Raj Kanwal
The unsung midas man

Within a short span of seven years, the director from rural Punjab has given Hindi cinema six big hits. In spite of Deewana (which introduced Shah Rukh Khan to the movies), Laadla (with a sterling performance by Sridevi as a go-getting entrepreneur), Jeet (Sunny Deol in one of his career’s best performances), Judaai (again featuring Sridevi at her best) and Daag-The Fire (in which Sanjay Dutt gives ’em ‘dose’ ones) Raj Kanwar is still to be recognised by critics and the media as a huge success story...

Except for Kartavya, all your films have been hits. And still you aren’t recognised as a topnotch director. How do you explain this?

I’d rather not explain it. I don’t believe in all this hype. I only believe in doing my work. All I’ve been bothered with, all along, is how to make a mark. I came to Mumbai to become a success. I have no idea why I’m not recognised. All I can say is, God’s been kind to me.

He sure has. A lot of directors make good films and still don’t succeed. But the awards still elude you.

I don’t believe in awards. The public has rewarded me by making my films run. What more can I hope for? I have a tremendous fan following. That’s the award I get after every film. When I do lousy work, my fans have the right to pull me up. A majority of my fans are elders, girls and the family-oriented sort. Woh mujhe daantate bhi hai, khush bhi hote hain. They call me up from all sorts of places like Raipur and Bhilai. God knows where they get my number from.

What’s the formula for your success? How do you choose your subject?

I choose stories that are close to real life. I don’t want my subject to look phoney, nor do I want to make films about any old thing. I believe in portraying Indian emotions and relations. I was a mama’s boy. Though she’s no more, it’s her I love the most. I can never forget the sacrifices she made to bring me up. I want to project the respect I have for women into my films. When I lost my mother I thought my world had ended. But even in death her memory’s given me strength to do good work. I always want to make her proud through my films.

No wonder the mother’s character in Kartavya was so strong! Is that the film closest to your heart?

Every film of mine is close to my heart. Maa ke liye to har bachcha achcha hai na?

What do you think went wrong with Kartavya?

Destiny played villain. Maine to apna kartavya kiya. But Dimple Kapadia left the film. When I finally replaced her with Aroona Irani, Moushumi Chatterjee refused to work with her.

You always work with big stars. How do you cope with their tantrums?

They’re all very nice to me. I love my artistes. I’m sure all directors love their stars. Main kuch zyada hi pyaar karta hoon (laughs). I’ve had the privilege of directing Sridevi in five films.

Five? I thought it was just Laadla and Judaai.

I started my career as an assistant to Shekhar Kapur. I was with him when he made Mr India and part of Joshilay. Then I was the assistant when Ram Avtar with Sridevi was made.

Was it your admiration for Sridevi that prompted you to sign her lookalike Divya Bharti in your first film Deewana?

Obviously. I am a big fan of Sridevi’s and Kamal Haasan’s.

Both Judaai and Laadla were remakes of Tamil films. How much of the original did you retain in the Hindi version?

All my other films are based on my own original stories. As for the remakes I treat them as original stories. Jo cheez achchi lagti hai original mein woh lete hain. But lots of changes have to be made for the sake of the national and international market. The costumes and dress-codes in Tamil Nadu are different from the mainstream. The emotions have to be duly modified, too.

Sridevi in Laadla and Judaai, Sanjay Dutt in Daag-The Fire and even Shah Rukh Khan in Deewana had shades of grey in their character. How come?

Kahin na kahin aadmi donon shades leke aata hai. No one becomes bad by choice. It’s circumstance which compels an individual to turn negative. No human being picks up arms voluntarily. They’re pushed into a corner.

Did you believe in the character played by Urmila Matondkar in Judaai, who actually buys a man she fancies?

My friends had warned me against doing the film. My friend and associate, writer Robin Bhatt said I was making a mistake after he heard the story of Judaai. But I believed in the characters. Hotey hain aise characters aam zindagi mein. My own aunt was like Sridevi in Judaai.

And what about Urmila?

Yeah yeah. Hain kuch aise log. It’s said, all’s fair in love and war. When people become enamoured of something, they can be stubborn, insist on acquiring it at any cost. Like a kid in a toy store.

The credit for bringing Shah Rukh Khan from television to cinema goes to you. How did you pick him for Deewana?

When we wrote the film, we had Nagarjuna in mind. But this was my first film and Nagarjuna had date problems. Then I told the producer about this boy I’d seen in a serial called Dil Dariya by Lekh Tandon saab. We both went to Delhi to meet Shah Rukh. Later, things just fell into place. After many years, eight and a half, to be precise, Shah Rukh and I are working together again in Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega. It’s a film for the Nadiadwalas, starring Salman Khan. Shah Rukh is doing a special appearance.

Deewana made Shah Rukh a success.

It did the same for me. We both came from Delhi to Mumbai almost at the same time.

Deewana was a love triangle. So was Jeet, Daag, Judaai, Laadla. Any special reason why you make so many of them?

Till date, I’ve gone wrong only once. Kartavya underwent a series of amputations. Like a man with no limbs it was crippled. I had to somehow complete the film. And yet no distributor lost money on the film. If it didn’t make a profit, Kartavya didn’t lose money either.

What prompted you to turn producer with Itihaas?

Ek point aata hai jab aadmi sochta hai ke khud hi sab kuch karna chahiye. I started my home production which was named after my mother Indrajit Films Combined. I’ve produced two films. First Itihaas and then Daag. Now I’m making Dhai Akshar Prem Ka with Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai for my own banner.

My God, you really are prolific! What are your films Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega and Dhai Akshar Prem Ke about?

Har Dil is again a sweet love story about two sisters who clash over a boy. Preity Zinta and Rani Mukerji play sisters. It’s again a love triangle.

What happened to your other film with Preity, Farz?

Believe it or not, we planned to complete the film in six months. Unfortunately, my leading man Sunny Deol was burdened by production hassles. He started London, then Dillagi. As a friend he requested me to let him complete Dillagi before Farz. Now we’ve revived the film. It’s 65 per cent complete. I agree, this is my most delayed film. I generally take six to eight months to complete a film.

There’s a lot of curiosity about Dhai Akshar Prem Ke for obvious reasons. What’s that about?

It’s a story about the bond of love. It’s a film on human relationships. In life we believe in ties that are based on blood relationships. But some human bonds are forged by love. It’s basically a ‘treatment’ film and one of the most challenging films of my career. It’s got loads of music and emotions.

Wonderful. But how did you pencil Abhishek into the project?

When I wrote the story of Dhai Akshar Prem Ke the hero was very different from the usual. I was looking at a number of heroes. Then I met Abhishek at a couple of parties. I was immediately impressed by the intensity in his eyes. His smile too was very far removed from the usual. Abhishek suited my character perfectly.

There’s a lot of curiosity in the market about Abhishek Bachchan.

I don’t believe in all this market-warket. I believe in cinema. Picture achchi hai to chalti hai. A star can carry a good film to success. He can’t do the same for a bad film. I’m planning to release my film after Refugee. Upar wale ki nigaah hogi to yehi hogi. Sabse badaa screenplay writer to woh hai.

Baadal is ready for release this week. Do you expect it to be another success?

It’s a tale of vendetta. It’s inspired by the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in Delhi. If a man isn’t given a proper upbringing he can come up the wrong way. That’s the film’s theme.

I believe you were a victim of the 1984 riots yourself.

Yeah. That’s why Baadal is very close to my heart. Bobby Deol is my protagonist. He exemplifies the belief that what goes around comes around. It’s a very touching film.

In the film your terrorist hero seeks refuge in a family and falls in love with the daughter of the family. Isn’t that like Raj Khosla’s Bambai Ka Babu and a bit like the thriller The Devil’s Own?

Nothing of the sort. My hero hates the cops but has to seek shelter in a cop’s house. As for The Devil’s Own, I rarely watch Hollywood films. I’m deeply inspired by Raj Kapoor, Raj Khosla, Vijay Anand, Manoj Kumar and Yash Chopra.

You’ve mentioned directors with a flair for music and song sequence. Why don’t your films have extraordinary music?

I’ve been given the label of a musical director. In our part of the country, jab bachcha paida hota hai to kehte hain sur mein rota hai. That’s why the music of all my films so far has been successful. If as you said, the music is not extraordinary then I take the blame for it. A man cannot go beyond his capabilities. Besides, one has to have music in accordance with the theme of a film.

You’ve worked with a whole galaxy of stars from Sunny Deol to Abhishek Bachchan.

Yes, I like to work with everyone. I don’t believe in camps. Like in the Urdu couplet, Log aate gaye aur carvan chalta gaya. Casting depends on many circumstances, such as suitability and availability of dates. I’ve never been let down by any star whom I’ve approached. But shall I tell you about the actors I really wanted to work with? Om Prakash, Kanhaiyalal and Jeevan. They’re no more. Among the heroes I’d have loved to work with are Amitji, Dharamji and Dilip saab.

You can still work with these actors?

Sure, why not? Agar zindagi mein mauqa aaya to zaroor karenge.

Which is the one film you’d really like to make?

I want to make a film that will make me proud of being an Indian. I want to make a patriotic film. I’ve a subject. Let’s see when I can make it. It’s a very costly film which I want to produce myself.

Will it be a Manoj Kumar kind of film?

(Laughs) No, it will be a Raj Kanwar kind of film.

Inspite of your success record, why aren’t you clubbed with big directors of 90s, like Karan Johar, Sooraj Barjatya and Dharmesh Darshan?

I don’t want to be compared with anyone. Even if the names you’ve mentioned are junior to me, I’d say I’m inspired by them. It’s so nice to see new talent in the industry. I too was a newcomer once.

But since they are your juniors you should be their inspiration!

I might be. Who knows? I’m not a product, so I don’t believe in marketing myself. I pray that my films are well made and well-marketed. For me filmmaking is a journey. To the very end. If not today then I want people to talk about me and my films after I’m gone.

Jisne itne sarey hits banaye phir bhi ussey top director nahin maana gaya.

Koi baat nahin. This happens only in India (laughs)). I’m having a ball working with new heroes like Abhishek and Bobby. They’re very professional, disciplined. I like this change in attitude that has come into the industry. It can only mean good days are ahead for our cinema.

Subhash K Jha