Posts Tagged ‘munnabhai mbbs’
’3 Idiots’ makers may sue Bhagat
Posted on: January 4, 2010
’3 Idiots’ director Rajkumar Hirani accuses novelist Chetan Bhagat of slander
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Director Rajkumar Hirani is flabbergasted by author Chetan Bhagat’s allegation that 3 Idiots was majorly copied from his bestseller Five Point Someone without giving him due credit. Terming it a “clear case of defamation”, Hirani says they may take legal action against Bhagat for flouting their contract.
“It’s a clear case of defamation because contractually what he (Bhagat) was bound, he was given. Now why is he slandering us? We are consulting our lawyers. But that’s a call Mr. Vinod Chopra has to take. He is the producer of the film,” Hirani told IANS.
“I am sure it’s defamation because lots of people I know are wondering about the issue (due to Bhagat’s allegation) In lots of Twitter and Facebook sites we have been abused saying, ‘we won’t watch Hirani’s film or Abhijat’s film’. This kind of muck is flying all over the place. I think Vinod Chopra is looking into it, I guess he will follow the legal path,” he added.
Hirani clarified that once Bhagat had given the rights to make a film on his book, there shouldn’t be any “percentage issue”.
Hirani maintained that the basic plot of the film is completely different from the book.
“In the book, there is no bet between the two friends, the journey to find their friend is not there, the child delivery scene, the ‘Balatkar’ scene, the two weddings where they crashed these key scenes are not in the book. There are certain similarities, which I am not denying, but we had bought the rights for that.
“We can use 100 per cent of it. What does he (Bhagat) mean by 70 per cent? Are we supposed to pay more money for using 70 per cent? Are we supposed to give different credit for 70 percent? I do not understand this percentage controversy,” said Hirani.
Baghat has reportedly posted a blog saying he should have got a prominent place in the rolling credits. He also said that he was not shown the final script.
Reacting to his allegations, Hirani said: “We have officially bought the rights for the film. We drew a contract with him and it clearly mentions about the position of his credit. With open eyes he had seen the contract, consulted his lawyer and signed the agreement.
“In the contract, we have said that the title would be given in the rolling credits. We haven’t changed the font size. We haven’t increased the speed of the title. It’s exactly there where it was agreed to be,” said Hirani.
The director, who has a hattrick of hits – Aamir Khan starrer 3 Idiots, Munnabhai M.B.B.S. and Lage Raho Munna Bhai, says after signing the contract with Bhagat, they were not obliged to show the script to the author.
“I was not obligated to narrate the script to him. I have bought the script from him and I am supposed to use it the way I want to use it. I had changed the script drastically, so out of good gesture I wanted him to know it has changed so much and if he feels he doesn’t want to be associated with the film, he can tell me.
“He heard the script for four hours and readily agreed to stay associated, saying ‘I want to stay associated with the film, it’s a fine script’ which he has said in your (IANS) interview too. He signed a Non-Disclosure Agreement. Now he writes in his blog ‘I wanted to see the final script and it was not shown to me’. It is a blatant lie, he is telling,” Hirani added.
Asked if Bhagat could have a vested interest in kicking up the controversy, he said: “I guess there is a motivation to create the controversy so that people read the book and see the film.”
Hirani says that they never relied on controversies to publicise their creative work.
“Our film is doing exceedingly well. It’s beyond my dignity to create a controversy for a film. We have never sold our soul for our cinema. I’m not stooping to that level to sell my cinema or make extra money.
“When you talk of that percentage thing, it creates a curiosity to read that book and judge the film.”
Would he again adapt Bhagat’s book?
“This came as a shock to me that suddenly he is trying to hog the limelight; suddenly he is trying to take away the credit from the screenwriters who slogged for three years to modify the script. He doesn’t understand the difference between book writing and writing for a film. If he continues doing these things, I would rather not associate with him.”
Currently Hirani is working on two scripts with Abhijat Joshi. One among them is Munna Bhai Chale America, while the other one is a completely different plot. He will start shooting either of them by the end of 2010.
What were Jaideep & Shimit thinking while doing Rocket Singh?-Abbas Tyrewala
Posted on: December 31, 2009
By Subhash K. Jha, December 31, 2009 – 11:35 IST
Abbas Tyrewala who directed one of 2008′s biggest successes is also a writer of great repute, having written among other things, the prophetic dialogues of Munnabhai MBBS and the screenplay of Maqbool.
Abbas went to see the latest Yashraj production Rocket Singh Salesman Of The Year not only as a writer and director but also as an eager fan of the films that the banner comes out of.
“I love Jaideep Sahni’s writing and Shimit Amin’s direction. But what were they thinking while doing Rocket Singh? Where is the payoff in the screenplay? Where is the hero? Ranbir plays a timid Sardar who steals phone lines and computer hardware from his work-place to start his own business. And we are supposed to accept him as a man of integrity! Would he be able to start his own business if it wasn’t for the nefarious support he gets from his work-place? In other words the ‘hero’ resorts to those very underhand tactics that he claims to abhor and takes the help of that very organization which has disgraced him!”
Most damaging of all, Abbas couldn’t see a hero in Ranbir’s character. “The boss (Manish Chowdhary) is so over-the-top he belongs to another sensibility altogether, calls Ranbir a ‘bastard’ several times, humiliates and disgraces him publicly. We wait for our hero to have his revenge on the boorish boss. I completely believe in the old-fashioned Hindi film formula where the hero gives his tormentor tit for tat. But Boss, where’s the comeuppance for the villain? In fact the story comes across more as the boss’ redemption story as the hero’s.”
Abbas is now more than sure what he wants to do with his own hero John Abraham in 1-800-Love at the end. “I want my hero to either win or die at the end. Not a hero whose fight for the right simply peters out to a dead-end.”
In fact Abbas’s disappointment with Rocket Singh Salesman Of The Year has given him a renewed creative strength. “I now know exactly how my hero’s journey to end. I’m an old-fashioned storyteller. And we’ve at heart a very traditional audience. They want to see the hero triumph at the end, not walk away from the villain as he makes an apology speech.”
BOLLYWOOD HUNGAMA.COM
SMITA ROY Times News Network (BOMBAY TIMES; December 28, 2009)
While 3 Idiots has already become a box-office hit and its popular song Zoobi Doobi has climbed the music charts at full speed, one person who is as happy as Raju Hirani and the film’s cast is Siraj Furniturewala of Millionaire who dressed up lead actor Aamir Khan for that number. Siraj and his fashion store have been associated with Hirani ever since the filmmaker made Munnabhai MBBS. “Raju is as particular about what he chooses as is Aamir. And I take it as a compliment for Millionaire to have such a long association with him. We provided the clothes for Zoobi Doobi as well as the wedding scenes in 3 Idiots where we dressed up all the lead actors including Kareena Kapoor, Sharman Joshi and R Madhavan,” said Siraj. Dressing up Aamir, given the actor’s demand for perfection, was not a problem at all “It took three sittings to decide on the kind of stuff he’d need. My brother Afzal and I, and the whole team of 3 Idiots, worked on this together and Aamir selected the clothes which were apt enough for the situations in the film,” revealed Siraj, adding, “to be appreciated by Aamir in itself adds another feather to the cap of appreciation.” He’s looking at an even longer association with Hirani as well as Vidhu Vinod Chopra. “Both of them, with their inputs on the style and the look, helped us get better in our designs,” he said.
By Joginder Tuteja, December 21, 2009 – 12:52 IST
Get set for an epic take in the offing. This year’s most anticipated release, 3 Idiots, has a running length of close to 3 hours. Taking audiences through different locations in the country and across time zones, this Rajkumar Hirani film is in fact his longest ever when compared to his earlier two efforts – Munnabhai MBBS and Lage Raho Munnabhai.
“That’s true,” confirms Hirani. “Both the films in the Munnabhai series were under 2.5 hours. However, 3 Idiots required a longer duration. I am not worried about the length factor though.”
Well, even for audiences it should be pretty much the case of ‘ all izzz well‘. Longer stories, if told well, have traditionally worked quite well at the box office. Some of the biggest classics in the history of Indian cinema like Lagaan, Sholay and Mughal E Azam have all crossed the 3 hour mark. Yes, those were the times when only single screens ruled and hence the revenue earned through a larger number of shows wasn’t a criteria for a film’s length. However, the fact remains that the biggest ever grosser in the history of Indian cinema, Ghajini, lasted for a couple of minutes over 3 hours.
Says a trade follower, “I am aware of people’s expectations where they want to see more of an actor or a director, if their body of work over the years has been impressive enough. Remember those Amitabh Bachchan films in the 80′s? Or the ones directed by Subhash Ghai? Each of them was mandated to be magnum opus and it was an unwritten rule that their films have a running length of at least 3 hours. Similar are the expectations from an Aamir Khan film today.”
His comments do see good validation if one looks at every film that Aamir has done in the current decade. The running length of Dil Chahta Hai (180 mins), Lagaan (225 mins), Mangal Pandey (165 mins), Rang De Basanti (150 mins), Fanaa (170 mins), Taare Zameen Par (165 mins) and Ghajini (180 mins) has been close to 3 hours or even more.
“At the end of the day, it’s the story and the story telling that does the trick, not the film’s length. Yes, we have seen audiences rejecting What’s Your Raashee? due to its length of close to 3.5 hours but also because the film dragged at places. Seeing Hirani’s work over the years, the length is a non-issue and one truly believes and hopes that the screenplay holds audience’s attention. 3 Idiots is carrying great vibes, the holiday season is on and the festivities would be in progress well into the New Year. I don’t see any reason why anyone would even think about the length factor,” concludes the trade expert.
BOLLYWOOD HUNGAMA.COM
By Taran Adarsh, December 21, 2009 – 14:25 IST
Life is all about listening to your heart and chasing your dreams. That’s the essence of 3 IDIOTS, directed by the supremely talented Rajkumar Hirani. Let me come to the point right away. There are films and there are more films. And then there’s 3 IDIOTS.
Come to think of it, 3 IDIOTS carries a huge ‘burden’ on its shoulders: The ‘burden’ of humungous expectations. And it’s not without reasons…
3 IDIOTS is over-hyped and that could be dangerous for any film since it’s the expectations which kill a film if the content doesn’t match up to the hype. In this case, all izz well!
| BY BOLLYWOOD HUNGAMA.COM |
Now let’s demystify the myths…
3 IDIOTS is not about idiots or nincompoops. It’s about three engineering students who believe in ‘I‘ll Do It On my Terms’ and that’s what the three characters achieve in life and that’s what Hirani, Chopra, Aamir eventually achieve at the end of the movie. Making a movie on their terms!
One more thing! You cannot draw parallels with any other film, past or present, successful or unsuccessful. And though people may draw parallels with GHAJINI or the MUNNABHAI series, it would be sacrilege to do so. 3 IDIOTS [based on a novel 'Five Point Someone' by Chetan Bhagat] doesn’t tilt, it stands tall.
Here’s yet another illusion: 3 IDIOTS belongs to Aamir Khan. Yes, it does, but also to R. Madhavan, Sharman Joshi, Boman Irani, Kareena Kapoor and Omi, the entrant in Hindi movies, who delivers an equally sterling performance. The film would be incomplete without any of these characters.
To cut a long story short, all you’d like to say about the film is, All izz very, very, very, very, very well. Watch this film to know what it means!
Two friends [R. Madhavan and Sharman Joshi] embark on a quest for a lost buddy. As they make their way through the perilous landscape [Shimla, Manali, Ladakh], another journey begins: their inner journey through memory lane and the story of their friend – the irrepressible free-thinker Rancho [Aamir Khan], who, in his unique way, touched and changed their lives.
It’s a story of their hostel days that swings between Rancho’s romance with the spirited Pia [Kareena Kapoor] and his clash with and oppressive mentor, Viru Sahastrabudhhe [Boman Irani]. And then one day, suddenly, Rancho vanishes…
Who was he? Where did he come from? Why did he leave? The friend who influenced and inspired them to think creatively and independently, even as the conformist world called them three idiots. Where is the original idiot now?
Hirani is a genius and that has been proved twice in the past. He proves it for the third time with 3 IDIOTS. Screenplay writers Hirani and Abhijat Joshi and screenplay associate Vidhu Vinod Chopra narrate a story that’s straight out of life. A story that each one of us can relate to or identify with.
Very often, we’ve read news-reports of students committing suicides because they’ve to live up to the family’s pressure/expectations. This film depicts it at the very start, when a student commits suicide. But the issue doesn’t end there, for 3 IDIOTS raises a pertinent question: Was it suicide or murder?
Hirani balances the rough and smooth incidents in their lives beautifully. The sequences in the campus, right from the ragging sequence at the start, to Omi’s speech when the word ‘chamatkaar’ is changed to ‘balatkaar’ [superb; will bring the house down], to the trio getting caught in an embarrassing situation at the reception of Kareena’s sister [Mona Singh], to the dinner sequence at Sharman’s house, to Kareena and Aamir driving Sharman’s seriously ill father on their bike to the hospital… the funny moments would make your jaws ache.
The interval point is a shocker. The point at which the first half ends will leave you stunned. Now what was that? Kahani mein twist!
The mystery is solved soon after the intermission ends and a new journey begins. That’s one of the USPs of the film. Just when you think that the story would be solved, a new story begins. Of course, the pace dips slightly in its second hour, especially during the delivery sequence of Mona [which may appear filmy to a few], but the immediate sequence, when the baby boy is born and also the subsequent sequence between Boman and Aamir bring the film back on track. The culmination to the film is novel and yes, it’s a master stroke from the writing point of view!
Every person behind the camera gives his/her best to the film. Hirani and Joshi’s screenplay is the mainstay of the film. If you fondly recall ‘Gandhigiri’ from their previous film LAGE RAHO MUNNABHAI, you’d have a new phrase to chew on this time: ‘All Izz Well’. Muraleedharan C.K.’s cinematography is awesome. Note the aerial view at the very start, when Madhavan and Sharman begin the journey to Shimla or the picture perfect look of Ladakh… the DoP does a magnificent job.
Shantanu Moitra’s music may sound plain ordinary to ears, but when viewed on screen, the score is just perfect. ‘Give Me Some Sunshine’, ‘All Is Well’, ‘Zoobie Doobie’ are three tracks that would grow on you after you’ve watched the film. The choreography of ‘All Izz Well’ [Avit Dias] and ‘Zoobie Doobie’ [Bosco-Caesar] are eye-catching. The background score [Sanjay Wandrekar, Atul Raninga, Shantanu Moitra] is right.
3 IDIOTS belongs to everyone. But, yes, there’s no denying that Aamir makes you forget all his past achievements as you watch the amazing actor play Rancho. To state that this ranks amongst his finest works would be an understatement. Madhavan is incredible, especially in the sequence when he explains his point of view to his father [Pareekshit Sahani]. Sharman is outstanding from start to end. This was a difficult role to portray and only an actor of calibre could’ve pulled it off. Boman is superb as the vicious head of the institute. The scenes between Aamir and Boman are extra-ordinary and it’s a treat to watch these two powerful actors clash on the big screen, without getting overdramatic. Boman’s appearance, mannerisms and dialogue delivery are exemplary.
The length of Kareena’s role may not be as much as Aamir, Madhavan and Sharman, but she registers a strong impact nonetheless. Omi is excellent and the viewers are sure to love his acidic tongue and gestures in the movie. Mona Singh doesn’t get much scope. Jaaved Jaffery is competent. Pareekshit Sahani is decent.
On the whole, 3 IDIOTS easily ranks amongst Aamir, Rajkumar Hirani and Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s finest films. Do yourself and your family a favour: Watch 3 IDIOTS. It’s emotional, it’s entertaining, it’s enlightening. The film has tremendous youth appeal and feel-good factor to work in a big way.
Aamir Khan may be the most powerful man in Bollywood today giving successive hits as actor, producer and director but his eyes still gleam with unexpected animation as he sits down to do an interview. Here he is, candid and uncut
• In 3 Idiots you play a guy from 20 to 24 years, while you are actually 44. How old are you in your head?
I still imagine myself to be 18 or 22. The other day I was at the birthday of someone who I had always thought of as older than me in my head, an uncle type person. I asked him, how old he was that day and he said 30 and I got a shock because suddenly I realised that I was 14 years older than him. I am, of course, 44, which is middle-aged, but somewhere in my head I am lost in the 18-20 age group.
• Did that help you play this character?
No. But given that it is necessary to get into the head of a character when you are jumping age lines, it gets more challenging. Jumping age lines, jumping accents, or jumping sexes like my playing a woman is always tough. I had actually told Raju to take someone younger but he insisted he could see me in the role. He said, “In real life, you are so close to Rancho, (the character that I am playing) I feel if you are saying what Rancho is saying people will believe it. What Rancho says is the philosophy of the film and I need someone who people will believe in.”
• You exude a lot of confidence on screen. Are you really a very confident person inside?
I think I am average, in the sense that most people are confident to a certain degree, people go through self doubt. I too go through self doubt. I am given to thinking, “Am I doing the right thing?” I only do things that I enjoy, that’s my first rule. I must be happy in what I am doing. If I am not happy doing an ad, I won’t do it. I don’t do it for commercial reasons. Yes of course I am earning money while I am doing it, but that’s not the core reason for doing it. This ultimately shows in my work, otherwise I am as confident or diffident as the next man. I also need reassurance like everyone else. I also need people to say “I liked your film”.
• When you were directing yourself in Taare Zameen Par was there anything about you as an actor that disturbed you as a director?
I have to say no. The actor and director in me saw eye to eye. Yes, when I see the film today, there are moments where I feel the scene could have been pitched differently. But that is in retrospect. That’s the corrective process in me when I am watching any of my work.
• In hindsight which of your successful films needed the most correction?
One of them would be Fanaa, the other would be Ishq, both highly successful films. In the first half of Fanaa, the character was pitched too filmy. I would have pitched him slightly different. In fact, Kunal (Kohli) and I had a long discussion about it. I would have made the character more real and more layered because as human beings we don’t have a singular emotion. When I am playing a character my attempt is that it should not be single dimensional, it should be layered. Ishq again had a lot of broad strokes and it’s also a very successful film.
• As a director do you have an actor wish list?
I am not sure whether I am thinking as a director right now. I think at heart I am still an actor. Of course now that I have taken the first step and directed one film, I am more open to listening to stories. Actually I have a very strange answer. While I am not in the mood of a director just now the opposite is also true. I think like a filmmaker. Coming back to your question, my wish list would really depend upon what the script is. So my casting would really be based on who can best play a certain part and who will suit the role. Each and every person connected to the film should feel that he is in love with it.
• Does success isolate you?
Success can be extremely isolating. And often, for multiple reasons. When you are successful, a celebrity, especially an actor, your stardom is like a magnet. It’s like the sun. (In fact, I wonder who coined this term ‘star’. Because every star is actually a sun). Because you are a star, every one is attracted to you for different reasons, some valid, some invalid. Some honourable, some not so honourable. But, as a human being our bandwidth is limited. So often what happens is that we need to shut off. It is humanly impossible to deal with so many things.
Have you noticed that stars, never make eye-contact when they are out in public. The moment you make eye-contact, you have to engage. And it’s not that we don’t like engaging. I love engaging with people. But I get tired. How many people can I engage with? That’s the nature of the beast. That’s the nature of my profession.
• You have been reportedly meeting people you met on social networking sites. Does engaging with them help you perform in some way?
Now people know that it’s me on the blog, but there was a time when they didn’t. The idea behind it was to interact with strangers. Because the minute a person knows who I am, he reacts to me in a particular way. He may or may not share certain ideas with me. Or the attitude of sharing will change. The fiber of the communication will change. But if the person doesn’t know who I am, which the Internet allows, then he’s freer. That was the kind of interaction I valued a lot. There were a few people who I found to be particularly engaging. Or unusual. And those were the few people to whom I revealed who I am.
If I felt that I had a certain rapport with someone, then I no longer felt comfortable hiding, or lying about who I am. If I have reached a level of engagement of this kind, I need to tell the person who I am. So then it happened that I took three-four people into confidence.
• Since you have just completed 3 Idiots with Raju Hirani, the director of the Munnabhai series, tell me an instant recall of a Munnabhai moment?
I would say jaadu ki jhappi. That’s my big recall moment from Munnabhai. Both, Munnabhai MBBS and Lage Raho Munnabhai are my favourite films in the last five-seven odd years. They are great wholesome entertainment, which connect with you on a human level. Really connect with you on a human level.
Going back to one of your earlier questions, one of the key reasons for me doing this film, despite the fact that I am double the age of the character is Raju. I was so keen to work with Raju and I could see that Raju was excited about casting me in the film. Iske saath mereko film karne hain yaar. Agar isko lagta hain main bees saal ka ho jaata hoon toh main ho jaata hoon. Kyunki ye itna kamaal ka director hai, iske saath mereko kaam karna hain yaar.
Over the years all my professional decisions have been absurd. Its absolutely right for someone to tell me – ke tu 42 ka hain aur tu 22 ka character play kar raha hain. It may be an idiotic decision but all my decisions are idiotic. 3 idiots ka idiotic decision.
When I told anyone that I was making a film on dyslexia, they said I was mad.
When I signed Rang De Basanti, usse pehle Bhagat Singh aur Azad Singh par char filmey aa chuki thi. It was a crazy decision. My sister called me up in the evening and asked, “What are you doing?” I told her I signed a film, it’s the fifth remake of Bhagat Singh.She started laughing. She said abhi flop hui hain chauthi, aur tum paanchvi karoge. It was a bizarre decision.
Lagaan is another example. Today it is known as successful film but at that time it was a disastrous decision. None of my decisions have been practical.
• How easy or difficult it is to forgive past mistakes?
Earlier, I was much more unforgiving as a person; not only towards others but also towards myself. I was extremely unforgiving of my own mistakes. In the past four or five years, I have undergone a change as a human being. I have become more forgiving of myself and others. I see it as a very positive change in myself. One of the powerful things in the world is the power of forgiveness. Its what Jesus Christ and other great philosophers have said.
Also, forgiveness comes with the genuineness of the person’s intentions. If someone has done something to hurt me and then comes and says, “Sorry Aamir”, but does not feel it, then forgiveness does not come into the picture. But if a person genuinely feels ki usse galti hui hai, then you should forgive him. It’s the same for yourself, if you realise that you’ve done some wrong, you should forgive yourself. It’s one of the most healing things.
Today we have become very unforgiving people. It may be an ethnic problem, or a community’s problem or a country’s, or in your relationships, with your wife, children, parents, we get very very unforgiving and we hold that against them. We wear it as a badge which says ‘main tujhe kabhi maaf nahi karoonga’.
I used to be like this.
Like two peas in a pod
Sometime ago we had asked Imran Khan to rate himself and Aamir on a scale of 1 to 10, according to a few parameters…
Aamir rates Imran according to the same parameters…
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• Good looks
Aamir - I won’t rate myself as I don’t like it. Imran is exceedingly good looking. I’d give him a 9.
Imran - I would put us both at a 7 at this point just because of how young and great he is looking
• Patience
Aamir on Imran- 8 or 9
Imran - Aamir is a 10 and I am 9.5. We are both tremendously patient people. Again because I’m younger, I’m that 0.5 percent less patient but I am the supremely patient being that you’ll meet
• Quest for perfection
Aamir on Imran- He is extremely committed so 8
Imran - Aamir is a 10, I’m probably an 8
• Spontaneity
Aamir on Imran- 8
Imran - Aamir is 6, I’m a 7
• Acting talent
Aamir on Imran - 6. He is good but he has a long way to go.
Imran - I put myself at a 6, I put him at a 10. I so honestly think he is the best actor in the country today
• Communication skills
Aamir on Imran - 4
Imran - Mine aren’t too good. I’m not good at all, so 5 for me and him I don’t know, maybe a 7. Yeah he is better than me.
• Charm
Aamir on Imran - 8
Imran - I am more charming than he is definitely; he is not a charming person. He is 5. I’m an 8.
• Tendency to lose temper
Aamir - We lose our temper, but we can handle it. We don’t react. So, I would give him a 2.
Imran - One and one
• Fidelity to spouse or girlfriend
Aamir - He is scoring a 100 on that one right now. So 10.
Imran - That’s a 10 for both. We are both very staid, solid guys.
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| 3 Idiots |
By Subhash K. Jha, September 18, 2009 – 12:01 IST
In Munnabhai MBBS, Sanjay Dutt had thumbed his nose at academic qualifications by fudging his way through a doctorate. Now in Faltu, he questions our educational system in a less satirical far more serious tone.
When Vashu Bhagnani wanted to re-launch his son, he needed an A-lister as a box-office support.
Every leading man declined politely. Only Bollywood dildaar, Sanju Baba, came forward to work with Jackky Bhagnani in a film that starts in September to be directed by choreographer Remo. It will star Sanjay Dutt and Vashu’s son Jackky who made his debut this year with Kal Kissne Dekha.
Jackky’s second film is not an escapist entertainer. Says Vashu, “It’s a film about the lacuna in present-day education. When I heard Remo’s story, I was bowled over. It’s about the failure of today’s educational system to guide our youngsters into suitable careers. It’s about how there’s too much stress in and on academics and too little on actually tapping every child’s potential. Remo has earlier made an award-winning Bengali film (Lal Paharer Katha with Mithun Chakbraborty).”
Vashu’s son’s post-debut film going by the improbable title of Faltu sounds like a departure from convention.
“It is,” concedes Vashu. “But nothing conventional works any more. I want to bring new talent into the industry. And the title is an acronym. I can’t reveal the full form. It will give away the plot.”
BOLLYWOOD HUNGAMA.COM
- In: Interviews
- 1 Comment
| • Say something Munnabhaiesque
No tension. Apun hai na. (laughs) • When making Lage Raho Munnabhai did the success of Munnabhai MBBS put any pressure on you and is a similar pressure delaying the next in the Munnabhai series?
We (Vinod Chopra and me) are not trying to cash in on the success of the two Munnabhai films. If we were doing that then we would make one Munnabhai every year. We would have Munnabhai cartoons, comics and animation. We could actually milk the brand in that sense. The reason for not actually making another one is because I am working on the script and I am not happy with the final script which is also what happened with Lage Raho Munnabhai. I took so many years to make it because I wasn’t too happy with it. You have to strive to think of a unique idea and sometimes, for that, you have to keep waiting till it strikes you. With Munnabhai Chale Amrika, I have reached a stage where I have found a completely unique idea. It is not a ‘fish out of water’ situation in which two characters go from this world to that world. That’s done to death. It’s not as simplistic as that. It’s much funnier and much deeper. • How does a comic scene evolve? It’s not about evolving a comic scene or a dramatic scene. You just do whatever the story needs. I work with Abhijat Joshi and we completely go by the gut feel of the scene. If it is a comic scene and when I am narrating, we look into each other’s eyes and if it makes us laugh, then that is a scene that is working. And when it is an emotional scene, our eyes get wet. So it’s completely from within, rather than structuring it, or trying to manipulate it. • You have worked with an intelligent actor like Aamir Khan (3 Idiots) and a less structured actor like Sanjay Dutt. How is your approach different with actors? Sanju (Sanjay Dutt) is completely an instinctive actor. If I ask him for a rehearsal, he will look into my eyes and say “What? You want to rehearse one month in advance?” which is completely impossible. And I know if I make him do that, he will come prepared and will fail miserably. But if I ask him to do something impromptu, he does it the way you want it. If I think it’s not right, then he will instinctively do it another way. Then there is Boman Irani, who, if I don’t rehearse with, will die on the sets. So he has to be prepared a month in advance. Like when he was playing Lucky Singh, I had to take him to meet some Sardarjis, he had to sit with them, he had to drink with them, he had to observe them, video shoot them. Arshad was completely given the lines, he got the gist and modified them. If I tell him to follow the lines as given, he will not be able to do so. So with every actor, you have to realise his strength and utilise it. Like Aamir loves to get involved with the script, he analyses the script, he prepares a lot. There is a completely different joy in working with Aamir. But that’s the job of a director. When you work with Boman, as you enter the set, you have to go to his van and hold his hand and talk to him for 10-15 minutes every day, otherwise he feels neglected. I may not do the same with Aamir. I know he has rehearsed and understood the script and he will come on the sets and perform. Actually direction is also about human resource management. • What happens when there are three very individualistic people like you, Vinod Chopra (as producer) and Aamir Khan involved with a film. Do sparks fly? • How true are you keeping 3 Idiots to the book by Chetan Bhagat Five Point Someone? 3 Idiots is inspired from the book but it is completely different. I would say just five per cent of it is the same. Books and films are different. So the moment you decide to pick up a book and make a film as it is, it will be a disaster. It’s a nice book, but it’s anecdotal and films can’t be anecdotal. It has to have a story. The reason I mention this is because people should not go to the theatre thinking, we are going to watch Five Point Someone and later find out that it’s a completely different film. • When you get stuck with your writing, what do you reference for inspiration? Raju Hirani’s favourite five films
1) Pyaasa. It’s one of Guru Dutt’s finest works.2) Anand for the kind of story that it is – a dying man still trying to live a great life. 3) One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest is one of my favourite films. I love stories where you fight against the system for your rights. That’s what came through in Munnabhai too. 4) Amol Palekar’s Golmaal. It’s a funny film. The whole idea of making a film revolving around a moustache is a unique idea. 5) Lagaan again for its unique idea. For me Lagaan fits the bill of, theoretically speaking, a perfect script. |
Filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani seems to have developed a penchant for authenticity. For his 2003 release Munnabhai MBBS, he shot the hospital sequences in Pune University, but for his forthcoming film, 3 Idiots, he has shot the hospital scenes on location. A source said, “Both, Raju and Aamir Khan (who stars in the film), believe in making their films as authentic as possible. When Raju had to shoot vital sequences of the film in a hospital, he chose to shoot it on location to give it an authentic feel. He booked a hospital in Vashi for a week. The hospital scenes will not just have the actual hospital rooms and equipment but will also showcase real doctors and patients. The real life doctors aren’t playing any role, but having them around is lending an authentic touch to the scenes. Similarly, for the earlier shots, Raju has canned the scenes with actual students in a university in Bengaluru.”
Not that the hospital staff is complaining. In fact, they are more than happy to watch the stars in action. The source added, “Everyone in the hospital is pretty excited to have the likes of Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor around them. They are making the most of the opportunity by clicking pictures with them and getting autographs signed.” We sent a text message to Raju Hirani who confirmed the story. |
