Exclusive Interview: Kareena Kapoor, Meghna Gulzar & Prithviraj | Daayra

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Welcome to another episode of Express Conversations, a podcast where
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eminent voices from the world of politics, governance, sports, business
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and arts talk to us about their life, work and
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issues that really matter. In this episode, we will hear
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from Indian writer and director Meghna Gulzar and actors Prithviraj
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Sukumaran and Kareena Kapoor Khan. Our guests are in conversation
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with Anant Koenka and Priyanka Sinha Jha of the Indian Express.
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In this episode, the trio spoke about their recent film, Daira,
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the complexities of its central characters, their creative choices and
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the differences between Malayalam and Hindi film industries.
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I couldn't think of any better reason or occasion to
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meet up than to talk about a film like Daira.
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You know, we just watched it yesterday and... What a film, Meghna.
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And what brilliant performances, both Kareena and Prithvi. Both of
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you are absolutely outstanding. And, you know, it's not one
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of those easy breezy films to make. It's extremely tough.
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It's a subject which is grim. And the beautiful thing
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about this film was that it's so nuanced that.
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It takes you a.
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While to kind of absorb it at different levels. There's
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a police procedural. Both of you play police officers. And
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there are two different perspectives, right? Like to my mind,
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this was like crime and punishment. And. You've portrayed it
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from two different perspectives of Arjuni and Raman. And obviously,
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Arjuni believes that even when there is punishment, it must
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follow the rules.
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Whereas Raman believes.
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That you must not let rules and law come in
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the way of delivering justice. and doing the right thing.
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And which are both very powerful thoughts, right? There's no
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right or wrong. Meghna, you've always maintained a very good
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balance in all your films, where you, even with the
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protagonist and antagonist, you always cast an almost sympathetic eye
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on antagonist. Here in this film, you're not taking sides.
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You are actually showing two sides of different protagonists, right?
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Team Arjuni, Team Raman. So may I ask, which team
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did you.
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Guys align with?
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Team Daira.
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Team Daira. I knew you would say that. But Kareena, Priti,
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don't disappoint us. Take sides. Which line of thinking do
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you align with and why?
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I don't think it's about taking sides.
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I think it's... About believing in the film that Meghna
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wanted to make and the script. Believing that we're.
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Going to do justice to the film and the audience.
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That is what I think we hope that the discussion
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is going to continue after the lights come on in
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the cinema. Because it's going to take you into a
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world and it's going to make you think. Like Anant
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also mentioned that he was on the edge of his
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seat for 40 minutes. I think that's a compliment to
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a filmmaker that, you know, you're on the edge of
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your seat and you've made this movie. So I think
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that is what we are hoping. And that's pretty much
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the side I'm on.
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Well, I think more.
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I mean, of course, I mean, actors do films for
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different reasons. But I think this film also is something
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that we all strongly believed in. Arjuni is what also
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I believed in.
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Okay.
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Because I am also a girl that follows the straight
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line pretty much. But I do understand what Raman's, you know,
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character also wanted. Because I was also really, really angry
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at the same time.
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So it's just... It was just difficult to kind of
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also portray when I was pretty much, you know, I
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don't know, maybe.
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Yeah, it was a difficult role to portray because you're like,
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you know, you're walking the straight line.
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At the same time, you know what's wrong is wrong.
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We all experienced both sides. But I mean, Meghna had
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the toughest because I think she had to deal with,
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you know, both him and me on different sides. So
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that was, I think, more fun for her.
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Yes, Prithvi.
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So I.
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The prime reason why Daira appealed to me, at least
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on paper as a script, is the fact that... I
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do not agree with the entirety of Raman. But the
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problem is I do not disagree with the entirety of Raman.
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Neither do I agree with the entirety of Arjuni, nor
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do I disagree with the entirety of Arjuni. And that
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is a space within which the film exists in its
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whole form. And it was vitally important that as a filmmaker,
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Meghna play the mediator here and validate either side of
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the argument. And the film takes you through a journey
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where Equal weightage is given for either side of the perspective.
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And in the end, the question is posed to you.
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What do you think is the right side to be on?
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And if we have been successful in making the film
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the way we dreamt, then you won't be able to
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pick a side very easily either. That's true. That's what
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this film is about. And that is what crime, punishment,
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justice and the deliverance of justice is about in the
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system within which we live today.
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You know, what was interesting is deliverance of justice, what
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it means in a civil society and how it should
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be done in a civil society. I think my thoughts
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went in that direction after watching the film, which, I mean,
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I think is somewhere where you were aiming that, you know,
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maybe the audience will think for themselves and look at
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it from both perspectives. You know, crime against women, that's
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a big problem that ails women. not just our society,
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but around the world, but definitely in India, we have
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that problem. Now, you know, a lot of young people
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do say that they get influenced by movies, right? So
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my question is that do films... owe a social responsibility
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to some extent to showcase, to sensitize the audience in
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their own way. The stories can be different. But to
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sensitize the audience towards the way that gender.
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Positioning should be.
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I mean, I know this is not a very popular question,
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but increasingly young people.
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No, I think it's an impressive question.
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And what I feel is that, again, why do we
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always have to look at everything in one dimension? If
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there is a responsibility on cinema to propagate certain things,
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it is also the responsibility of the audience consuming the
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cinema to then follow what the cinema is propagating, right?
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It's not like we depict only the malaise of society.
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We also, we make a lot of films on joint
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family systems and family values and positive functional relationships. Can
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we ensure that everybody imbibes that as well? Because we're
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constantly blamed for inspiring the negative. However, when we depict
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the negative, it's actually to try and fix it. rather
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than use it as an influence in any way.
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That's what I feel.
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That's a fair point. Karina, Prithvi, any views on that?
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I agree and understand that cinema is an immensely powerful medium.
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And I'm not going to sit here and say that no,
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cinema does not influence at all. Cinema does influence. But
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we also need to be aware of the fact that
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cinema is more often than not a reflection of the
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current society that we live in. Inspiration for cinema is
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vastly derived from the society around us. So cinema is
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more than anything a mirror to the times and the
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world that we live in. Why is a film like
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Daira relevant? Because this is not born out of some
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fictional piece of imagination. The need to make a film
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like Daira is born out of the reality that we
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live in today. I wish and I pray and I
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hope that we... we reach a time and we reach
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a place where a film like Daira is redundant. But unfortunately,
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it is not. You know, it is immensely, uh, uh,
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significant for the times we live in. So, uh, I
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know we take a lot of, uh, a lot of, uh,
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you know, flack for influencing society in the wrong way.
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But if cinema did influence with every piece of, uh,
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of art that we made, half of India would be
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romancing their girlfriends and wives like Shah Rukh Khan romanced Kajol.
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You know, but, uh, that's not the case anymore. And, uh,
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So yeah, I know cinema does influence, but cinema is
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also influenced by society.
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Obviously, cinema holds a mirror to the society that we
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live in. So there's no two ways about it.
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But Kareena, your thoughts on this, if you want to
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say something?
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No, I definitely believe that Daida is going to be
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one film that is going to stand the test of time.
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It's going to be a film that people probably would even.
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Watch again and again and again because they would have
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different views, thoughts, emotions at different times. That's why I
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say that confidently that it is going to stand the
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test of time. I want people to go twice over
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to probably think it through more. It's sad, like Prithvi said,
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that a film but like this does mirror society definitely
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but it is the need of the hour right now.
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This film more than anything else.
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And.
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I'm just so happy that we had this opportunity to
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portray these characters.
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Meghna, how did.
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You find Your Arjuni and Raman, in the sense that,
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you know, I heard a lot of your interviews and
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the fact that you narrated the script to them.
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What made you think that they are the perfect choices
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for the role?
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Because.
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I'm sure that you would have.
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When you were going through the script, working on the script,
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the image would have come to your mind and you
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would have thought of them as the choices for these roles, right?
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What made you think of them?
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Actually, the thing is the characters, the way they came
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to life by the time we finished writing the script.
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One thing was very clear that they were complete... opposites
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of each other and yet complemented each.
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Other in a very, very ironic way.
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Because one, like Prithvi often says, one cannot exist without
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the other.
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And one completes the other as well. It's not a romance,
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it's not a love story.
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But nevertheless, that's still the way their dynamic goes.
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With Ajony, the way the.
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Character came alive in the film... is that she disarms
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and dismantles with a smile.
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Yes.
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Okay.
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Raman is scowling all the time.
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That's true.
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Absolutely.
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Okay.
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So these were contrasts that came out at the script level.
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And I knew that I wanted Arjuni to be represented
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in a way which is very different from the way
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we have female police officers in.
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Our films till now.
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And I had the liberty of doing that because I
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was going to see a lot of her out of
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uniform as a character because she's a special investigator. And
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most of the time they don't go in uniform when they're.
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Playing that role.
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So it really lent an opportunity to interpret a female
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police officer differently. And that's when Kareena's name came into
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my mind. Fortunately for me, it coincided with a time
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when she was keen to work with me.
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Okay.
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And that's how that happened.
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With Raman, it was very somehow important for me that
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Daira is.
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Made up of region-neutral characters.
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Raman is a name you can have in North India,
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South India, Eastern India, Western India.
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So it was.
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Important for me to have a Raman who... should not
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be from the Hindi film industry. It was very important
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for me on Daira for this one. And the minute
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I knew that is when his name popped into my
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head and we have a friend in common and I
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asked him to arrange a meeting and that's how that happened.
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Preeti, I believe you wanted to say no to Meghna.
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Want to say no to Meghna.
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I mean, wanted as in, sorry, let me rephrase that.
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You were busy with a film at the time and
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you thought that let me hear the script and then,
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you know, like I'd probably have to decline. And then
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you change your mind after you heard the script. What
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was it that made you change your mind? Of course,
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now having seen the film, I can totally get it.
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But tell the audience what made you change your mind.
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Yeah, so when I got a call.
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She made you an offer that you couldn't refuse.
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She did, actually.
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Very Coleoni-styled, actually. So when I got this call to
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meet Meghna Gulzar, I had just said yes to S.S.
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Rajamouli sir's magnum opus, Varanasi. And in my mind, I
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knew that the next couple of years, I'm going to
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be tied up with that film. And I also had
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a couple of commitments in Malayalam cinema that I was
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already doing. So I really didn't think this was going
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to work out for me. But I wanted to meet
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her anyway. Because I'm assuming if Meghna Gulzar wants to
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meet an actor, the actor usually ends up saying, yeah,
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we'll meet. So I said, definitely, I'd love to meet her.
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So the common friend that she's talking about was a
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gentleman named Ashu, who was one of my managers back then.
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And he told me, just meet, meet her. So I,
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in fact, came and met her for the first time
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in this very hotel. And I was prepared to say
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a very polite no. telling her, I would love to
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work with you. I know, I hope we get to work,
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do something very soon in the future, blah, blah, blah,
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the usual. But the thing is with Meghna, she just,
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she didn't even ask me, would you have the time, anything.
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She just said, I'd like to tell you what my
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film is about. And she started giving me this really
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well-structured narration. And then I realized, why is it that
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Ashu told me meet her? Because Ashu knew that if
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I listen to this, I definitely want to say yes
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to it. The reason being that I think, yeah, I mean,
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it was a great script and a fantastic part. But
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the reason being that I feel as artists, it's not
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very often that you're presented with an opportunity to be
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part of something that you feel is also your responsibility.
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So if you have the opportunity to do a film
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like Daira, as an artist, I think it's my responsibility
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to use my craft to try and facilitate that film.
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Because I genuinely feel this film is a conversation that
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needs to happen today. And, and, Everything ticked all the boxes.
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It had a fantastic filmmaker wanting to voice the film out.
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It had a great script on paper. It had Kareena
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playing Arjuni. And that was important to me because the
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film is structured in a way where Raman is relevant
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only if Arjuni is credible and vice versa. And so
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I read the script and I said, I'm going to
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somehow find the time to do this film. Luckily for me,
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the timelines shifted a bit here and there and it
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sort of, aligned so that I could do it. And
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I'm so happy and I'm so privileged that I could
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be a part of this film. Because I do, I
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genuinely do believe that as a film and as a
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subject matter, Daira is much bigger than any one of
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us here today.
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Kareena, I wanted to ask you this. We competed 25 years.
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And you also turned producer. You always said, I'm not
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going to produce. And then you also turned producer.
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Not really.
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That was just a one-off thing. I think I have
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too much of a.
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Yeah, I think acting is something that probably the only
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thing I'm good at.
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So I don't want to... Production, definitely not.
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You know, you always mixed up like... The different kinds
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of movies and roles that you've done. You've naturally sort
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of been known as a glamour icon, of course. But
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you've done different kinds of roles, right? From the beginning, Refugee, Talaj.
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There are so many.
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Roles here of different kinds.
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When you now... When you get a film like Daira, which...
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is gritty and it's different. How do you approach that?
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You know, because on one hand, you have a very
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strong sort of image as a glamour icon. And when
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you do these roles, which are a little shift away
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from it, which is also a good thing because then
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you establish your range.
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How do you approach it?
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Um, I think an actor shouldn't be put in any
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form of any sort of box of any kind.
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So it's never been about just sticking to this glamorous image.
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I think the image is.
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Always built because of what people think that you are.
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But as an artist, it's my duty to explore different parts,
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which I've always done right from Chameli onwards or choosing
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an unconventional launch like Refugee.
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So I've always tried to do that.
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But of course, the audience has always remember you as that.
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Girl, you know, Geet from Jabbi Met.
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But I mean, of course, that's something that I'll always
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be and is a part of my repertoire as an actor.
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But I just feel I also enjoy doing these parts.
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And now because I'm choosing quality over quantity, I think
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A Meghna Gulzar film will stand the test of time,
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like I said earlier. And I don't want to or
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don't have any plans of retiring anytime soon. So I
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do have a lot to explore yet.
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We don't see you retiring anytime soon and we don't
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want you to.
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We'd love to see you on screen forever, like a
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Meryl Streep kind trajectory.
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What was, you know, this is kind.
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Of interlinked with the idea of more and more women
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coming into the film industry and in all workspaces, actually.
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But when you have women in front of the camera,
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behind the camera and in various other capacities, has that
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changed the atmosphere in any way?
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Priti, I'm going to.
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Start with you because you can give us the other
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perspective where, you know, there are more women on the sets.
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Is that shaping the work culture in different ways? Is
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that shaping the stories in different ways?
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So as an actor, it doesn't make a difference to me.
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There are good directors and bad directors, unfortunately. And there
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are great men directors and great women directors. Not so
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great men directors, not so great women directors. I just
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happen to have the privilege of just working with a
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great woman director who's sitting here with me.
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Regarding perspectives, I'm sure there are... I'm assuming... It's an
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age-old cliche now.
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The man... ambition by a woman, you know, I'm assuming
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there is something to it. Because I've, I've done another
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film in Malayalam called Kude, directed by Anjali Menon, and
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wonderful filmmaker. And, you know, my wife keeps telling me,
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you know, this Joshua from Kude, there is so much
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of Joshua that I've seen, that is so close to you,
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in real life, I've not seen in any other film.
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And I'm assuming that's got a lot to do with
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how Anjali conceived the character and what she saw in
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me as an actor.
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I'm pretty sure maybe a.
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Male director directing Daira would have had a different Raman
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in it. I don't know if it would have been
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better or worse. But I'm sure that there's a lot
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about Raman that is about Meghna looking at Raman the
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way she wants to. I don't know if there's a
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difference in how men and women narrate stories or construct ideas.
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But it is wonderful to have women on set. Because
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I just think, you know, it's high time. As an industry,
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cinema is lagging behind, if you ask me, in terms
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of inclusion. We today see a lot of amazing talent
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behind and in front of the camera. But I still
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think as an industry, we are lagging behind. I'm going
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to put it out there and tell you it's a
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wonderful career option. it's a great space to work in. Yeah,
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there are stories about, you know, cinema and all that
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are not so rosy that you will hear. But that's
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true for every workspace, unfortunately, that exists in the society today.
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But I would love to see more girls, you know,
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saying that I want to be in cinema when I
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grow up. I hope my daughter wants to be in
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cinema when she grows up. I don't know if she will.
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But let's see, I would love for more women to
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be sharing my workspace with me.
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Lovely.
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Kareena, Meghna, what do you think? Is there like a
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shift in the work culture? Like, do you find a
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difference or it's mostly the same?
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00:21:17.170 --> 00:21:18.609
I think women are more organized.
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Agreed.
401
00:21:20.890 --> 00:21:21.549
Fully agreed.
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So, when there are more women on set, that set
403
00:21:26.710 --> 00:21:28.509
runs like a well-oiled machine.
404
00:21:29.009 --> 00:21:29.730
Like Crock-Cock.
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00:21:30.690 --> 00:21:34.250
So, no, it's very heartening. And you know what I
406
00:21:34.329 --> 00:21:37.579
love about it is... even though optically you see that
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00:21:37.599 --> 00:21:39.640
there are more women on a film set now than
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00:21:39.680 --> 00:21:42.140
there used to be, there is no gender.
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00:21:41.859 --> 00:21:42.480
On a film set.
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00:21:43.289 --> 00:21:47.289
You will see the female assistants also picking up equipment
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00:21:47.349 --> 00:21:49.990
and walking across the set as you will the males.
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So there is no gender.
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And it actually.
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So this is something my father used to tell me
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when I was a child, that the beauty of a
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00:21:57.970 --> 00:22:00.170
film set is that there is no gender and there
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00:22:00.210 --> 00:22:00.839
is no religion.
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It's actually the most neutral workspace there is.
419
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What a beautiful part.
420
00:22:08.619 --> 00:22:13.400
Kareena, you have anything, any observation on that? Yeah, I
421
00:22:13.440 --> 00:22:17.789
think women also, they multitask. You know, we can, you know,
422
00:22:17.829 --> 00:22:20.549
we can be homemakers, we can be actors, we can,
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00:22:22.170 --> 00:22:26.190
you know, run a business, do our finances, file our taxes,
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you know, send our children to school, play dates, do everything.
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So I think there's literally nothing that a woman can't do.
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So, yeah.
427
00:22:35.619 --> 00:22:35.819
True.
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You know, when I was watching the film, that particular
429
00:22:38.900 --> 00:22:43.769
scene when the crime is sort of enacted or it's shown,
430
00:22:43.789 --> 00:22:45.970
I got goosebumps.
431
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It was terrifying and chilling.
432
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But at the same time, what I found exceptional was
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that there was no exaggeration. The camera didn't linger on
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anything for like a second longer than it should.
435
00:23:01.480 --> 00:23:01.759
It was.
436
00:23:02.869 --> 00:23:06.390
as you've been saying, it was very factually accurate, right?
437
00:23:06.430 --> 00:23:11.390
Like it happened like this, you know, and it struck
438
00:23:11.430 --> 00:23:16.049
me as remarkable, right? Because in movies, we always have
439
00:23:16.089 --> 00:23:20.470
a bit of dramatization and this was like very sort of,
440
00:23:20.730 --> 00:23:22.809
but it was factual, but at the same time, it
441
00:23:23.069 --> 00:23:25.410
didn't take away from the scene. Like, you know, it
442
00:23:25.450 --> 00:23:28.150
was chilling and it stayed with you for long after.
443
00:23:28.880 --> 00:23:31.819
So that's something to be said. And I wondered whether
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00:23:31.859 --> 00:23:36.789
that was the female sensitivity to not sensationalize it or
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how do you decide or even if it's not gender,
446
00:23:39.529 --> 00:23:43.750
let's keep it gender neutral also. What made you decide
447
00:23:43.769 --> 00:23:47.549
what to keep, what to not keep in that particular scene?
448
00:23:48.420 --> 00:23:53.019
There was nothing gender neutral about that sequence. I was
449
00:23:53.119 --> 00:23:58.519
very clear that I wanted to make men uncomfortable.
450
00:23:57.920 --> 00:24:00.759
When they see that. I was very clear that that's
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what I wanted to do.
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And I know that that happens because I have editors
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who are men and I could keep working on that
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sequence for hour on hour on hour and they would
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want to leave the room.
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00:24:14.849 --> 00:24:16.369
So.
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00:24:17.750 --> 00:24:20.670
I'm glad. So that was intentional.
458
00:24:21.869 --> 00:24:25.049
Now I want to ask you, every director brings a
459
00:24:25.069 --> 00:24:29.839
certain culture to their set, right? What was Meghna Gulzar's
460
00:24:29.920 --> 00:24:32.759
set like? Please feel free to spill the beans.
461
00:24:35.480 --> 00:24:36.940
For me, it felt like going back to school.
462
00:24:37.579 --> 00:24:43.829
I studied, for perspective, I studied in Sainik school. Yeah,
463
00:24:44.480 --> 00:24:47.069
I studied in an army school. And it was like
464
00:24:47.170 --> 00:24:52.740
back to school for me. But she is easily one
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00:24:52.779 --> 00:24:55.940
of the most, if not the most academic, the most
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00:24:56.140 --> 00:25:00.809
judicious filmmaker I have worked with. I really, I don't,
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00:25:01.309 --> 00:25:03.529
in memory, I don't know if I can randomly pick
468
00:25:03.569 --> 00:25:09.230
a filmmaker who is more prepared than Meghna. But the
469
00:25:09.309 --> 00:25:14.119
magic is not about being prepared, you know. To, to,
470
00:25:14.519 --> 00:25:17.440
give you a story. What Meghna does is, let's say
471
00:25:17.460 --> 00:25:20.680
we are shooting in a particular house three days from now.
472
00:25:21.460 --> 00:25:23.559
She'll go to that location with her team of assistants,
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00:25:23.619 --> 00:25:26.799
with the DOP, his assistants, and then she'll shoot the
474
00:25:26.859 --> 00:25:31.349
entire scene on a phone or a digital camera. And
475
00:25:31.369 --> 00:25:34.829
then she'll edit the scene. And then screen grabs from
476
00:25:34.869 --> 00:25:38.809
the phone footage will make her storyboard. So when we
477
00:25:38.849 --> 00:25:41.670
go there for shoot, she already has screen grabs from
478
00:25:41.690 --> 00:25:44.460
the shoot that she did as the storyboard reference for
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00:25:44.480 --> 00:25:46.519
the shoot we are going to do. Now, this seems
480
00:25:46.559 --> 00:25:49.819
like a very rigid process. But the magic is that
481
00:25:49.859 --> 00:25:52.700
she has this at her disposal and then she makes
482
00:25:52.789 --> 00:25:55.309
the actors feel like we are doing what we want.
483
00:25:56.589 --> 00:25:57.549
That's also an option.
484
00:25:57.690 --> 00:26:00.210
Yeah, she makes you feel like the actor is doing
485
00:26:00.230 --> 00:26:02.190
what you want. You have absolute freedom. We are not
486
00:26:02.210 --> 00:26:05.670
doing what we want. But she makes you feel that way.
487
00:26:06.089 --> 00:26:09.789
And then, you know, she has this wonderful ability to
488
00:26:10.269 --> 00:26:13.269
make the actor feel that now it's your responsibility. And
489
00:26:13.789 --> 00:26:15.309
what that does to you as an actor is you
490
00:26:15.329 --> 00:26:18.650
feel more invested. You feel like, I mean, we rap
491
00:26:18.690 --> 00:26:20.009
shoot one day and I say, okay, what are we
492
00:26:20.029 --> 00:26:20.549
doing tomorrow?
493
00:26:20.589 --> 00:26:21.009
That scene.
494
00:26:21.130 --> 00:26:22.950
And I think, okay, it's now up to me to
495
00:26:22.990 --> 00:26:24.549
go back home and think about what I'm going to
496
00:26:24.569 --> 00:26:27.049
do tomorrow. Because tomorrow morning when I land up on set,
497
00:26:27.089 --> 00:26:29.359
before I get into costume or makeup, Meghna will call me.
498
00:26:29.819 --> 00:26:31.730
She'll call me to the spot and the first question
499
00:26:31.759 --> 00:26:32.940
she'll ask me is, how do you want to do this?
500
00:26:33.420 --> 00:26:36.859
She would already have everything set out and planned and chat, but.
501
00:26:36.779 --> 00:26:38.579
She'll still ask me, how do you want to do this?
502
00:26:38.940 --> 00:26:40.640
And then we'll have arguments and that.
503
00:26:41.900 --> 00:26:43.859
And I don't know if it was the same with you,
504
00:26:43.900 --> 00:26:47.009
but with so many scenes with me, we'd have arguments
505
00:26:47.049 --> 00:26:49.289
and Meghna would say, right, this is how I want
506
00:26:49.309 --> 00:26:51.309
you to do it. So we'll take a take that way.
507
00:26:51.730 --> 00:26:53.369
And then we'll do a second take the way you
508
00:26:53.390 --> 00:26:55.470
want to do it. But she's done it so many
509
00:26:55.529 --> 00:26:58.890
times with me. And it's amazing because that way you
510
00:26:58.970 --> 00:27:01.619
feel like, okay, now it's up to me to make
511
00:27:01.700 --> 00:27:06.500
sure that my perspective on it is valid, that it matters. And,
512
00:27:06.940 --> 00:27:09.740
you know, the most important scene in the film is
513
00:27:10.690 --> 00:27:12.910
And one of the... It's a scene that Kareena and
514
00:27:12.950 --> 00:27:16.470
I are in together. And it's such a vital point
515
00:27:16.509 --> 00:27:20.910
in the film. The same argument happened. And she said, okay,
516
00:27:21.380 --> 00:27:24.900
we will do it both ways as usual. So I said, okay, now,
517
00:27:25.180 --> 00:27:26.839
if that's the case, then I want to do it
518
00:27:26.880 --> 00:27:28.980
your way first. Then I'll do it my way.
519
00:27:29.359 --> 00:27:33.259
Then she said, okay. It's the last scene. So you've
520
00:27:33.279 --> 00:27:34.279
seen the film. And the airport.
521
00:27:34.920 --> 00:27:39.269
So then I did the first take her way. And
522
00:27:39.329 --> 00:27:43.349
I immediately realized that is the only way. I immediately
523
00:27:43.390 --> 00:27:46.230
realized that the other way is not right. And then
524
00:27:46.269 --> 00:27:48.259
she said, no, we'll shoot the second day. I said,
525
00:27:48.279 --> 00:27:49.380
I don't want a second day. And she's like, no,
526
00:27:49.400 --> 00:27:50.259
you have to do a second day. I said, no,
527
00:27:50.279 --> 00:27:52.059
I don't want a second day. And it's just a
528
00:27:52.099 --> 00:27:55.539
wonderfully collaborative process for an actor to be part of.
529
00:27:55.759 --> 00:27:59.509
And it's an art. It's one of the few, not few,
530
00:27:59.549 --> 00:28:01.349
one of the many lessons I've learned as Meghna, as
531
00:28:01.390 --> 00:28:03.849
a filmmaker. I also direct once in a while. So
532
00:28:03.910 --> 00:28:05.329
it's a mental note I've made.
533
00:28:05.549 --> 00:28:08.450
Yeah, that's a helpful note to make, right?
534
00:28:08.470 --> 00:28:08.950
Absolutely.
535
00:28:09.359 --> 00:28:12.740
Karina, what about you? You've spoken a bit about how
536
00:28:13.160 --> 00:28:15.000
you had to rein in the energy.
537
00:28:15.640 --> 00:28:17.779
Yeah, because of the character that it was.
538
00:28:17.940 --> 00:28:22.829
But I've always believed that the director is the captain
539
00:28:22.849 --> 00:28:27.950
of the ship. There's nobody who knows the entire ship
540
00:28:28.029 --> 00:28:30.470
more than the director.
541
00:28:31.029 --> 00:28:34.410
And I have worked with many directors, some who have.
542
00:28:35.650 --> 00:28:38.049
ship is already sinking and we all know that when
543
00:28:38.069 --> 00:28:40.430
we're all like just trying to figure it out, like, okay,
544
00:28:40.450 --> 00:28:42.960
we'll just wing it. Some directors just want to wing
545
00:28:43.000 --> 00:28:45.339
things and I'm like, how is that possible? But you're
546
00:28:45.359 --> 00:28:48.680
lucky I'm a good actor because I'll wing it. But
547
00:28:48.839 --> 00:28:51.329
I'm sorry, you know, I mean, we can't keep winging it.
548
00:28:51.420 --> 00:28:54.720
But in this kind of a film, there was no
549
00:28:54.779 --> 00:28:57.640
space to wing it and it was just, she was
550
00:28:57.920 --> 00:29:01.559
always so sure and I actually couldn't just gave myself
551
00:29:01.599 --> 00:29:05.079
to her also because I wanted to be directed in
552
00:29:05.480 --> 00:29:09.200
and under her direction and like Prithvi said there's nobody
553
00:29:09.240 --> 00:29:12.190
she was practically running I mean the whole set she
554
00:29:12.549 --> 00:29:15.109
but obviously making the others feel that they're doing their
555
00:29:15.170 --> 00:29:18.490
work but she's actually technically doing everything I realized that
556
00:29:18.529 --> 00:29:21.970
about her on the second or third day itself actually
557
00:29:22.369 --> 00:29:26.259
actually on day one so yeah she's a hard task
558
00:29:26.299 --> 00:29:28.900
master but I like directors like that because I think
559
00:29:28.940 --> 00:29:32.460
it's so important to And in today's day and age when,
560
00:29:32.579 --> 00:29:34.599
you know, an actor also wants to do good work
561
00:29:34.660 --> 00:29:38.490
and it's very rare to get a director, you know,
562
00:29:38.710 --> 00:29:39.390
like Meghna.
563
00:29:40.039 --> 00:29:42.819
where you feel creatively safe right like because you have
564
00:29:42.839 --> 00:29:45.420
somebody steer you purposefully and.
565
00:29:45.339 --> 00:29:47.960
Somewhere you just feel that you know whatever it's.
566
00:29:49.759 --> 00:29:53.039
The script the way she respects her work and the
567
00:29:53.619 --> 00:29:57.119
the kind of energy and effort sincerity she is putting
568
00:29:57.200 --> 00:29:59.140
in you know that this is it you just have
569
00:29:59.200 --> 00:30:01.059
to deliver.
570
00:30:01.059 --> 00:30:04.400
Yeah that's true my last question is i wanted to
571
00:30:04.539 --> 00:30:07.559
ask you guys that now in the age of ai
572
00:30:08.460 --> 00:30:12.059
where it's becoming such a sort of dominant force and
573
00:30:12.119 --> 00:30:14.559
you can't ignore it anymore where do you see that
574
00:30:14.619 --> 00:30:19.180
creatively like as creators as actors um do you see
575
00:30:19.220 --> 00:30:23.160
yourself at some point giving you know like licensing your
576
00:30:23.220 --> 00:30:26.289
likeness to or your style of writing or direction or
577
00:30:26.329 --> 00:30:31.289
creativity to AI to generate that so I'm actually old
578
00:30:31.349 --> 00:30:36.450
school and purist and maybe boring because I've always believed
579
00:30:36.529 --> 00:30:40.680
that cinema will never get replaced when even when television
580
00:30:40.720 --> 00:30:44.720
came or streaming came so similarly I also believe that
581
00:30:44.900 --> 00:30:53.559
AI will never replace HI human instinct human intelligence AI.
582
00:30:52.420 --> 00:30:53.299
Is merely a tool.
583
00:30:54.799 --> 00:30:57.640
You can use it to make something better or help
584
00:30:57.660 --> 00:30:58.940
you do something faster.
585
00:30:59.549 --> 00:31:03.569
But is it going to replace your creativity and make
586
00:31:03.630 --> 00:31:05.930
it better? I don't think so. That's my belief.
587
00:31:06.450 --> 00:31:06.650
Yeah.
588
00:31:06.930 --> 00:31:09.710
I think it's evolving and that's up for debate in
589
00:31:09.750 --> 00:31:12.230
terms of how much can be used and how well
590
00:31:12.369 --> 00:31:13.170
and all of that.
591
00:31:13.250 --> 00:31:15.210
At the end of it, it is emotionless.
592
00:31:15.259 --> 00:31:17.380
So after a point, it's going to start doing the
593
00:31:17.400 --> 00:31:19.140
wrong things when you have run out of prompts.
594
00:31:19.970 --> 00:31:20.190
Right?
595
00:31:20.250 --> 00:31:22.269
So that's, yeah, it's as simple as that.
596
00:31:23.109 --> 00:31:23.289
Yeah.
597
00:31:24.289 --> 00:31:26.970
Karina and Priti, do you see your likeness, like licensing
598
00:31:26.990 --> 00:31:29.930
your likeness to like, you know, be used in an
599
00:31:30.049 --> 00:31:31.950
ad film or something where you don't physically have to
600
00:31:31.990 --> 00:31:35.230
be there, but they can use your mannerism, your style,
601
00:31:35.250 --> 00:31:36.950
your dialogues, things like that.
602
00:31:37.309 --> 00:31:41.250
So I don't think you can fight artificial intelligence. If
603
00:31:41.289 --> 00:31:44.369
you stand at the other end of that line and say,
604
00:31:44.490 --> 00:31:45.990
I'm going to fight this, I think you're going to
605
00:31:46.009 --> 00:31:49.349
be left behind. I think we'll have to adapt to it.
606
00:31:50.549 --> 00:31:54.210
But what AI is, is pretty much there in its
607
00:31:54.269 --> 00:31:58.579
name itself. It is artificial intelligence. So I think what
608
00:31:58.640 --> 00:32:01.039
in the broader picture it's going to do is it's
609
00:32:01.319 --> 00:32:06.859
ultimately going to, you know, give more value, like Meghna said,
610
00:32:07.380 --> 00:32:13.289
to original ideas, to human touch, to the actual tangible,
611
00:32:14.089 --> 00:32:18.009
humane elements in stories. And I'm talking about cinema here.
612
00:32:18.069 --> 00:32:18.910
Yeah, sure.
613
00:32:20.720 --> 00:32:23.859
I think the leaders, the pioneers will be the ones
614
00:32:24.400 --> 00:32:29.059
who will be able to adapt and still not be
615
00:32:29.920 --> 00:32:34.019
losing their touch with what is original human ideas. So
616
00:32:34.039 --> 00:32:36.359
the value for that, I think, if anything, will go
617
00:32:36.460 --> 00:32:42.869
up to the inherently original filmmakers, to the inherently talented actors,
618
00:32:43.150 --> 00:32:46.930
to the greatest of the storytellers. I think they will
619
00:32:46.950 --> 00:32:49.829
become even more valuable. because at the other end of
620
00:32:49.869 --> 00:32:52.789
the line, there is this mass-produced, you know, factory line
621
00:32:52.829 --> 00:32:56.309
that will just churn out animation, churn out stories. You
622
00:32:56.349 --> 00:32:58.970
give a prompt, say, I'd like a story in, give
623
00:32:59.009 --> 00:33:03.549
me a crime thriller starring Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran.
624
00:33:03.769 --> 00:33:07.190
AI won't give you Daira. Yeah. That will take a magnum, sir. Yeah.
625
00:33:07.750 --> 00:33:10.670
Because it'll draw from, you know, like, the existing sources
626
00:33:10.710 --> 00:33:13.230
without really bringing the originality to it.
627
00:33:13.559 --> 00:33:13.819
Yeah.
628
00:33:13.839 --> 00:33:14.359
Replicates.
629
00:33:14.500 --> 00:33:17.680
So, I mean, as a system, as a machine, as
630
00:33:17.720 --> 00:33:23.470
a mechanism, It relies on knowledge, imagery and information that
631
00:33:23.529 --> 00:33:27.130
is already available. It can code itself into a better
632
00:33:27.210 --> 00:33:32.720
version of its existing form, but it really cannot understand
633
00:33:32.819 --> 00:33:36.079
or predict what the human mind might do in the future.
634
00:33:36.319 --> 00:33:36.519
Right.
635
00:33:37.059 --> 00:33:37.259
Right.
636
00:33:37.440 --> 00:33:38.200
So that's what I said.
637
00:33:38.779 --> 00:33:43.119
The beauty of our creativity lies in the sheer unpredictability
638
00:33:43.180 --> 00:33:46.869
of who we are, of how unpredictable the human mind
639
00:33:46.970 --> 00:33:51.170
can be. what Meghna Gulzar will do next, no AI
640
00:33:51.210 --> 00:33:56.509
machine in the world currently can predict. And we just
641
00:33:56.569 --> 00:33:59.529
have to be careful to not fall into the trap
642
00:33:59.930 --> 00:34:06.630
of letting AI dictate our thoughts and then start thinking, okay,
643
00:34:06.670 --> 00:34:09.510
what we should do next should be a prompt that
644
00:34:09.550 --> 00:34:12.989
we ask an AI platform. That's the route that we
645
00:34:13.010 --> 00:34:13.659
shouldn't go down.
646
00:34:14.090 --> 00:34:14.320
Right.
647
00:34:15.119 --> 00:34:15.460
Karida?
648
00:34:18.059 --> 00:34:20.760
So I don't know exactly.
649
00:34:21.800 --> 00:34:25.110
The way I feel because I think when it's used
650
00:34:25.159 --> 00:34:26.840
right now, the only thing as a woman I can
651
00:34:26.889 --> 00:34:30.210
feel is that the way it's being used negatively on
652
00:34:31.829 --> 00:34:38.090
social media and on those digital platforms, that is very disturbing.
653
00:34:38.130 --> 00:34:40.469
So right now, I don't know how I feel right now.
654
00:34:40.489 --> 00:34:44.289
I'm disturbed about it. But of course, like Priti said,
655
00:34:44.309 --> 00:34:48.300
that it's... you've got to move with the times. But
656
00:34:48.340 --> 00:34:50.690
I want to move with the times, but not at
657
00:34:50.730 --> 00:34:51.510
a dangerous level.
658
00:34:52.010 --> 00:34:52.230
Sure.
659
00:34:52.409 --> 00:34:55.889
So if it is going to be that, then we
660
00:34:55.929 --> 00:34:58.110
have to find a way around that.
661
00:34:58.250 --> 00:35:01.949
So right now, it's like my children are really small
662
00:35:01.969 --> 00:35:04.280
and I'm paranoid about that.
663
00:35:04.380 --> 00:35:04.619
Yeah.
664
00:35:04.639 --> 00:35:07.760
Like, it's just because, you know, I'm a mother and
665
00:35:07.780 --> 00:35:10.800
they're like nine and five and it disturbs me, you know,
666
00:35:10.840 --> 00:35:14.699
certain things on AI. So we need, like I said,
667
00:35:14.719 --> 00:35:19.019
we need to find a way, ban certain things and
668
00:35:19.159 --> 00:35:20.179
use it for certain things.
669
00:35:21.349 --> 00:35:23.130
And then we can learn to move with the times.
670
00:35:23.349 --> 00:35:24.550
So that's what I feel.
671
00:35:25.309 --> 00:35:31.679
But do they have access to phones, laptops, etc.
672
00:35:32.090 --> 00:35:32.860
Of course they do.
673
00:35:33.780 --> 00:35:34.500
Phones, no.
674
00:35:35.739 --> 00:35:38.420
Well, his nanny has a phone which she insists is
675
00:35:38.500 --> 00:35:41.789
his phone. So I said, it's not your phone. So
676
00:35:41.809 --> 00:35:43.829
then he's like, okay, but can I tell my friends
677
00:35:43.889 --> 00:35:44.530
it's my phone?
678
00:35:44.590 --> 00:35:45.570
I said, no, you can't.
679
00:35:45.690 --> 00:35:46.389
This is Jai.
680
00:35:46.789 --> 00:35:51.820
No, no, Jai, no. Jai is five. He'll get a jhaapar. Like,
681
00:35:51.860 --> 00:35:54.940
we're like, just playing these games all day. Just like,
682
00:35:54.960 --> 00:35:57.860
you know, snatching it from them. And like, relax, you're
683
00:35:57.880 --> 00:35:59.679
so hyper. I said, no, I need to be hyper
684
00:35:59.719 --> 00:36:00.159
about this.
685
00:36:00.519 --> 00:36:02.750
So this is actually the only thing that we probably
686
00:36:03.389 --> 00:36:07.380
argue about is the whole digital world. Yeah, I just
687
00:36:07.400 --> 00:36:10.500
want to keep them still as small as, you know, forever.
688
00:36:11.099 --> 00:36:11.619
What do I do?
689
00:36:13.460 --> 00:36:14.500
Well, thank you so much.
690
00:36:14.980 --> 00:36:17.900
And now, please put your hands together for Anant Goenka,
691
00:36:17.940 --> 00:36:19.980
the Executive Director of the Indian Express Group.
692
00:36:21.079 --> 00:36:22.820
You know, I watched the film yesterday. I was very
693
00:36:22.880 --> 00:36:26.780
tempted with these questions. I know and I thought I'm
694
00:36:26.800 --> 00:36:28.989
going to put, I'm going to ask very intellectually heavy
695
00:36:29.030 --> 00:36:30.570
questions because the film had a lot of, you know,
696
00:36:30.630 --> 00:36:33.449
it gets you thinking in all directions. But the first
697
00:36:33.469 --> 00:36:35.880
thing I have to say is, One thing that Meghna's
698
00:36:35.940 --> 00:36:38.739
always done, and Razi's one of my favorite all-time films,
699
00:36:38.760 --> 00:36:40.420
you know, one of my favorite films of all time.
700
00:36:42.000 --> 00:36:45.019
All realism, all these very hyper-realistic films she does, but
701
00:36:45.099 --> 00:36:47.320
she makes, I mean, both of these guys are looking
702
00:36:47.559 --> 00:36:51.199
so good. Without looking glamorous, they're looking so good, right?
703
00:36:51.280 --> 00:36:52.679
It's just, it's a very different, I mean, it's a
704
00:36:52.679 --> 00:36:58.159
very unusual thing, I feel. So that's... You're welcome. Okay,
705
00:36:58.199 --> 00:37:03.489
so I think let's start with Prithviraj. Okay. All the interviews,
706
00:37:04.090 --> 00:37:06.150
you keep saying you and Meghna were having a lot
707
00:37:06.170 --> 00:37:09.050
of arguments on set. It keeps coming up. So tell
708
00:37:09.090 --> 00:37:12.440
us the one biggest argument you had. It's about the
709
00:37:12.460 --> 00:37:14.880
scene that I was talking about. You know, I.
710
00:37:15.099 --> 00:37:17.460
See, with Meghna, the argument might be very big, but
711
00:37:17.539 --> 00:37:20.119
it could be something very mundane, very simple. Like, say,
712
00:37:21.000 --> 00:37:22.639
I've seen her fly off the handle because she didn't
713
00:37:22.679 --> 00:37:24.860
like the color of her shirt that a background actress won't.
714
00:37:25.579 --> 00:37:27.219
You know, no, I mean.
715
00:37:27.769 --> 00:37:31.530
The opening press conference where I tell the media what
716
00:37:31.570 --> 00:37:32.360
happened and all that.
717
00:37:32.929 --> 00:37:35.360
You know you're planting all these stories, no?
718
00:37:35.539 --> 00:37:37.280
The stories you're planting now.
719
00:37:37.519 --> 00:37:38.719
No, no, this happened.
720
00:37:39.159 --> 00:37:41.860
I remember this so vividly that, I don't know, some
721
00:37:41.960 --> 00:37:44.340
green something she didn't like, I don't know, something. So
722
00:37:44.360 --> 00:37:47.039
she's a bit obsessive that way, which all great filmmakers
723
00:37:47.119 --> 00:37:47.659
usually are.
724
00:37:48.059 --> 00:37:50.070
Is there any one scene where you think that you have,
725
00:37:50.230 --> 00:37:52.730
that actually your call was the right call? I'm just
726
00:37:52.750 --> 00:37:54.510
trying to do what a journalist does here. There are
727
00:37:54.550 --> 00:37:55.449
so many, there are.
728
00:37:55.989 --> 00:37:58.210
There are so many scenes where I think my call
729
00:37:58.230 --> 00:37:58.889
was the right.
730
00:37:58.750 --> 00:38:01.510
Call, but it's not in the film. Okay, Pitra, one,
731
00:38:01.849 --> 00:38:03.750
in a short answer, justice to you is?
732
00:38:04.230 --> 00:38:06.550
Can't be a short answer because you see, that's what
733
00:38:06.690 --> 00:38:08.909
I was, we were having this conversation.
734
00:38:09.449 --> 00:38:13.639
Unfortunately, justice has perspectives, you know.
735
00:38:13.780 --> 00:38:18.219
You can't, that's what the film is about. So I,
736
00:38:18.880 --> 00:38:21.480
I'm going to construct an unpleasant scenario here just so
737
00:38:21.519 --> 00:38:28.130
that we can have this conversation going. Let's assume there is, Another, unfortunately, another,
738
00:38:28.329 --> 00:38:33.090
you know, rape and murder that's happened somewhere, right? So
739
00:38:33.130 --> 00:38:36.590
what is the quantum of punishment and justice according to
740
00:38:36.610 --> 00:38:39.550
a system? Let's also assume that one of the perpetrators
741
00:38:39.590 --> 00:38:43.550
unfortunately happened to be 16 years old. So according to
742
00:38:43.570 --> 00:38:45.949
the system that we have, what is the punishment for
743
00:38:45.989 --> 00:38:47.869
that crime and what is the quantum of punishment for
744
00:38:47.889 --> 00:38:48.250
that crime?
745
00:38:48.769 --> 00:38:50.230
I don't know.
746
00:38:50.309 --> 00:38:52.150
Three years in a juvenile home, three years in a
747
00:38:52.190 --> 00:38:56.340
juvenile home? So systemically speaking with the system of law
748
00:38:56.440 --> 00:39:01.219
and justice that we have, justice has been served. Has
749
00:39:01.300 --> 00:39:03.920
justice been served to the mother of the child who
750
00:39:03.960 --> 00:39:10.329
got killed? The perspective differs and then justice differs. So
751
00:39:10.369 --> 00:39:12.829
that's what Daira is about. It's about two people who,
752
00:39:13.630 --> 00:39:16.469
one of who will refuse to move away from the
753
00:39:16.570 --> 00:39:20.010
systemic perspective and another one who will only look at
754
00:39:20.050 --> 00:39:23.429
it from the subjective personal perspective. And that's a dichotomy
755
00:39:23.449 --> 00:39:23.809
of the field.
756
00:39:24.050 --> 00:39:26.940
Okay. So I've constructed these for each people, but if
757
00:39:26.960 --> 00:39:28.909
anybody wants to answer or somebody else, please just feel
758
00:39:28.929 --> 00:39:30.559
free to jump in. I think you should actually. Okay.
759
00:39:30.920 --> 00:39:32.099
Okay.
760
00:39:32.539 --> 00:39:37.039
So I'm sorry, Prithviraj here. Lucifer and Emporan, had they
761
00:39:37.500 --> 00:39:41.260
to be remade today as a Hindi first franchise, who
762
00:39:41.280 --> 00:39:44.139
would play Mohanlal's role? Shah Rukh Khan, sir. Okay, that
763
00:39:44.159 --> 00:39:48.079
was fun. The one secret ingredient of Malayalam cinema that
764
00:39:48.119 --> 00:39:49.119
Bollywood should learn from?
765
00:39:50.630 --> 00:39:56.920
How informal we are as an industry. Like, I just
766
00:39:56.940 --> 00:40:02.760
think that we are baggage light compared to Bollywood. Contrary
767
00:40:02.800 --> 00:40:06.440
to popular belief, Malayalam cinema is not something that gets
768
00:40:06.519 --> 00:40:08.840
made in 15 days in 5 crores.
769
00:40:09.010 --> 00:40:09.159
No.
770
00:40:09.530 --> 00:40:12.010
We shoot films for 150 days. We make films for
771
00:40:12.010 --> 00:40:14.429
100 crores, 120 crores. We make big films these days.
772
00:40:14.650 --> 00:40:16.769
Malayalam cinema is that way. We are going through a
773
00:40:17.230 --> 00:40:17.750
great phase.
774
00:40:18.389 --> 00:40:18.550
But.
775
00:40:19.280 --> 00:40:22.440
Even while attempting these giant films or the big films,
776
00:40:23.099 --> 00:40:25.880
there is this informal nature about how cinema is made
777
00:40:26.000 --> 00:40:31.420
in Malayalam, which I think that method lends a sort
778
00:40:31.480 --> 00:40:35.530
of tangible, humane element to the cinema we make. It
779
00:40:35.550 --> 00:40:38.510
could be something as simple as, let's say, if Kareena
780
00:40:38.530 --> 00:40:40.789
was an actor in the Malayalam industry and if I
781
00:40:40.849 --> 00:40:43.710
wanted to make a film with Kareena, as a director,
782
00:40:43.809 --> 00:40:46.730
I'd just call Kareena. and say, hi, who are you?
783
00:40:46.989 --> 00:40:48.510
I'd like to make a film. When do you think
784
00:40:48.530 --> 00:40:50.440
I can come and narrate a subject? And she'd be like,
785
00:40:50.460 --> 00:40:52.420
you know what, this month I'm traveling. How about next month?
786
00:40:52.460 --> 00:40:55.480
And we'd meet up over coffee and discuss a subject
787
00:40:55.639 --> 00:40:57.719
and she'd either say yes or no. That's how the
788
00:40:57.760 --> 00:41:02.130
process is there. Here I've learned that you first contact
789
00:41:02.170 --> 00:41:05.190
the agency. The agency will then speak to the manager
790
00:41:05.230 --> 00:41:08.090
assigned to you. And then the manager will convince you
791
00:41:08.130 --> 00:41:11.489
to take a meeting with the director. If it's Meghna Gulzar,
792
00:41:11.510 --> 00:41:14.760
it doesn't take too much of convincing. And then you meet.
793
00:41:15.159 --> 00:41:17.199
And then the director and the actor, now they want
794
00:41:17.219 --> 00:41:19.980
to work with each other. Now the production and the
795
00:41:20.059 --> 00:41:23.480
agency will start speaking with each other. Obviously, the agency
796
00:41:23.510 --> 00:41:26.449
will quote a fee and the production will quote half
797
00:41:26.489 --> 00:41:26.760
of that.
798
00:41:27.349 --> 00:41:32.769
And then the negotiation begins, you know. So it's all
799
00:41:33.250 --> 00:41:33.969
very corporate.
800
00:41:35.789 --> 00:41:39.690
I mean, I guess it works because here we are,
801
00:41:39.909 --> 00:41:44.179
Daira's releasing on the 18th. But I just think there
802
00:41:44.239 --> 00:41:45.929
is an easier way to do this, actually.
803
00:41:46.369 --> 00:41:49.489
No, great. But in Malayalam cinema, between the production house
804
00:41:49.530 --> 00:41:51.829
and the star, who wins the commercial battle more?
805
00:41:53.349 --> 00:41:58.369
So, with me, I produce a lot of the films
806
00:41:58.389 --> 00:42:01.380
that I act in. And for most of the films
807
00:42:01.440 --> 00:42:05.059
I act in, I don't take a salary. I have
808
00:42:05.099 --> 00:42:09.179
a stake in the film. And I'll tell you something else.
809
00:42:09.400 --> 00:42:13.150
You know, I just think that even today, The best...
810
00:42:13.510 --> 00:42:15.630
The one quality about Malayalam cinema that I love the
811
00:42:15.670 --> 00:42:21.139
most is that writers hold the power. It's usually not
812
00:42:21.340 --> 00:42:24.400
a director or a production house or a manager who
813
00:42:24.440 --> 00:42:26.420
gets in touch with the actor or the star.
814
00:42:26.940 --> 00:42:28.519
It's a writer. Interesting.
815
00:42:28.760 --> 00:42:30.800
It's a writer who gets in touch with the actor
816
00:42:31.059 --> 00:42:33.420
and says that, you know, I've written something. Would you
817
00:42:33.440 --> 00:42:36.420
like to listen to it? And let's say it's me.
818
00:42:36.639 --> 00:42:39.099
I listen to it. And if I like it, then
819
00:42:39.599 --> 00:42:42.500
if it's not a writer-director, And then the writer and
820
00:42:42.539 --> 00:42:44.599
the actor then sit and think, who would be great
821
00:42:44.639 --> 00:42:47.260
to direct this? Then we reach out to a director
822
00:42:47.300 --> 00:42:49.340
we think would be good for this. And we say,
823
00:42:49.360 --> 00:42:51.610
you know, listen, there is a subject I've heard and
824
00:42:51.659 --> 00:42:53.829
I really love it. And I think you'd be amazing
825
00:42:53.889 --> 00:42:56.190
directing it. Would you want to listen to it? And
826
00:42:56.230 --> 00:42:58.769
then the director listens to it. Then we decide who
827
00:42:58.809 --> 00:43:01.469
would be a good production house to back this. You know,
828
00:43:01.510 --> 00:43:03.730
we think, okay. So it's creative first, money second.
829
00:43:03.909 --> 00:43:04.309
Exactly.
830
00:43:04.789 --> 00:43:07.340
So yeah, I think that is, I hope we never
831
00:43:07.380 --> 00:43:10.019
lose that. I hope we never lose that process, that method.
832
00:43:10.849 --> 00:43:12.889
But I see signs of us losing it, actually.
833
00:43:13.170 --> 00:43:16.559
Okay. Okay, so you have the magic ability to force
834
00:43:16.880 --> 00:43:20.579
every Indian to watch one Malayalam film, subtitled, dubbed, in
835
00:43:20.619 --> 00:43:24.559
any language, you know, in all respective languages. Which film
836
00:43:24.579 --> 00:43:26.260
would you pick and why? The only rule is it
837
00:43:26.320 --> 00:43:29.260
can't be a film that you were involved in. You know, for.
838
00:43:31.159 --> 00:43:33.530
For recent... It's not that it's a great... Not just
839
00:43:33.550 --> 00:43:37.389
the fact that it's a great film. But I'm a
840
00:43:37.429 --> 00:43:40.579
big cinema nostalgia guy. So I would say My Dear
841
00:43:40.599 --> 00:43:41.099
Kutty Jatam.
842
00:43:42.639 --> 00:43:43.159
I'll tell you why.
843
00:43:43.199 --> 00:43:45.679
Because it's the first 3D film ever made in India.
844
00:43:46.179 --> 00:43:47.599
I mean, I don't know how many people know this.
845
00:43:47.619 --> 00:43:49.420
The first 3D film ever made in India was made
846
00:43:49.460 --> 00:43:52.340
in Malayalam. The first 70mm film I think ever made
847
00:43:52.389 --> 00:43:54.969
in India was made in Malayalam. I think the first
848
00:43:55.030 --> 00:43:57.050
Technicolor film ever made in India was made in Malayalam.
849
00:43:57.949 --> 00:44:00.130
So that way, you know, we had a lot of
850
00:44:00.170 --> 00:44:04.389
these amazing pioneers and... In my mind, My Dear Kutuchatan
851
00:44:04.510 --> 00:44:07.050
is a film that is worth going back and revisiting
852
00:44:07.110 --> 00:44:11.789
because it's sort of foreshadowed so much about how this
853
00:44:11.829 --> 00:44:14.380
craft is going to evolve in the coming years. And
854
00:44:14.420 --> 00:44:17.340
I'm a big sucker for things like that. Great films,
855
00:44:17.420 --> 00:44:20.480
I can sit here and name 50 from Malayalam. But yeah,
856
00:44:21.039 --> 00:44:24.199
it's a ten-pole film which is very significant in how
857
00:44:24.219 --> 00:44:25.340
cinema has evolved over the years.
858
00:44:25.409 --> 00:44:29.070
Super. One way Meghna and Raja Moli are similar and
859
00:44:29.170 --> 00:44:30.070
one way they're poles apart.
860
00:44:30.710 --> 00:44:32.829
The way they deal with actors, there is a lot
861
00:44:32.869 --> 00:44:35.869
of similarity between the two of them. The way they
862
00:44:35.969 --> 00:44:39.849
make actors feel invested in the film and the character
863
00:44:39.909 --> 00:44:42.510
and make them feel that, no, this is your responsibility.
864
00:44:42.969 --> 00:44:45.719
There's a lot of similarity in that. One way they're
865
00:44:45.739 --> 00:44:48.079
not similar, I think.
866
00:44:50.000 --> 00:44:52.059
The number of days Meghna takes to shoot a film
867
00:44:52.320 --> 00:44:54.699
is more or less the number of days Rajamouli sir
868
00:44:54.719 --> 00:44:55.360
will shoot a scene.
869
00:44:55.380 --> 00:44:56.699
Yeah.
870
00:44:56.900 --> 00:44:57.260
Yeah.
871
00:45:00.610 --> 00:45:03.889
I mean, it's also because Rajamouli sir attempts these humongous
872
00:45:03.989 --> 00:45:04.780
set pieces.
873
00:45:04.820 --> 00:45:06.420
You know, it's impossible to.
874
00:45:07.619 --> 00:45:10.460
If I were to shoot a scene that Rajamouli sir
875
00:45:10.500 --> 00:45:12.840
is shooting, I'd probably take six times the number of
876
00:45:12.900 --> 00:45:17.199
days Rajamouli sir is taking. Because he's so damn good
877
00:45:17.409 --> 00:45:18.139
as a filmmaker.
878
00:45:18.300 --> 00:45:22.869
But it's just his vision and what he's trying to do.
879
00:45:22.750 --> 00:45:27.050
Is so big and so outrageously imaginative that it'll need
880
00:45:27.090 --> 00:45:27.710
that kind of time.
881
00:45:27.969 --> 00:45:30.980
Okay? Last question to you. The first time you felt
882
00:45:31.099 --> 00:45:33.820
tempted to step away from outside of a modern cinema.
883
00:45:33.960 --> 00:45:35.340
Not away, but outside of a modern cinema.
884
00:45:36.079 --> 00:45:39.320
I've never been tempted to step away from any cinema
885
00:45:39.340 --> 00:45:42.159
or step into any cinema. It's just, for me, it's
886
00:45:42.179 --> 00:45:46.360
just been about the next story that interests me. If
887
00:45:46.409 --> 00:45:48.869
the next story that interests me is from, I don't know,
888
00:45:49.030 --> 00:45:52.769
Assamese cinema, I swear to God, I'll attempt it. Yeah,
889
00:45:52.809 --> 00:45:54.730
my Assamese would be really bad, but yeah.
890
00:45:56.409 --> 00:46:00.829
Okay, Kareena, your turn. The one Meghna Gulzal film that
891
00:46:01.150 --> 00:46:03.090
motivated you most to take up this one?
892
00:46:05.769 --> 00:46:09.619
I think it would be Talwar. Because that is my
893
00:46:09.719 --> 00:46:11.519
most favorite film of Meghna's.
894
00:46:11.780 --> 00:46:16.599
Okay. Is being a star today more or less competitive
895
00:46:16.619 --> 00:46:18.079
than it was when you started your career?
896
00:46:19.599 --> 00:46:23.440
I think it's... I think now with the whole... social
897
00:46:23.480 --> 00:46:26.099
media thing I think it's I don't know.
898
00:46:26.000 --> 00:46:30.179
Whether it's competitive or whether it's it's just everything is
899
00:46:30.199 --> 00:46:33.940
so out there that I think being a star in
900
00:46:33.980 --> 00:46:37.690
the 2000s was something more electric about it.
901
00:46:38.469 --> 00:46:41.829
Okay you mean the star is a bigger you were
902
00:46:41.849 --> 00:46:43.250
a bigger person as a star then I.
903
00:46:43.170 --> 00:46:45.670
Mean I feel that time because there was something very
904
00:46:45.730 --> 00:46:49.889
raw there was something very simple about you know going
905
00:46:49.909 --> 00:46:53.050
to the cinema and watching your favorite star Now, the
906
00:46:53.110 --> 00:46:54.550
sad thing is that sometimes.
907
00:46:54.570 --> 00:46:57.340
I mean, you get to watch your favorite star coming
908
00:46:57.380 --> 00:46:59.139
out of Izumi. Yeah, okay.
909
00:47:00.119 --> 00:47:02.719
But the competition piece, like, is that something that's changed
910
00:47:02.760 --> 00:47:05.000
or is it the same? Like, you know, like.
911
00:47:05.039 --> 00:47:07.679
I mean, I think it was better there because it
912
00:47:07.719 --> 00:47:10.780
was also about wanting to do, you know, get this movie,
913
00:47:10.800 --> 00:47:12.519
trying to do your best, prove yourself.
914
00:47:12.659 --> 00:47:14.539
So I somehow would say them.
915
00:47:15.320 --> 00:47:18.860
The one film, the one brand that you endorse that
916
00:47:18.880 --> 00:47:20.719
you actually use. Yeah.
917
00:47:21.170 --> 00:47:27.039
No. Good one, Meghna. See, that's why she's the best.
918
00:47:27.079 --> 00:47:27.820
Which one did you say, Meghna?
919
00:47:28.079 --> 00:47:28.760
Fizzy Goblet.
920
00:47:29.280 --> 00:47:30.079
Fizzy Goblet.
921
00:47:30.099 --> 00:47:30.960
Fizzy Goblet.
922
00:47:30.980 --> 00:47:31.239
Shoes.
923
00:47:31.739 --> 00:47:32.320
Shoes, okay.
924
00:47:32.380 --> 00:47:32.619
Shoes.
925
00:47:32.699 --> 00:47:36.789
I'm also investing in their company. So, everyone use Fizzy Goblet.
926
00:47:36.829 --> 00:47:37.190
Please.
927
00:47:37.630 --> 00:47:38.269
It's the season.
928
00:47:38.550 --> 00:47:38.769
Okay.
929
00:47:38.889 --> 00:47:41.250
The one film you acted in that you will hesitate
930
00:47:41.289 --> 00:47:43.869
to ever let your kids watch? No, I mean, I
931
00:47:43.909 --> 00:47:46.909
wouldn't ever want that. Like, I don't think I would
932
00:47:47.110 --> 00:47:47.550
ever have.
933
00:47:47.639 --> 00:47:51.059
I don't have any regrets on any film that I've
934
00:47:51.099 --> 00:47:54.460
done because whatever it is, it's been just so much
935
00:47:54.599 --> 00:47:56.519
of effort and hard work for, you know, it's a
936
00:47:56.539 --> 00:47:57.460
collaborative effort.
937
00:47:57.480 --> 00:47:59.199
So I don't want to name one. Okay.
938
00:47:59.519 --> 00:48:02.239
The one difference and one similarity between you and Saif
939
00:48:02.320 --> 00:48:02.820
as parents.
940
00:48:03.719 --> 00:48:07.019
Yeah, there's a lot of difference because I'm the stricter one.
941
00:48:07.079 --> 00:48:11.199
He's more chilled and that makes me hyper because I like,
942
00:48:11.219 --> 00:48:13.909
you know, want, 20 minute screen time.
943
00:48:13.929 --> 00:48:16.070
And he's like, yeah, it's fine. It's Sunday. Let them
944
00:48:16.139 --> 00:48:18.340
watch like, you know, a nice movie for two hours.
945
00:48:18.400 --> 00:48:22.840
It's fine. And I'm like, no. So in that sense, yes,
946
00:48:22.900 --> 00:48:26.099
there's the difference. Yeah, I think that's the case everywhere.
947
00:48:26.139 --> 00:48:26.400
Right.
948
00:48:27.219 --> 00:48:34.110
And similar in terms of, I think, just values, kindness, love.
949
00:48:35.489 --> 00:48:40.159
Because that's the environment that we're bringing up the children in.
950
00:48:40.199 --> 00:48:43.340
So for us, that's the most important thing as a unit.
951
00:48:44.079 --> 00:48:47.989
That they feel that and they experience that. Because that's
952
00:48:48.030 --> 00:48:49.230
what they'll remember, I think.
953
00:48:49.769 --> 00:48:52.369
One similarity, one difference between you and self as actors.
954
00:48:53.409 --> 00:48:55.829
Yeah, no, we can't because we always end up fighting
955
00:48:56.150 --> 00:48:58.190
as actors. I think two actors in the house will
956
00:48:58.289 --> 00:49:02.190
end up, you know, fighting for sure. Because I'll be like, oh,
957
00:49:02.230 --> 00:49:04.389
I didn't like this promo. He'll be like, no, I
958
00:49:04.429 --> 00:49:06.210
don't like this or I like this. So I think
959
00:49:06.230 --> 00:49:09.809
we're pretty different when it comes to that. I also
960
00:49:09.849 --> 00:49:14.030
feel I'm more instinctive. Saif likes to prepare a lot more.
961
00:49:15.110 --> 00:49:17.590
He'll read a lot more and get into it, you know.
962
00:49:19.610 --> 00:49:23.260
Whereas I... I'm pretty like wanting to be switch on,
963
00:49:23.300 --> 00:49:24.059
switch off. Okay.
964
00:49:24.699 --> 00:49:26.960
One career advice you credit Karishma for?
965
00:49:26.980 --> 00:49:31.079
I mean, I credit her with everything.
966
00:49:31.420 --> 00:49:33.889
But if there's one thing that she's always taught me
967
00:49:33.929 --> 00:49:36.969
and the advice and I've learned from her, is just
968
00:49:37.070 --> 00:49:40.539
that hard work and perseverance, you know, because in the 90s,
969
00:49:40.590 --> 00:49:44.519
that constant push that they had to do, you know,
970
00:49:44.619 --> 00:49:48.199
and just be there and prove themselves. She was like
971
00:49:48.280 --> 00:49:51.860
that you cannot ever, you know, lose faith no matter
972
00:49:51.920 --> 00:49:55.559
how great an actor or bigger star you are.
973
00:49:56.000 --> 00:49:58.789
Okay, you got two kids. Who are you betting on
974
00:49:58.809 --> 00:50:00.409
to be the cricketer and who becomes the actor?
975
00:50:02.619 --> 00:50:05.420
No, that's not for me to decide. I think I
976
00:50:05.619 --> 00:50:09.500
want to give that to them. But my bets are
977
00:50:09.539 --> 00:50:12.760
on Tim the cricketer and definitely Jay the actor.
978
00:50:13.800 --> 00:50:14.000
Okay.
979
00:50:14.860 --> 00:50:17.500
The last time you felt being a celebrity in some
980
00:50:17.559 --> 00:50:19.760
way came in the way of you being a parent?
981
00:50:21.639 --> 00:50:25.050
It's a lot because now they're like, you know, constantly like,
982
00:50:25.139 --> 00:50:27.820
you know, watching ads or like, you know, So I
983
00:50:27.860 --> 00:50:30.559
don't know, like, when my ads show up, I don't know, like,
984
00:50:30.599 --> 00:50:34.659
what I'm feeling, you know. Whether I want them to, like,
985
00:50:34.820 --> 00:50:38.469
you know, see too much. There is a constant battle.
986
00:50:38.489 --> 00:50:42.590
I feel weird sometimes, like at airports.
987
00:50:43.130 --> 00:50:43.349
Okay.
988
00:50:43.570 --> 00:50:45.349
If I see I'm, like, you know, pouting and freening
989
00:50:45.389 --> 00:50:47.289
in some ad and, like, Temu's like, why are you
990
00:50:47.309 --> 00:50:47.750
doing that?
991
00:50:48.809 --> 00:50:50.170
And I'm like, it's an ad.
992
00:50:50.230 --> 00:50:50.650
It's fine.
993
00:50:50.750 --> 00:50:51.090
Move on.
994
00:50:51.110 --> 00:50:54.590
He's like, no. Why are you doing that? So I'm like,
995
00:50:54.909 --> 00:50:57.269
leave it. Let it be. You know, so.
996
00:50:58.329 --> 00:50:59.409
Okay.
997
00:50:59.949 --> 00:51:04.429
The one Malayalam film you wish you were approached for? Well,
998
00:51:04.570 --> 00:51:06.909
I mean, I think I would love to.
999
00:51:06.969 --> 00:51:09.510
In fact, I was just going to tell Prithvi that
1000
00:51:09.550 --> 00:51:13.349
he mentioned his film with Anjali Menon. He's always spoken
1001
00:51:13.409 --> 00:51:18.090
so highly of her. I would definitely love to get
1002
00:51:18.110 --> 00:51:22.110
an opportunity to... That's one film actually I haven't even done,
1003
00:51:22.150 --> 00:51:22.909
Tamil or Telugu.
1004
00:51:23.269 --> 00:51:23.489
Yeah.
1005
00:51:23.570 --> 00:51:24.550
And I have been offered.
1006
00:51:25.150 --> 00:51:25.329
But.
1007
00:51:26.739 --> 00:51:29.380
Yeah, I think maybe. But the language is very difficult, right?
1008
00:51:29.780 --> 00:51:30.820
You lace it, I know.
1009
00:51:32.340 --> 00:51:34.829
Oh, God. So, yeah. So, let's see. I mean, I
1010
00:51:34.849 --> 00:51:35.909
want to work with her, for sure.
1011
00:51:35.929 --> 00:51:38.630
Okay. And last question. The one director you still haven't
1012
00:51:38.670 --> 00:51:39.650
worked with that you want to?
1013
00:51:40.289 --> 00:51:43.230
Well, I haven't worked with Sanjay Ilya Bhansali and Zoya Akhtar. So,
1014
00:51:43.949 --> 00:51:45.750
I'm hoping that you could work together.
1015
00:51:45.789 --> 00:51:46.269
Super.
1016
00:51:47.070 --> 00:51:51.090
All right. Meghna, your turn. I have noticed one thing
1017
00:51:51.150 --> 00:51:54.909
is my research before this that you've got a long
1018
00:51:54.969 --> 00:51:57.920
relationship with Times of India. and the Times Group. So
1019
00:51:57.960 --> 00:52:00.119
you started off as a freelance writer for Times of India.
1020
00:52:00.360 --> 00:52:02.219
My first paycheck was 500 rupees.
1021
00:52:02.679 --> 00:52:02.969
Yes.
1022
00:52:03.679 --> 00:52:05.980
For writing for TV. For submitting an article, yes.
1023
00:52:05.989 --> 00:52:06.489
Wonderful.
1024
00:52:06.590 --> 00:52:08.630
Yeah, which I had to do personally, go to the
1025
00:52:09.090 --> 00:52:12.710
office at VT station because there was no email, no courier, nothing.
1026
00:52:12.750 --> 00:52:13.590
And handwritten.
1027
00:52:13.889 --> 00:52:18.090
Yeah. And, you know, I think, beneath a friend of mine,
1028
00:52:18.110 --> 00:52:20.170
I can take a liberty and say that I think
1029
00:52:20.190 --> 00:52:22.130
some of the best journalism Times of India does is
1030
00:52:22.170 --> 00:52:23.250
in its movies because.
1031
00:52:26.630 --> 00:52:28.570
Between Razi and this one. Yes.
1032
00:52:28.590 --> 00:52:29.690
You had a good run together.
1033
00:52:30.030 --> 00:52:34.940
So tell us the one way you think journalism has
1034
00:52:34.980 --> 00:52:35.880
shaped your filmmaking.
1035
00:52:35.900 --> 00:52:39.559
Because all your films are very journalistic, actually.
1036
00:52:41.059 --> 00:52:45.889
I think before journalism, me being a student of sociology
1037
00:52:45.949 --> 00:52:51.659
has played a part. just the awareness of the immediate
1038
00:52:51.699 --> 00:52:56.090
social environment naturally got fine-tuned because I was a student
1039
00:52:56.110 --> 00:53:01.989
of sociology. At the time that I was doing journalism,
1040
00:53:02.010 --> 00:53:05.550
there was no Google. So you had to physically go
1041
00:53:05.679 --> 00:53:09.820
and look up archival material on people to know about
1042
00:53:09.860 --> 00:53:11.260
them before you went to interview them.
1043
00:53:11.679 --> 00:53:12.719
And I have interviewed.
1044
00:53:13.420 --> 00:53:14.400
People like RD.
1045
00:53:14.219 --> 00:53:17.300
Burman and Asha Ji and all of that. So it
1046
00:53:18.289 --> 00:53:21.929
was also very daunting to do that, right? So I
1047
00:53:21.969 --> 00:53:24.789
think that that training of the mind to be able
1048
00:53:24.849 --> 00:53:28.070
to find information and then in the information that you
1049
00:53:28.130 --> 00:53:33.300
find to be able to spot links, threads and say, okay,
1050
00:53:33.340 --> 00:53:35.139
this is what you want to pick and this is
1051
00:53:35.179 --> 00:53:35.920
what you want to tell.
1052
00:53:35.940 --> 00:53:38.400
I think that it came from there. Okay.
1053
00:53:39.420 --> 00:53:42.099
It's a little tough question. I think the few times
1054
00:53:42.139 --> 00:53:43.820
we've spoken, I think I can take liberty with you.
1055
00:53:44.550 --> 00:53:49.909
The first time we spoke, you took liberties with me.
1056
00:53:49.949 --> 00:53:52.250
One of the most beautiful things that TOI had done
1057
00:53:52.309 --> 00:53:54.650
as a group was this beautiful campaign called Aman Ki Asha.
1058
00:53:55.349 --> 00:53:57.309
It was about friendship between India and Pakistan. And now
1059
00:53:57.349 --> 00:54:00.909
you've done Razi, you've done Sam Manik's show. Do you
1060
00:54:00.929 --> 00:54:05.449
think that's ever possible? Do you see that these two countries,
1061
00:54:05.469 --> 00:54:07.869
not people, Indians, Pakistanis are always friends when they're abroad.
1062
00:54:08.190 --> 00:54:09.650
But do you see that's ever possible? Do you think
1063
00:54:09.670 --> 00:54:14.010
that that's... Between people, it is. Between the countries? I
1064
00:54:14.050 --> 00:54:15.659
don't know. Have you seen Durandar?
1065
00:54:19.619 --> 00:54:19.880
Okay.
1066
00:54:20.480 --> 00:54:20.739
All right.
1067
00:54:20.780 --> 00:54:23.739
So we are in the heat of a Bricks moment.
1068
00:54:24.340 --> 00:54:26.960
Bricks started with Rick. Rick was Russia, India, China. So
1069
00:54:27.000 --> 00:54:28.920
tell us. One film or something.
1070
00:54:28.940 --> 00:54:30.059
I'm not that much of a journalist.
1071
00:54:30.300 --> 00:54:33.599
I know what you mean. Russian cinema, Chinese cinema. Something
1072
00:54:33.619 --> 00:54:35.519
you picked up from these two countries. The cinema of
1073
00:54:35.559 --> 00:54:36.119
these two countries.
1074
00:54:36.679 --> 00:54:39.610
So, I think one of the first times I attended
1075
00:54:39.659 --> 00:54:44.090
a film festival, there was a Chinese film which was
1076
00:54:44.809 --> 00:54:50.610
the name translated into the choice. And China has this
1077
00:54:51.269 --> 00:54:54.730
child number of children that you can have, right? So
1078
00:54:54.750 --> 00:54:58.639
it's about a couple who get divorced and the man
1079
00:54:58.679 --> 00:55:01.159
wants to remarry and the woman also wants to remarry.
1080
00:55:03.059 --> 00:55:05.900
And they realize that the child that they have is
1081
00:55:05.960 --> 00:55:08.989
terminally ill. And the only thing that can save it
1082
00:55:09.070 --> 00:55:12.050
is bone marrow from a sibling. For which one of
1083
00:55:12.090 --> 00:55:14.210
them needs to have a child with each other and
1084
00:55:14.269 --> 00:55:18.429
then therefore forsake having a child with their current partner.
1085
00:55:19.219 --> 00:55:23.590
So it was a very fragile story. And I think
1086
00:55:23.769 --> 00:55:28.329
that's where I got very inspired that sometimes.
1087
00:55:27.969 --> 00:55:30.670
You don't need villains in your movies.
1088
00:55:30.949 --> 00:55:36.019
Sometimes the circumstances in life become extremely villainous. And that's
1089
00:55:36.139 --> 00:55:37.500
actually where Philhal came from.
1090
00:55:37.960 --> 00:55:43.460
Very interesting. Lovely answer. I'm glad I asked that question. Okay.
1091
00:55:44.739 --> 00:55:47.449
One thing you have noted or you admire about Prithviraj
1092
00:55:47.469 --> 00:55:48.110
as a filmmaker.
1093
00:55:49.239 --> 00:55:50.070
As a filmmaker?
1094
00:55:52.000 --> 00:55:54.000
I've not seen many of his films. I've seen all
1095
00:55:54.039 --> 00:55:57.719
his trailers now since I've been working with him. But
1096
00:55:59.739 --> 00:56:02.079
he always tells me that, you know, what you do
1097
00:56:02.159 --> 00:56:05.019
is more difficult. I mean, I can jump from 100
1098
00:56:05.019 --> 00:56:06.460
feet and blow up things and all that.
1099
00:56:06.500 --> 00:56:07.679
That's all very easy to do.
1100
00:56:08.579 --> 00:56:12.380
Which is actually his humility because his, I think, technical
1101
00:56:12.500 --> 00:56:15.420
finesse as a filmmaker shows.
1102
00:56:15.239 --> 00:56:17.050
Up in the actor that he is.
1103
00:56:17.070 --> 00:56:17.489
Okay.
1104
00:56:17.849 --> 00:56:20.949
Yeah, it's immaculate. Okay, wonderful.
1105
00:56:21.909 --> 00:56:24.650
So you did acid attack survivor, then an Indian spy,
1106
00:56:24.869 --> 00:56:28.989
obviously the horrific Arushik Talwar, and now rape and murder.
1107
00:56:29.639 --> 00:56:32.960
So clearly you like realism. What's the next topic that
1108
00:56:32.980 --> 00:56:34.480
you're going to pick out?
1109
00:56:34.599 --> 00:56:36.239
I know I want to do something happy.
1110
00:56:39.219 --> 00:56:42.880
I really want to do something happy because I think
1111
00:56:42.920 --> 00:56:44.309
my creative soul needs it.
1112
00:56:45.920 --> 00:56:50.530
Tell us the one thing that was easy and one
1113
00:56:50.550 --> 00:56:54.130
thing that was difficult to work with the following co-actors
1114
00:56:54.210 --> 00:56:55.489
or the following actors you worked with.
1115
00:56:57.130 --> 00:56:57.489
Irfan.
1116
00:56:59.670 --> 00:56:59.989
Easy?
1117
00:57:02.050 --> 00:57:04.849
I really had nothing to do. Everything he did and
1118
00:57:04.869 --> 00:57:07.690
he made me look damn good. Okay.
1119
00:57:07.969 --> 00:57:11.639
Difficult was that I still don't know which side of
1120
00:57:11.820 --> 00:57:14.519
Talwar's perspective he believes or agrees with.
1121
00:57:14.539 --> 00:57:14.679
Wow.
1122
00:57:15.010 --> 00:57:15.630
Okay.
1123
00:57:16.070 --> 00:57:16.360
Vicky?
1124
00:57:18.980 --> 00:57:23.159
Easy. I mean, I don't need to complete a sentence.
1125
00:57:23.179 --> 00:57:25.460
He knows what I'm going to say if I want
1126
00:57:25.480 --> 00:57:30.889
him to do something differently. So that connection is just superb.
1127
00:57:32.369 --> 00:57:36.659
I think after Sam Bahadur, it's going to be very
1128
00:57:36.719 --> 00:57:40.039
difficult to find a role that is larger than that.
1129
00:57:40.280 --> 00:57:41.260
Okay.
1130
00:57:41.400 --> 00:57:43.500
And the desire to work with him is very much there.
1131
00:57:43.579 --> 00:57:46.329
So I see that as difficult, but not impossible.
1132
00:57:46.630 --> 00:57:48.539
Okay. Deepik up.
1133
00:57:49.769 --> 00:57:52.329
Deepika is a very deep actor in the sense that
1134
00:57:52.809 --> 00:57:55.630
she will never stay on the surface. She will go
1135
00:57:56.070 --> 00:57:59.269
beneath the surface of the scene, of the character, of
1136
00:57:59.309 --> 00:58:04.559
the story. So that makes everything very easy because she
1137
00:58:05.739 --> 00:58:08.179
will find layers even if there aren't any in the
1138
00:58:08.219 --> 00:58:09.539
writing sometimes.
1139
00:58:12.360 --> 00:58:13.940
Difficult, I.
1140
00:58:15.889 --> 00:58:17.230
She's a bigger OCD than I am.
1141
00:58:17.250 --> 00:58:17.909
Okay.
1142
00:58:17.949 --> 00:58:19.940
You okay? Okay.
1143
00:58:19.960 --> 00:58:20.159
Yeah.
1144
00:58:20.539 --> 00:58:20.840
Alia?
1145
00:58:22.099 --> 00:58:26.840
Alia is spontaneous and instinctive to the point where she
1146
00:58:26.860 --> 00:58:30.510
can hurt herself. I mean, the running thing on Razzy
1147
00:58:30.550 --> 00:58:32.130
was that she was the one who would get hurt
1148
00:58:32.210 --> 00:58:32.610
every day.
1149
00:58:33.710 --> 00:58:33.849
Okay.
1150
00:58:34.050 --> 00:58:35.510
And that's also the difficult part.
1151
00:58:35.829 --> 00:58:36.010
Okay.
1152
00:58:36.030 --> 00:58:37.710
That she tends to hurt herself.
1153
00:58:38.010 --> 00:58:39.010
Okay. Taboo?
1154
00:58:39.929 --> 00:58:42.699
So, the easy part with taboo is the performances are,
1155
00:58:42.909 --> 00:58:43.449
it's a given.
1156
00:58:43.539 --> 00:58:45.239
There is no doubt about it.
1157
00:58:45.889 --> 00:58:48.340
The difficult part is, and this happened when I was
1158
00:58:48.380 --> 00:58:51.500
directing her in Falal, is that she is already so
1159
00:58:51.539 --> 00:58:53.539
accomplished and such a senior actor.
1160
00:58:54.019 --> 00:58:56.280
To be telling her what to do and how to
1161
00:58:56.320 --> 00:58:57.659
do it was not easy.
1162
00:58:58.460 --> 00:58:59.260
Okay, alright.
1163
00:58:59.579 --> 00:59:00.039
Sushmita?
1164
00:59:00.639 --> 00:59:02.969
Sushmita is what you see is what you get. So,
1165
00:59:03.190 --> 00:59:09.590
you know, she's very, very not layered at all and very,
1166
00:59:09.630 --> 00:59:18.280
very affable. So, the relationship was very, very comfortable. Difficult,
1167
00:59:18.360 --> 00:59:21.440
I don't think there was anything difficult working with her.
1168
00:59:22.440 --> 00:59:24.019
Okay.
1169
00:59:24.119 --> 00:59:24.920
Your two actors.
1170
00:59:25.590 --> 00:59:34.280
Now, now it's my turn. I'm in a good mood.
1171
00:59:36.480 --> 00:59:39.599
I'll speak for both of them together because like I said,
1172
00:59:39.639 --> 00:59:44.039
their characters are very similar. My journey with them has
1173
00:59:44.079 --> 00:59:44.920
been very similar.
1174
00:59:44.940 --> 00:59:49.239
So I'll speak of both of them together. The easy
1175
00:59:49.320 --> 00:59:50.550
part has been that.
1176
00:59:52.550 --> 00:59:55.699
their proficiency as actors I don't need to talk about
1177
00:59:56.500 --> 01:00:01.440
so there was very little in terms of instruction or
1178
01:00:01.579 --> 01:00:07.199
explanation that was required the interpretation that they have given
1179
01:00:07.320 --> 01:00:11.219
to their characters has elevated them more than what I
1180
01:00:11.260 --> 01:00:15.340
had imagined on paper or even between the lines so
1181
01:00:15.480 --> 01:00:20.239
that is a very very gratifying thing the difficult part
1182
01:00:20.599 --> 01:00:25.380
is that The immense trust that they put in me.
1183
01:00:27.039 --> 01:00:31.139
Is very scary. It's scary. So that makes it difficult
1184
01:00:31.179 --> 01:00:33.989
because you know that you cannot not redeem it.
1185
01:00:34.789 --> 01:00:35.429
Okay.
1186
01:00:35.889 --> 01:00:36.150
Yeah.
1187
01:00:36.909 --> 01:00:42.789
Good answer. Okay. My last question to you. One advice
1188
01:00:42.829 --> 01:00:47.570
you have for a good, honest policeman who's genuinely interested
1189
01:00:47.610 --> 01:00:50.829
in trying to make women feel safer. What's the one
1190
01:00:50.849 --> 01:00:51.550
advice you would give?
1191
01:00:52.380 --> 01:00:52.739
Listen.
1192
01:00:53.840 --> 01:00:57.199
Okay. Is there one insight that you have gained about
1193
01:00:57.239 --> 01:01:01.000
the audience from your past films? I can just narrate
1194
01:01:01.039 --> 01:01:02.400
a few and you can tell me. But from Talwar,
1195
01:01:02.440 --> 01:01:05.429
is there one insight you gained about the Indian audience after,
1196
01:01:05.570 --> 01:01:08.070
you know, with the benefit of hindsight, after Talwar came out?
1197
01:01:09.070 --> 01:01:11.349
They're more intelligent than we give them credit for.
1198
01:01:11.650 --> 01:01:13.889
Super. Okay. Razhi?
1199
01:01:14.889 --> 01:01:19.269
I didn't see layers the way they did. I started
1200
01:01:19.309 --> 01:01:21.110
seeing the layers in Razhi when they saw it.
1201
01:01:21.519 --> 01:01:27.949
Interesting. Yeah. And when they take the film and make
1202
01:01:27.969 --> 01:01:30.599
it their own, there is no stopping the film. That's
1203
01:01:30.659 --> 01:01:32.099
been my lesson on Razi. Okay.
1204
01:01:32.280 --> 01:01:32.559
Chhapak?
1205
01:01:35.760 --> 01:01:40.269
Sometimes it can get difficult to convince an audience to
1206
01:01:40.309 --> 01:01:42.369
come and see the film if they think that it
1207
01:01:42.429 --> 01:01:48.190
is a difficult watch. So it's very important to keep
1208
01:01:48.230 --> 01:01:52.059
them informed about the film, that it's not a difficult watch.
1209
01:01:52.480 --> 01:01:54.820
I faced that on Razia. A lot of people felt like, oh,
1210
01:01:54.860 --> 01:01:56.559
it's too difficult to see. I'll not be able to
1211
01:01:56.619 --> 01:02:00.280
see it because we are generally not comfortable at looking
1212
01:02:00.340 --> 01:02:02.420
at disfigured faces, whether it's because of.
1213
01:02:02.460 --> 01:02:03.619
Acid or anything else.
1214
01:02:04.090 --> 01:02:05.579
Okay. Sam Manik show.
1215
01:02:09.119 --> 01:02:10.179
Everybody wants a hero.
1216
01:02:11.969 --> 01:02:12.429
Everybody.
1217
01:02:12.469 --> 01:02:14.250
You give a good hero, they will take it and
1218
01:02:14.289 --> 01:02:14.789
run with it.
1219
01:02:15.210 --> 01:02:15.489
Super.
1220
01:02:15.710 --> 01:02:15.929
Yeah.
1221
01:02:16.130 --> 01:02:17.960
Okay. Thank you so much. Thank you all for playing,
1222
01:02:18.000 --> 01:02:18.559
doing a sport.
1223
01:02:20.840 --> 01:02:24.320
You were listening to Meghna Gulzar, Prithviraj Sukumaran and Kareena
1224
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