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 Producer
Boney Kapoor has, over the years, been known to innovate. In the
90s when pre-release publicity entailed hoardings and newspaper
ads, before the release of Roop Ki Rani, Choron Ka Raja, Boney Kapoor
spun pre-release publicity on its head with taxi seat covers, auto
rickshaw hood covers, and other merchandise. Prior to that, when
others would give their offspring a conventional love story debut
film, he introduced his brother Anil Kapoor in Woh Saat Din in a
most unconventional way. It was during the making of Hum Paanch,
that Boney promised the associate director Vinay Shukla that they
would make a film together. It took three decades for that to happen,
and the film is Koi Mere Dil Se Pooche. This film is a most unconventional
film — other than being ‘a love story with a terrifying
twist,’ it will present Esha Deol as Bollywood’s newest
star progeny. The unconventional producer speaks to Screen:
Why
have you played down your brother Sanjay in the publicity of Koi
Mere Dil Se Pooche?
That is part of the surprise in the films, if it is heavily publicised
it won’t remain a surprise any more. As it is people now know
that he is playing a negative role.
As
Esha Deol’s debut film, wouldn’t a simple love story been
better, than a complex one?
That notion for a debut has to be broken. We had earlier launched
Anil also like that. In Woh Saat Din, he wasn’t glamourous,
he had a dishevelled look with his naadaa hanging out. Basically,
you have to reach the heart of the audience. That is what we had
attempted then with Anil. Similarly, Esha also is playing a part
where she has got to look like a girl who can belong to any family
in our country. She’s got to look vulnerable, convincing when
she is laughing, convincing when she’s crying. She’s playing
a middle class, girl-next-door role. There is a certain mystique,
a vulnerable quality about her, which adds well to her persona in
the plot. Which is why we waited for four to five months for Hemaji
to give her final okay for the film. I had narrated the entire script
to them. She was convinced about the film, but had to think a little
more and perhaps ask Dharamji about the new career that Esha was
embarking on.
The
original story is from a Telegu film. What made you get the rights
of the film?
Well, my wife Sri saw the film, Pahli (Marriage). She, in fact,
started seeing it in a foul mood, I was late for the trial, I was
held up at Rahman’s studio, we were doing Pukar then. By the
time I got there, she forgot all about the delay I had caused the
entire family. In a fit a of anger she started seeing the film and
as the film progressed she forgot about the anger and by the time
the film was over, I showed up! The first thing she said was ‘you
should do the picture in Hindi.’
Jaya Bachchan rarely does films. What prompted her to do this one?
The role has a lot of meat, it is the central part of the film and
she’s the first person I had cast in the film.
How do you think the film will fare?
Going by what I have seen, the final product is quite satisfying
and I am sure there would be lot of people in the audience who will
be shocked and surprised as there are a lot of turns and twists
in the film. At the same time, it has something new to watch. It’s
not a regular family drama. It has a fresh approach to characterisation
and even the comedy track is new. The whole film is packaged in
today’s format. It is about two youngsters learning about fashion
technology. We have Anupam Kher playing Aftab’s father. In
the olden days, they would be mocked as trying to become tailors/cutters,
but in today’s context we have a lot of people in fashion designing,
we have touched on that aspect of the youth, their activities in
college, how they go about learning fashion technology. At the same
time, the comedy track doesn’t have the usual buffoonery. It
is very subtle and new —- it’s a parody, based on a successful
Hindi film. I feel all these things will add to the freshness of
the film and the look will be lot newer.
You
are known to innovate on pre-release publicity. Why is it that that
you have not done so for this film?
It all depends on the kind of film you are doing. This
is a social, family drama where the scope for such things is not
much. Then again, I was close to Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham’,
anything that I do would falls short of that; and all what I wanted
to do they had already done before, so I would only do the same
thing on a smaller scale. Hence, it was better I don’t do anything
of that sort.
What
about your forthcoming films?
We have just completed one, not titled yet, with Karisma, Nana Patekar
and Sanjay Kapoor, and Shah Rukh Khan comes in the second part of
the film and it is a new side to him. After a long time, Nana Patekar
has a part he himself is happy about and says it’s his comeback
film. Karisma, we all hope, will leave a mark with the film and
get top honours. Then there is Khushi with Kareena and Fardeen and
we just launched Dil Chor with Abhishek and Kareena. I am also collaborating
with Ram Gopal Varma for Company where I am looking after the business
aspects while the production and creative aspects are handled by
Ramu’s office. My hands are full and I am raring to see all
the films release one after the other in the next six months and
Dil Chor by next year.
—Piroj
Wadia
pirojwadia@hotmail.com
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