him
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I'm not doing it time. If
you don't see Uri before this, and
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I don't care if you want sam
or not, but this is long pending.
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So I saw Uri, and I
totally understand why it was that huge,
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blockbusters and incredible. Again. I
was I was gripped at the edge
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of my seat. It was fantastick
and what acting has always I'm not going
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But you know, if I can
just compare the class I mean a Border
280
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or even an Uri to Wow's Love, even an Uri to a sam Mani
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Shaw or even Razi, it's very
clear. In URI's very clear. In
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Border, you know who the bad
guys are and who the good guys are.
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And it's very simple. Obviously,
you know, we know who sided
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or when you're making Samanic. Sure
we know who cide it when you're making
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Razi. But there's a certain sense
of other rising and villainizing that Border and
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Uri did, which your war films
haven't done. Is that a conscious thing?
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Is that just you as a person, that you don't you don't alienate
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somebody. No, it's not about
alienating. I often believe that a person
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is is who that person is purely
because of circumstance. Which side of the
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circumstance you are on makes you either
the hero or the villain, and the
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person who's calling you a hero or
villain, it depends on that person's perspective.
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Again, if I'm standing on the
other side and looking at something,
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I can say this person is not
a villain. So it's a it's a
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very subjective thing. With Razi,
I honestly believe that there is no hero
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or villain because again, when Samath
is doing what she's doing, she's a
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hero in somebody's eyes, but she's
a villain in that family's eyes who she's
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destroying. Right, So it's there's
always two sides to a coin. With
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sam there is no there is no
scope for villainizing anybody. It's not that
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story. And he's not that man, you know. I mean he didn't
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do it in his lifetime. I
can't do it in his film. No.
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I mean he fought like he was
in five sort of he did,
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but he he fought to defend his
country without villainizing his enemy. Otherwise,
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the treatment that he gave to the
ninety three thousand prisoners of war that we
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had would not have been given if
he was villainizing those people. He treated
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them with humanity and with respect that
a soldier merits, So there he was
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not midalizing them. It's very clear
you did Ruman Ragha okay, which was
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immediately, which is such a dark
character. And where does all the niceness
308
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go to? That's one and the
second one is when you talked about yourself
309
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as being very stubborn. I want
you to tell us a little bit about
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what you meant when you said I
was a very stubborn guy right in the
311
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beginning for two things. Ramana of
two point two was a film I had
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done which was directed by an Ura
rush Up, which was a very dark
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film. I was playing a cop, which my mother was very happy about,
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but I did not give her the
details of what kind of a cop
315
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he is. Uh a very dark
and twisted story about a cop and a
316
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serial killer. So so she asked
me about how he was saying how much
317
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of a nice guy I am?
And how was I able to play that?
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So, to be very honest,
I still feel that that's my worst
319
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performance still date because agree you agree, right, I am not surprised because
320
00:24:21.440 --> 00:24:27.799
I just felt like I hadn't lived
enough experiences to fully get into the depth
321
00:24:27.839 --> 00:24:33.400
of that guy. And that is
one role I feel every five years of
322
00:24:33.400 --> 00:24:37.039
my life I will play differently and
I will play it better because of the
323
00:24:37.039 --> 00:24:45.200
complexities of that person. I fortunately
come from a very protective upbringing, very
324
00:24:45.240 --> 00:24:49.720
secure upbringing, and that is not
what his life was. And at the
325
00:24:49.720 --> 00:24:55.000
age of twenty five when I was
playing that part, there was a little
326
00:24:55.000 --> 00:25:00.000
bit of a gap that I had
to fill to understand that and that bridge
327
00:25:00.160 --> 00:25:03.519
I today in retrospect, feel that
I couldn't cover. So I tried my
328
00:25:03.640 --> 00:25:08.599
best, but I still feel like
there's a lot more I can do today
329
00:25:08.640 --> 00:25:15.640
if I get that role. Second
question was regarding the stubbornness. Yeah,
330
00:25:15.880 --> 00:25:19.960
when I first thought that I want
to be an actor, it was when
331
00:25:21.000 --> 00:25:26.680
I was doing my engineering. I
had not graduated. This was about two
332
00:25:26.680 --> 00:25:27.839
thousand and seven, two thousand and
eight. I said that, Okay,
333
00:25:27.839 --> 00:25:33.079
after finishing my graduation, I'm going
to do pursue acting and not do anything
334
00:25:33.119 --> 00:25:37.559
related to engineering. At that time, also, I did not have the
335
00:25:37.599 --> 00:25:40.640
confidence that I want to be an
actor. I want to say, I
336
00:25:40.680 --> 00:25:41.920
want to tell this to anybody that
I want to be an actor, because
337
00:25:41.960 --> 00:25:48.680
at that time, actors were launched, stars were launched. Today, fortunately
338
00:25:48.680 --> 00:25:51.799
we are in a time where an
actor comes in a film and he does
339
00:25:51.880 --> 00:25:55.839
two good scenes and you will google
his name out. Okay, who was
340
00:25:55.880 --> 00:25:59.680
that actor? We saw this actor
somewhere and he will get better opportunities after
341
00:25:59.720 --> 00:26:04.319
that. In two thousand and ten, when I started off, that was
342
00:26:04.359 --> 00:26:08.000
not the environment at all. It
was not the environment for a film like
343
00:26:08.039 --> 00:26:12.200
Masan to come out. So at
that time, what I mean by saying
344
00:26:12.279 --> 00:26:17.680
that I was a stubborn actor is
that when I used to go for additions
345
00:26:18.039 --> 00:26:19.720
and I would say that I want
to I want I want a role,
346
00:26:19.759 --> 00:26:23.079
I want an opportunity, I want
to be an I am an actor.
347
00:26:23.799 --> 00:26:27.359
I sometimes would be at the receiving
end of like you know, a person
348
00:26:27.640 --> 00:26:33.640
checking me out, like scanning me
from top to bottom. That oh,
349
00:26:33.039 --> 00:26:37.599
and that's when I would be even
more confident and say I want to be
350
00:26:37.640 --> 00:26:42.839
an actor. So that stubbornness was
actually what gave me confidence. More than
351
00:26:44.680 --> 00:26:47.519
proving a point to the other person. I wanted to prove a point to
352
00:26:47.559 --> 00:26:52.440
myself when I was not getting any
opportunities that do it because you love it,
353
00:26:52.519 --> 00:26:56.240
Do it because it gives you happiness, and things will change. And
354
00:26:56.599 --> 00:27:03.079
things did change super now the craft
of filmmaking and VICKI, both of you,
355
00:27:03.559 --> 00:27:07.279
it's become like when you make a
movie. Now you're kind of like
356
00:27:07.599 --> 00:27:11.640
making up fmcg product like a shampoo
or like an instant noodle. Because you're
357
00:27:11.640 --> 00:27:15.240
doing focus groups, you're sitting in
addressing like you know who the target audience
358
00:27:15.359 --> 00:27:21.200
is. You're asking very intelligent marketing
questions. Now, is that somewhere compromising
359
00:27:21.319 --> 00:27:25.319
on the on the on the pure
form of storytelling, on the pure art
360
00:27:25.400 --> 00:27:30.079
form of filmmaking? Is that something
you guys think about? It all depends
361
00:27:30.119 --> 00:27:34.279
on who your producer is and what
your conviction is. Sambado didn't go through
362
00:27:34.319 --> 00:27:38.839
any of that. I say it
didn't, and at that only comes from
363
00:27:38.920 --> 00:27:44.359
the conviction of Ronnie's truvella. Okay, yes, films go through that.
364
00:27:44.759 --> 00:27:48.640
And it's important also because there is
a lot at stake. There are there
365
00:27:48.680 --> 00:27:52.960
is a high investments involved, there's
a time and uh effort of a lot
366
00:27:53.000 --> 00:27:56.920
of people, and so to safeguard
that is it's not. It's not a
367
00:27:56.920 --> 00:28:03.319
wrong thing necessarily provided it does not
distort the initial intent and vision that you
368
00:28:03.400 --> 00:28:07.720
set out to make the film with. Having being armed with added knowledge is
369
00:28:07.759 --> 00:28:11.119
never a bad thing. Vicky was
saying about how he didn't have that experience
370
00:28:11.519 --> 00:28:17.799
with what we name it, You
said, Raman Ragha, we didn't have
371
00:28:17.839 --> 00:28:21.480
that experience in order to play what
that guy had gone through, the character
372
00:28:21.559 --> 00:28:26.480
gone through. You know, the
audience also needs to resonate with with the
373
00:28:26.559 --> 00:28:32.440
character in a certain way. And
in India there's so much diversity now especially,
374
00:28:32.559 --> 00:28:34.279
I mean, identity has changed a
lot, right compared to our people
375
00:28:34.680 --> 00:28:40.559
to identify themselves as fifty sixty seventy
years ago. So when you're thinking about
376
00:28:40.599 --> 00:28:48.680
audience and this identity is constantly shifting
and it's so diverse as a director and
377
00:28:48.680 --> 00:28:52.559
as an actor also, VICKI,
do you kind of sometimes feel like short
378
00:28:52.640 --> 00:28:56.400
audience called like just like, do
do my craft like to do what I
379
00:28:56.440 --> 00:28:59.640
want to do, what comes from
my heart? Or do you sometimes feel
380
00:28:59.680 --> 00:29:03.559
like there's somebody I have to appeal
to, There's somebody or an there's some
381
00:29:03.599 --> 00:29:11.240
identity I have to match somewhere.
To be very honest in those regards,
382
00:29:11.279 --> 00:29:17.119
the job of an actor is much
simpler than that of a director because from
383
00:29:17.160 --> 00:29:19.759
an actor, all that is expected
is honesty. Of course, during marketing
384
00:29:19.799 --> 00:29:25.119
and campaigning for the film and promoting
a film, that's a whole different aspect
385
00:29:25.119 --> 00:29:30.240
of filmmaking. But when what my
job is between action and gut to play
386
00:29:30.279 --> 00:29:33.759
that character, it is only the
honesty of that emotion, the truth of
387
00:29:33.839 --> 00:29:37.359
that emotion that I have to hit. At that point, if the truth
388
00:29:37.400 --> 00:29:41.279
has reached the audience, that is
what they are wanting that in that black
389
00:29:41.319 --> 00:29:44.160
box when they're sitting and watching that
film, they need to see that character.
390
00:29:44.440 --> 00:29:45.960
That is where my focus is.
Of course, when it comes to
391
00:29:47.039 --> 00:29:49.640
marketing a film, it's a whole
different drama, which I'm still trying to
392
00:29:49.720 --> 00:29:55.200
understand and I think I'll take fifty
years to understand that. But when it
393
00:29:55.240 --> 00:29:57.920
comes to making a film, I
mean, i'll let Meg not talk about
394
00:29:57.920 --> 00:30:03.200
that process, which it's a huge
task, and we'll just take some question
395
00:30:03.240 --> 00:30:07.400
from the audience. First observation I
have is one of the first photographs you
396
00:30:07.559 --> 00:30:11.799
flash off the field, Marshals,
he's without a belt. He was never
397
00:30:11.880 --> 00:30:18.519
without his belt. You're going to
get a lot of this. Yeah.
398
00:30:18.880 --> 00:30:25.720
Secondly, I remember when he came
to us in Silong and most of us
399
00:30:25.759 --> 00:30:32.200
young officers gathered around him in the
bar and said, so he must be
400
00:30:32.240 --> 00:30:36.119
removed from a change, have a
change in location. So he said,
401
00:30:36.119 --> 00:30:40.880
why so it rains here all the
time and it's not good for training.
402
00:30:40.960 --> 00:30:44.720
We confined to the barracks. It's
cold. This is not much of a
403
00:30:44.759 --> 00:30:48.359
place. We can't get out of
the unit line. So he said,
404
00:30:48.599 --> 00:30:52.920
at your age, I don't see
why you should feel the rain or the
405
00:30:52.920 --> 00:31:02.079
cold or any such hardship. Come
get off. Also, I've I think
406
00:31:02.119 --> 00:31:04.599
Maya's here with us, Maya.
That is yes, wonderful. So this
407
00:31:04.759 --> 00:31:18.160
is Sam's daughter and this is yeah. So no, I'll ask you a
408
00:31:18.279 --> 00:31:22.440
question and you tell me whether my
first one. Have you seen the film
409
00:31:22.519 --> 00:31:26.440
yet? Yes? Okay? And
is there is there? What was the
410
00:31:26.640 --> 00:31:32.880
what was that one moment in the
film that you think was was where you
411
00:31:33.000 --> 00:31:37.839
felt like proud of your father's story
being told, one moment where you felt
412
00:31:38.119 --> 00:31:42.799
that not that that the country will
be sharing your pride. Can I take
413
00:31:42.839 --> 00:31:47.519
it this is somewhere else? Sure, See, pride will always be there.
414
00:31:47.880 --> 00:31:52.839
They have made the film to make
the country proud of whatever it was.
415
00:31:52.400 --> 00:31:59.240
But the time that I tear up
every time. I've seen the film
416
00:31:59.279 --> 00:32:04.200
twice now and I've peered up both
times. Is the last two seconds of
417
00:32:04.279 --> 00:32:08.839
the film when you turn to the
audience and you're smiling. That just kills
418
00:32:08.920 --> 00:32:15.359
me every time. Cool. Thank
you for being here, and thank you
419
00:32:15.400 --> 00:32:19.480
so much for just be taking time
and interacting with us. It's all lovely
420
00:32:19.519 --> 00:32:24.759
to stop meeting like this. I
totally agree, Maya. But listen,
421
00:32:24.799 --> 00:32:30.079
guys, for the last two seconds, you'll have to watch the entire film.
422
00:32:30.759 --> 00:32:35.039
All of you over here, did
you respect to Jaho Krishna? And
423
00:32:35.039 --> 00:32:39.359
all I'm jerk I want was big
caution? How much of I learned?
424
00:32:40.319 --> 00:32:53.440
Can you speak? Uh? All
I know is a bra and uh and
425
00:32:53.880 --> 00:33:00.720
say one thing? Take my alcher, I'm I didn't want to say one
426
00:33:00.720 --> 00:33:04.079
thing. When I went to Stavaka. I went twice to his house with
427
00:33:04.119 --> 00:33:07.440
my wife when I was a staff
college and he took all the ladies to
428
00:33:07.519 --> 00:33:12.319
the bedroom and he share a secret. Ladies. You know one thing.
429
00:33:13.119 --> 00:33:15.279
I could never salute it with the
basis when I became bold, so he
430
00:33:15.359 --> 00:33:19.480
had a replica with him. I
have a photograph of that basis, which
431
00:33:19.480 --> 00:33:22.640
you always carried with him, which
was the replica of the actual bacon,
432
00:33:22.680 --> 00:33:27.839
because he says at eighty one,
I can't salute with that baby. He
433
00:33:27.839 --> 00:33:30.039
has got a replica which is there
his bedroom on the first flow, and
434
00:33:30.119 --> 00:33:34.960
there was a full lift which could
take his toast and omelets and bread from
435
00:33:35.000 --> 00:33:37.160
the kitchen to his bedroom. And
he never took all of us. He
436
00:33:37.200 --> 00:33:43.839
already took the ladies there. That's
all head martial connecture. And my last
437
00:33:43.880 --> 00:33:47.000
thing is we adore him because he
always said one thing, never be a
438
00:33:47.079 --> 00:33:53.000
yes man in the yard board cowardly
things. If you call himself a yes
439
00:33:53.079 --> 00:33:57.880
man, be yourself. And that
is what we have learned in the armed
440
00:33:57.920 --> 00:34:02.119
forces to be professionally again and called
stay stay, thank you very much,
441
00:34:02.480 --> 00:34:08.000
thank you, thank you. I'm
asking, I'm putting a mission on the
442
00:34:08.000 --> 00:34:13.360
spot and asking him to come.
He's just guys, actually our guest.
443
00:34:16.239 --> 00:34:22.519
I'm an author, but I actually
have a sam Manic Shraws story of my
444
00:34:22.639 --> 00:34:25.159
own. I don't think you knew
this. I had studied at Laurence School,
445
00:34:25.199 --> 00:34:30.000
Lovedale, where the Field Marshal had
studied as well, and I was
446
00:34:30.159 --> 00:34:35.920
there in the early eighties and the
Field Marshal had actually come for the march
447
00:34:36.000 --> 00:34:39.239
past and I was a part of
the marching parade, so I had the
448
00:34:39.400 --> 00:34:44.559
honor of marching and saluting, and
the Field Marshal himself was saluting at all
449
00:34:44.599 --> 00:34:46.360
of us boys. Of course,
we did the best we could, but
450
00:34:46.519 --> 00:34:51.480
we actually got the opportunity to salute
to the Field Marshal and he saluted us
451
00:34:51.519 --> 00:34:54.360
back because he was also from Lauren
School, the same school that I was
452
00:34:54.440 --> 00:34:59.440
in. So I am of course
a huge Sam Manic Show fan from that
453
00:34:59.599 --> 00:35:02.800
age, my entire family work,
and I'm a huge Wiki Kosal fan as
454
00:35:02.840 --> 00:35:07.719
well. Uh. So to get
to see them both in one movie,
455
00:35:07.800 --> 00:35:10.480
thank You Magna uh probably one of
the will be one of the best moments
456
00:35:10.519 --> 00:35:14.719
of my life when I see the
film loom for to thank you. My
457
00:35:14.840 --> 00:35:19.119
name is and there is no need
to expence that I am a friend is
458
00:35:19.159 --> 00:35:22.079
always saying, I was just going
to say this. This session is looking
459
00:35:22.159 --> 00:35:31.320
like a tribute to that towel fight
sceneer Sir, Sir, I am a
460
00:35:31.440 --> 00:35:35.760
point author and columnist and I'm a
teacher also, So I would like to
461
00:35:35.840 --> 00:35:39.960
ask a question that what is the
biggest motivation to you, like in life,
462
00:35:40.960 --> 00:35:45.960
in your career or live both all
your wart life. What is the
463
00:35:46.000 --> 00:35:52.320
biggest motivation I would like to Oh, my biggest motivation is I think just
464
00:35:52.480 --> 00:35:55.920
this this this love that I get
from the audience, which you just want
465
00:35:57.000 --> 00:36:00.440
to get keep getting multiplied. Uh, it's it's really what we work for.
466
00:36:01.000 --> 00:36:06.480
Apart from all the calculations and box
office and all of that, what
467
00:36:06.679 --> 00:36:10.039
really gives us a good sound sleep
is is this this really? I remember
468
00:36:10.079 --> 00:36:14.119
the first time I got I got
called by the character name that I had
469
00:36:14.159 --> 00:36:16.840
played. I will forget box office
numbers, but I'll never forget that moment,
470
00:36:17.280 --> 00:36:20.480
you know. So, so this
is what I live for. This
471
00:36:20.639 --> 00:36:23.400
is this is what we work hard
for to entertain people. And I would
472
00:36:23.480 --> 00:36:27.320
like to add one thing also,
what is the formula? Too many?
473
00:36:27.480 --> 00:36:40.239
Is the work life balance to manage? But life balance formula experienced formula question
474
00:36:40.800 --> 00:36:55.440
to you the directors interviews. But
that's that's my thank you sir. Please
475
00:36:55.519 --> 00:36:59.719
be right here. WI A personal
question. How do you get through moments
476
00:36:59.719 --> 00:37:06.679
of doubt? Oh? By not
indulging in them because it scares me And
477
00:37:07.800 --> 00:37:14.079
I don't know, it's just like
I I really I'm a huge believer in
478
00:37:14.159 --> 00:37:17.599
destiny and karma. So when I
do intend to indulge in self doubt.
479
00:37:19.239 --> 00:37:27.639
I rely on destiny and Karma's I'm
a nice guy, so God has better
480
00:37:27.719 --> 00:37:31.039
plans for me. I'm not capable
of knowing the answer of the situation,
481
00:37:31.239 --> 00:37:35.440
but maybe he has, and of
course he has, and He's always taken
482
00:37:35.480 --> 00:37:37.639
me out of those situations. So
I just focus on what needs to be
483
00:37:37.719 --> 00:37:45.920
done and keep going at it.
That's great. In fact, I I
484
00:37:45.079 --> 00:37:50.239
loved you the best in Sanju.
Sorry man, loved you the best in
485
00:37:50.360 --> 00:37:53.639
Sanju? Thank you too good.
But the only thing is that doing a
486
00:37:53.760 --> 00:37:59.639
movie like Saan Mani show, is
it intimidating difficult because actually to get into
487
00:37:59.679 --> 00:38:04.360
the car you have to really,
really maybe treat yourself in a very different
488
00:38:04.480 --> 00:38:07.480
way. Because in fact, I'm
sitting next to her and I'm feeling very
489
00:38:07.480 --> 00:38:12.760
empowered. I wonder when you're actually
doing him, it must be really feeling
490
00:38:12.800 --> 00:38:15.280
good by the way I have an
IPOs officer, he also wanted to ask,
491
00:38:16.719 --> 00:38:22.000
not wanting to intimidate you anymore,
No, it was it was like
492
00:38:22.079 --> 00:38:28.079
I mentioned before, He's just left
such a legacy that it just seems like
493
00:38:28.199 --> 00:38:34.440
a big task for an actor to
pull it off. And it's first I
494
00:38:34.599 --> 00:38:38.840
was really happy about the opportunity I
got and the times I would get to
495
00:38:38.920 --> 00:38:43.400
know the details about his life.
I would be like, oh man,
496
00:38:43.480 --> 00:38:47.280
this is a massive responsibility. So
so it was. It was intimidating,
497
00:38:47.360 --> 00:38:52.360
but at the same time it was
probably the most fulfilling experience as an actor.
498
00:38:52.559 --> 00:38:54.639
It was Wei keep this method acting
thing. You know, we've been
499
00:38:54.719 --> 00:38:58.840
hearing about it. I mean I've
been hearing about it a lot, especially
500
00:38:59.440 --> 00:39:02.079
you know these story somemers are bizarre, right, Like I mean I heard
501
00:39:02.119 --> 00:39:07.559
that Daniel day lewis apparently laying gangs
of you, So that is method acting,
502
00:39:07.639 --> 00:39:08.840
like he's the guru of method acting. To be very honest, I'm
503
00:39:08.920 --> 00:39:14.639
not a big this thing of method
acting because I mean, tomorrow, if
504
00:39:14.639 --> 00:39:17.079
I have to play a killer,
I'm not gonna, you know, just
505
00:39:17.159 --> 00:39:21.719
to understand the role. I'm not
going to do that. But sorry,
506
00:39:22.320 --> 00:39:27.880
I'm to rise the guy. But
but the thing is it it is for
507
00:39:28.039 --> 00:39:31.239
me. It's a tool that I
could use for a specific scene, for
508
00:39:32.199 --> 00:39:37.519
a specific moment, but not as
just like a general method for a role.
509
00:39:37.639 --> 00:39:38.840
I will never do that. I'll
just push that question a little bit
510
00:39:39.199 --> 00:39:43.320
and maybe you can take the first
shot of this, But when you're thinking
511
00:39:43.440 --> 00:39:47.599
about writing the character of a Pakistani
army man versus an Indian army man,
512
00:39:47.880 --> 00:39:51.599
what goes to your mind? Are
you are you how much is the Indian
513
00:39:51.639 --> 00:39:53.079
flag in the back of your mind
when you're making when you're writing that character
514
00:39:53.199 --> 00:39:57.920
or is it just human human human
emotion, emotion, emotion. I'm actually
515
00:39:58.000 --> 00:40:02.440
only writing the man because when he
has to react to what is going on
516
00:40:02.599 --> 00:40:07.920
with his wife at that point,
I think any man in that situation,
517
00:40:07.039 --> 00:40:10.920
whether he was wearing a Pakistani uniform
or an Indian uniform, would feel the
518
00:40:10.960 --> 00:40:16.880
same emotions of betrayals of heartbreak.
So you need to first write the man
519
00:40:17.239 --> 00:40:21.440
and then put him in the uniform. Interesting, Okay, yes, we
520
00:40:21.480 --> 00:40:24.800
get a question here. Please I
have one question. Firstly, I'd like
521
00:40:24.880 --> 00:40:30.199
to thank both of you for bringing
such movies because it helps us generations to
522
00:40:30.280 --> 00:40:34.079
kind of connect to what had happened. I also come from like my granddad
523
00:40:34.239 --> 00:40:37.400
was in the army and he's fought
all three wars and it's just such a
524
00:40:37.480 --> 00:40:42.320
delight to, you know, our
witness such movies. Later, I wanted
525
00:40:42.360 --> 00:40:45.800
to ask Vicky, since you've done, you know, a couple of movies
526
00:40:45.880 --> 00:40:50.840
from the army background, and we
know that. You know, the defense
527
00:40:51.000 --> 00:40:58.400
professionals usually have certain traits or habits
that define them. Is there something that
528
00:40:58.599 --> 00:41:01.039
you seem to be in by being
in your day to day life? Was
529
00:41:01.119 --> 00:41:07.199
my question, And I just wanted
to ask a Nuns which star has disappointed
530
00:41:07.280 --> 00:41:13.840
you so much? That's a great
question. Now that's a question. So
531
00:41:14.000 --> 00:41:16.480
you first you want to take the
first job. I mean, while you'll
532
00:41:16.480 --> 00:41:25.800
think about which star disappointed me?
I don't. I mean, I okay,
533
00:41:25.840 --> 00:41:29.760
to answer your question, I think
a lot of things. I think
534
00:41:30.119 --> 00:41:34.320
firstly, their spirit, like sir
said, calling a spade a spade.
535
00:41:34.880 --> 00:41:37.920
Uh. With Sam, the uniqueness
was that he could do that and still
536
00:41:38.199 --> 00:41:42.840
make the other person smile and become
a fan of him. But I try
537
00:41:42.920 --> 00:41:46.639
and do that, but I unfortunately
I'm not reset stage to end up making
538
00:41:46.679 --> 00:41:51.320
the other person a fan of mine. But I try and do that.
539
00:41:51.559 --> 00:41:55.320
That discipline, the etiquettes, their
manners, everything. I've not cracked it
540
00:41:55.400 --> 00:41:59.559
to that much degree, but I
try and do that every day of my
541
00:41:59.679 --> 00:42:05.320
life. Are but thank you,
ma'am, thank you, But that does
542
00:42:05.440 --> 00:42:07.519
happen that has happened to me after
playing Sam, I make sure that so
543
00:42:07.599 --> 00:42:10.760
many times I'm at a crossroad and
I'm conflicted in my mind that what to
544
00:42:10.840 --> 00:42:15.440
do, what not to do?
So many different moments in my life,
545
00:42:15.480 --> 00:42:17.920
and I keep asking myself what would
Sam sor have done? You know,
546
00:42:19.159 --> 00:42:22.239
what would have he done? And
that gives gives me a lot of courage
547
00:42:22.280 --> 00:42:25.320
to make decisions. So yeah,
thank you both. I have two questions.
548
00:42:25.440 --> 00:42:30.320
Sorry, sorry your your answer to
that question? Oh sorry, please
549
00:42:30.360 --> 00:42:36.480
please please carry on? No,
what would we Who? Who disappointed me
550
00:42:36.559 --> 00:42:40.639
as a star? I mean there's
nobody I've I have never seen him like
551
00:42:40.679 --> 00:42:49.480
this. I have never seen him
like this. I'll tell you the one
552
00:42:49.559 --> 00:42:52.519
community that always I feel more after
the community, not a person. Now,
553
00:42:52.880 --> 00:42:55.440
I have to be honest. It
always disappoints me. I think it's
554
00:42:55.800 --> 00:43:00.079
the business community in India. I
feel like generally, and no offense to
555
00:43:00.079 --> 00:43:04.519
all of them here is, but
I feel like they are normally they're always
556
00:43:04.599 --> 00:43:07.280
so scared of saying anything and it's
just always nervous. They don't open their
557
00:43:07.320 --> 00:43:10.960
mouths. Yeah, actually I know
ice, I know there's an ice,
558
00:43:12.519 --> 00:43:14.840
but you know, give you an
example. I was. I got very
559
00:43:14.880 --> 00:43:16.559
involved in the Bombay air pollution thing. I got personally very involved a four
560
00:43:16.599 --> 00:43:20.480
year old son in Bombay and I
called a few business people. You know,
561
00:43:20.559 --> 00:43:22.519
there are people who are like thirty
thousand and fifty thousand employees in my
562
00:43:22.639 --> 00:43:27.119
Astra was just, you know,
just help us make some buzz about this
563
00:43:27.360 --> 00:43:30.519
top you know, tweeted post it, you know, create some pressure on
564
00:43:30.679 --> 00:43:34.079
the government to kind of act on
this air pollution thin because Bombay has a
565
00:43:34.199 --> 00:43:38.239
nothing you know, BMC isn't actually
nothing and not one person did it.
566
00:43:38.320 --> 00:43:40.000
They are like, yeah, hump. But the beachman, I said,
567
00:43:40.039 --> 00:43:43.800
yeah, if you're going to be
so like nervous to put out a tweet
568
00:43:43.840 --> 00:43:47.119
of a news report, you know, so I think I'm not answering your
569
00:43:47.199 --> 00:43:50.800
question of a staff from Bollywood.
But that's the only as I could think
570
00:43:50.840 --> 00:43:57.480
of what he's gonna answer when he's
got a businessman at that that I'll do
571
00:43:57.559 --> 00:44:00.239
a quick rapid fire because I don't
want to not do this Rabbit. It's
572
00:44:00.239 --> 00:44:04.960
always like the thing that gets shared
around on Instagram. This is the scary
573
00:44:05.079 --> 00:44:09.320
version of the popular op rapid fire. Okay for both. For both,
574
00:44:09.360 --> 00:44:15.880
I'm starting with you manacausea was now
the last the one time you were angry
575
00:44:15.960 --> 00:44:22.679
with VICKI today? Ask him why
why? Why? Why tell him why
576
00:44:24.320 --> 00:44:32.639
you are ye? Joe Hall hair? So after like we did the college
577
00:44:32.719 --> 00:44:37.480
visit, we came back and we
were doing photo. She was she was
578
00:44:37.559 --> 00:44:40.760
not happy with my hair. She's
like, barbit, how we are juck
579
00:44:40.840 --> 00:44:47.039
and now she does that? Yeah, okay, the one time you've lost
580
00:44:47.119 --> 00:44:52.159
it on set we got some badges
and ribbons wrong and it was a serious
581
00:44:52.280 --> 00:44:58.960
mistake. Yeah, okay, the
one scene or moment in the film that
582
00:44:59.039 --> 00:45:02.639
you're most proud top WEEKI for So
we were shooting the do you have to
583
00:45:02.719 --> 00:45:07.199
answer rapidly or can I answer?
Take my time? If if this on
584
00:45:07.280 --> 00:45:09.960
top of us wasn't there, I
would take a long story. I mean,
585
00:45:09.960 --> 00:45:13.039
now, come on, okay.
If you were shooting the film backwards
586
00:45:13.119 --> 00:45:16.480
in chronology, so we were starting
with older Salmon going into younger Sam because
587
00:45:16.480 --> 00:45:20.039
he needed time to lose weight and
we didn't want to go into VFX and
588
00:45:20.079 --> 00:45:22.280
all of that. So I think
on the sixth or seventh day of our
589
00:45:22.360 --> 00:45:28.719
filming schedule of an eighty three day
schedule, he has done his retirement scene
590
00:45:29.599 --> 00:45:36.199
uh in the film. And to
commit at that point to how this person
591
00:45:36.280 --> 00:45:42.199
would be, how he would be
reacting at the culmination of his journey in
592
00:45:42.320 --> 00:45:45.280
the film. To commit to that
on the fifth day of the shoot of
593
00:45:45.360 --> 00:45:52.360
the film, and to do it
the way he did was Yeah. So,
594
00:45:52.639 --> 00:45:57.760
since you're taking more of a journalistic
you know, sort of a band
595
00:45:57.800 --> 00:46:01.159
of mine. Now, I'm If
you're forced to make a movie on any
596
00:46:01.199 --> 00:46:05.719
of the following events at the Indianet
Express has played a significant role in it,
597
00:46:06.280 --> 00:46:12.639
what would you choose? Vo first
Panama Papers, the emergency I see,
598
00:46:12.679 --> 00:46:16.199
I say, a video contract act. The Emergency is already being made,
599
00:46:16.360 --> 00:46:21.000
so that one is out of my
purview. No, the others are
600
00:46:21.079 --> 00:46:29.559
very boring. This is why more
people want Bollywood than read newspapers. No,
601
00:46:29.679 --> 00:46:34.360
find something else I'll do happily.
Okay, If if you got a
602
00:46:34.480 --> 00:46:37.280
chance to remake one classic film,
what would it be? You don't touch
603
00:46:37.320 --> 00:46:43.239
classics. I'll never remake one.
The one perk of being Gougard's daughter perk.
604
00:46:44.199 --> 00:46:47.320
Still have to find one. But
yeah, I have a lyricist on
605
00:46:47.559 --> 00:46:53.039
call on demand twenty for seven for
me when I'm making my films? Can
606
00:46:53.119 --> 00:46:58.239
I also give an anecdote over here? It is the most fascinating thing I've
607
00:46:58.280 --> 00:47:00.920
ever seen. I don't know if
I can share this, but I will
608
00:47:00.000 --> 00:47:09.159
sorry, we're on set untimely rains
and then I shoot a Q. She
609
00:47:09.440 --> 00:47:13.639
doesn't carry her phone when she's shooting
a film. I see her with a
610
00:47:13.679 --> 00:47:15.400
phone. I was like, what's
going on? Who is she calling?
611
00:47:15.719 --> 00:47:22.480
And she's texting? Like who are
you texting? Like Papa, watch some
612
00:47:29.440 --> 00:47:36.119
message? And the best part is
he replies. He replies, kidnap time
613
00:47:36.119 --> 00:47:45.000
Americas and she says half an hour, and he replies, this is a
614
00:47:45.079 --> 00:47:50.440
proper conversation. Thirty minutes the rains
are gone. Oh my god, Oh
615
00:47:50.480 --> 00:47:53.280
my god. I have no clue
how it happens. It happens every time.
616
00:47:53.599 --> 00:47:59.639
I don't believe. I know,
maybe that's exclusive for a shoot only
617
00:48:00.599 --> 00:48:07.679
I didn't think of it. Yeah, uh, maybe Bollywood has a habit
618
00:48:07.719 --> 00:48:09.920
of flogging a dead horse. Which
genre do you think is outstated? Its
619
00:48:09.960 --> 00:48:16.280
welcome? Biopics, horror comedies,
small town dramas, or any other dare
620
00:48:16.360 --> 00:48:24.079
not say biopics right now? They're
not. No. I don't agree that
621
00:48:24.199 --> 00:48:30.400
horror comedies or even small town genre
are I mean flogged yet because there's always
622
00:48:30.440 --> 00:48:36.119
a different interpretation to them. So
I would not take that slightly tough question.
623
00:48:36.519 --> 00:48:39.400
You can duck it if you like. But you know before that,
624
00:48:39.519 --> 00:48:44.639
when she went to that campus,
does it make a difference to your film
625
00:48:44.719 --> 00:48:45.719
you think at all? To have
any impact at all? You know,
626
00:48:45.880 --> 00:48:51.960
what do you think? I'm sure
that answer is pretty obvious. Yes,
627
00:48:52.000 --> 00:48:55.119
it did make a dent on the
film, because the conversation went from acid
628
00:48:55.199 --> 00:49:00.840
violence, which I intended the film
to amplify, to just okay, I'm
629
00:49:00.880 --> 00:49:04.960
not crying. I have cold air
coming into my eyes, so there's water
630
00:49:05.039 --> 00:49:10.320
coming out. So the conversation actually
changed track and went somewhere else. So
631
00:49:10.400 --> 00:49:14.960
of course it impacted the film.
Of course there was an impact on the
632
00:49:15.000 --> 00:49:21.280
film. There's no denying that,
VICKI, your turn got three period rapid
633
00:49:21.320 --> 00:49:22.559
fire for you. I'm not at
time to edit him down. You've got
634
00:49:22.599 --> 00:49:27.559
a great handwriting, and how do
you think that secret? Only I can
635
00:49:27.599 --> 00:49:31.800
read my writing? Okay, what's
the weirdest thing you've done to prep for
636
00:49:31.840 --> 00:49:37.360
a movie? For Raman Draga isolated
myself for five days with no phones,
637
00:49:37.440 --> 00:49:43.280
no newspapers, no TV, no
radio, no music. And it did
638
00:49:43.360 --> 00:49:46.480
not help me. I thought it
would, the isolation would do something to
639
00:49:46.599 --> 00:49:50.360
me. I came out frustrated and
I was like, I don't want this
640
00:49:50.480 --> 00:49:52.920
role. I don't want to do
anything. But yeah, that was the
641
00:49:52.280 --> 00:49:55.320
stupidest thing at it. What goes
in your what what goes on in your
642
00:49:55.400 --> 00:50:00.719
mind when your co actor shows up
to set without having learned of her line?
643
00:50:02.159 --> 00:50:08.360
Nothing, I'm too nice a guy, nicer guy. The one Hindi
644
00:50:08.440 --> 00:50:14.440
film you watched that you wish you
were in, I've actually, if I've
645
00:50:14.599 --> 00:50:17.320
loved the film, I've never felt
that I should have been in the film
646
00:50:17.320 --> 00:50:22.599
because I just love it for every
aspect of the film, so I get
647
00:50:22.679 --> 00:50:25.800
inspired to do something like that.
But I've never felt that I should have
648
00:50:25.880 --> 00:50:29.320
been in that film for that role. I don't know. Strangely, I've
649
00:50:29.360 --> 00:50:31.880
never felt that. Okay, now, who does action better? Katrina?
650
00:50:31.920 --> 00:50:42.880
Are wiki Katrina? For both of
you? You announced Sam release before Animal
651
00:50:43.000 --> 00:50:45.519
Days. Are you disappointed now that
you've got another film reaching on the same
652
00:50:45.599 --> 00:50:50.239
day or does it not make no
See? The thing is, I'll since
653
00:50:50.280 --> 00:50:52.360
there's been a cricket fever, I'll
put it in context of the of cricket.
654
00:50:53.239 --> 00:50:57.519
When two opening batsmen come to the
crease playing for the same team.
655
00:50:57.880 --> 00:51:01.119
You're not saying that the two batsmen
are clashing with themselves each other they're playing
656
00:51:01.280 --> 00:51:07.000
for a single team, so we're
playing for Hindi Cinema. While one player
657
00:51:07.119 --> 00:51:09.559
might hit the fours and sixes,
but the others, the other other player
658
00:51:09.599 --> 00:51:13.960
will be at the crease and take
ones and twos and maintain the strike.
659
00:51:15.320 --> 00:51:16.800
I really hope this is the person
with thinks the answer. I'm not.
660
00:51:17.599 --> 00:51:27.440
This is you're a trailer on this
okay that the audience will say, okay,
661
00:51:27.880 --> 00:51:30.920
since you went to cricket, you
had to pick one biography to play.
662
00:51:31.000 --> 00:51:36.599
Who would you choose? By the
way, if you all don't know,
663
00:51:36.679 --> 00:51:38.400
Vick is a huge cricket fan and
we actually last met at the cricket
664
00:51:38.639 --> 00:51:45.400
watching the match. Yeah, we
watched the semi finals together. The audience
665
00:51:45.440 --> 00:51:49.400
is saying art cool. Okay,
it's two people says we're one for said
666
00:51:49.760 --> 00:51:54.719
what's your answer? Good democracy?
Were heard? Coaliue care the same building,
667
00:51:57.639 --> 00:52:01.039
a better more access for research.
Na. Okay, if you have
668
00:52:01.119 --> 00:52:05.400
to pick one, Barbay, who
do you pick? Rohit Sharma, Veradkolei,
669
00:52:05.559 --> 00:52:10.920
rub Shastrini or Ganglia Again, Yeah, you're picking one. I made
670
00:52:10.920 --> 00:52:15.719
you between two and I'm give you
five of them. Biden the no,
671
00:52:15.880 --> 00:52:21.199
Now I'm committed, Okay, you
pick a if you play Barbara between Sharuk
672
00:52:21.280 --> 00:52:29.039
Salman Ahmed, who do you play? Okay? Okay, the internet calls
673
00:52:29.079 --> 00:52:31.800
you a green flag husband, what's
the one red flag you worked on getting
674
00:52:31.880 --> 00:52:37.360
rid of? So the biggest complaint
that Katina has always had them sometimes too
675
00:52:37.519 --> 00:52:43.199
stubborn, too stubborn, that needed
a little bit of moderation. Okay,
676
00:52:43.519 --> 00:52:45.559
uh so Katrina a few Katrina questions. And this is from Twitter actually not
677
00:52:45.639 --> 00:52:47.920
from my thing, but I still
want to ask you the one thing you
678
00:52:47.960 --> 00:52:52.440
miss about being singles. I've said
this before. See the missus is now
679
00:52:52.519 --> 00:52:57.480
my missus. So it's all good. Okay, you're who's the one person
680
00:52:57.519 --> 00:53:04.000
you think Katrina has the best on
same chemistry with you? I love number
681
00:53:04.000 --> 00:53:07.519
still London. And is it a
conscious decision that you would do not to
682
00:53:07.639 --> 00:53:12.920
interviews with your wife? No,
you've never called us super. I have
683
00:53:13.039 --> 00:53:15.320
to thank the audience for just being
so patient and just like waiting for the
684
00:53:15.400 --> 00:53:19.760
rain. Thank you, truly,
thank you so much, thank you.
685
00:53:20.039 --> 00:53:22.119
And I have to tell you I
did have the chance of seeing Sam just
686
00:53:22.360 --> 00:53:27.360
last two nights ago. I really
think everybody should make the effort of going
687
00:53:27.400 --> 00:53:30.280
to watch it in the big screen
because it just transports you to a world
688
00:53:30.400 --> 00:53:35.400
that is just it's really an excellence
to us. Now, thank you for
689
00:53:35.440 --> 00:53:37.840
making the time of being here.
Vicki's my old friend, so I can,
690
00:53:37.960 --> 00:53:38.800
I can, I can say thank
you, thank you to a second.
691
00:53:39.199 --> 00:53:42.480
Thank you, Thank you guys so
much, thank you so much everyone,
692
00:53:42.599 --> 00:53:47.159
Thank you, thank you. You
were listening to Vicki Kushin and Megna
693
00:53:47.199 --> 00:53:51.800
Gulzar on Express Conversations. If you
like the show, then to subscribe to
694
00:53:51.920 --> 00:53:54.440
us wherever you get your podcast.
You can also recommend the show to someone
695
00:53:54.519 --> 00:53:58.559
who you think will like it and
share it with the friend of someone in
696
00:53:58.639 --> 00:54:00.880
your family. It's the big way
for people to get to know about us.
697
00:54:01.119 --> 00:54:05.880
You can also tweet us at Express
Podcasts and write to us at podcasts
698
00:54:05.920 --> 00:54:07.199
at Indian Express dot com.
