|
 Success,
in this cutthroat industry rests in the arms of fickle fortune and
is not easily lured. After starting out an assistant to Anant Balani
in Patthar Ke Phool, director Sanjay Gadhvi spent 10 harsh years
in the film industry before coming into his own with Tere Liye.
Though the film vanished without creating any ripples, his work
attracted Yash Chopra and as a result, the legendary filmmaker gave
Gadhvi a chance to direct Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai. Excerpts from
an interview.
How
difficult was it to work on Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai as people
are invariably going to compare it to My Best Friend’s Wedding?
We have only picked the germ of an idea from My Best Friend’s
Wedding and cultivated it into a very Indian film. Julia Roberts
attempted to steal Cameron Diaz’s fiancee with Diaz completely
in the dark as to what’s going on, while here Jimmy Shergill
gets to know that Uday Chopra too loves Sanjana and they agree to
let the girl ultimately chose her soulmate. Yes, there are going
to be comparisons, but seriously, a very negligible percentage of
India’s huge audience structure must have seen My Best... and
even for those that have seen it, Mere Yaar... would prove to be
a completely different film altogether.
Bereft
of big names, Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai could prove to be the litmus
test for Uday Chopra...
(Interrupts) To say that this is only Uday’s film will be unfair
to the rest of the starcast. Don’t forget that we are also
introducing a new heroine in the film. When I set out to make Mere
Yaar... I had only one goal in mind: To make an out-an-out entertaining
film. Yashji or Aditya didn’t emphasise that I should do something
extra as it would be Uday’s second release. We worked in a
tension-less, fun-filled environment throughout.
Yash Raj banner normally doesn’t hire outside directors. How
did you manage to get the film?
(Smiles)
I got to know that Yashji was searching for a director. I went and
met Aditya Chopra and really got a shock when he said that he liked
my debut film Tere Liye. One thing led to another and I soon got
the summons hailing me as the director of their next film.
Both Yash Chopra and son Aditya are competent directors. How did
it feel to work under their scrutinising gaze?
I
had perhaps the best directors in the industry to fall back upon,
they were there whenever I needed them, I really couldn’t have
asked for better people to work with. They know the value of independence
and never faulted with my vision. Even when they suggested something,
it was conveyed more as an advise and less as a command. The only
reason they hired me was that they liked my style of working and
needed me to helm their project. They could easily have taken somebody
else or directed the film themselves if they wanted.
What made you decide on this particular starcast?
Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai was basically conceived as a quickie movie.
Believe it or not we finished the talkie portion in just 63 days.
We couldn’t have made this sort of a progress with established
stars. Uday and Jimmy had the required dates and they had already
worked in a Yash Raj set-up, so indoctrinisation was not a problem.
We decided to cast a fresh face as the heroine and after conducting
several screen tests chose Sanjana.
Your music directors and cinematographer are also fresh faces?
Yes. Jeet-Pritam had provided the music for my first film Tere Liye
and when it was decided that we should try out some young music
director, I put forward their name. They had a couple of meetings
with Aditya and they sort of clicked with him. Likewise, Sunil Patel,
my cinematographer, was also selected by Aditya in just one sitting.
Only by infusing new talent can one hope to break fresh barriers,
this is the philosphy behind the casting. We have done our best
and the rest is upto viewers now.
In retrospect, what do you think went wrong with Tere Liye?
Tere Liye was a musical which followed the lives of five band members.
Musicals are a dicey issue in our industry. We might have song and
dance sequences galore in Hindi films but musical as a genre has
failed to take-off in India. The same kind of film would have done
well abroad but here it sort of fell flat. However, I consider it
a part of my learning curve and would like to attempt such a film
again, if and when the market becomes ripe for such films.
After being in the film industry for around ten years, what impressions
have you formed so far?
(Smiles) One thing that I have learned is that over here, nothing
succeeds like success. However good you are, however talented you
might be, your capabilities will go waste if you haven’t notched
a hit to your credit. My father too was a producer of Gujarati films
but he always shooed me away from films. In fact, my home had such
a non-filmi look that friends used to get surprised hearing about
my father’s profession. Somehow, inspite of all his admonishments,
I did enter this profession and after struggling for several years
and facing all kinds of hardship, fortune has finally smiled upon
me in shape of Yash Chopra who has so generously given me a break
to prove myself. I’ll forever be grateful to him for this.
Every director follows some ideals...
(Interrupts) The number of people who have inspired me are legion.
What I seek out are people who have managed to say lot by just subtle
touches, like Yashji in Silsila, Bimal Roy in Bandini, Guru Dutt
in Pyaasa, Steven Spielberg in Duel...This is the kind of work I
desire to emulate. By the grace of God, I’m fortunate enough
to get work with one of my idols.
|
