J.P. DUTTA : IT'S A LOVE

How did the whole thing happen? How did you think of casting Abhishek?
The idea of Aakhri Mughal came to me from Taj (Tajdar Amrohi). He was talking to me one day about the film his father Kamal Amrohi was planning in the early '70s — on the last Moghul emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, and his son Mirza Moghul. It gave me visions of a great epic. After Mughul-e-Azam we haven’t made an epic of that dimension. So, I thought, why not I do it? The whole thing charged me and I was into it. That’s when I thought of Abhishek Bachchan. I felt he would be the ideal crown prince on whom the story revolves. I knew that Kamal sahab had Amitabh Bachchan in mind for the role when he thought of making the film in the mid-seventies.

(When the late Kamal Amrohi thought of making Aakhri Mughal soon after Pakeezah, he had thought of Bachchan for the lead. He had seen Zanjeer and was convinced that Amitabh suited the role the best. But somehow the project didn’t take off.)

Did you screen test Abhishek for the role?
No. I didn’t. I saw him with the eyes of a film-maker. It was the way I had felt about Akshaye (Khanna). I always go by my gut feeling. I know Abhishek has it in him. After all, he has the genetic advantage — of a father and a mother who are both great artistes. And Abhishek has not been exposed to the public glare too much. That is crucial to make the character come alive on screen. Physically, he has the right height. And the intense, deep-set eyes of his father.

You approached whom?
Jaya. Then I went and met her and Amitabh, and they were happy that I wanted to make a film like Aakrhi Mughal with their son. They weren’t going to launch him as a swinging youth of the day with a guitar in hand, I am sure. ‘We wanted to launch him in a different kind of film and role,’ Jaya had made it clear. They were even open to an art film.

When are you planning to launch the film? Is the script ready?
Not yet. But I have a broad concept in my mind. I need to do a lot of research, though. I am committed to launch the film around June-July this year.

What kind of time-frame do you have in mind to complete the film?
About a year and a half. It should hit the screen by early next century — that is early 2000.

Does it mean you are shelving your other venture, Jhelum?
No, I am not shelving it. But I will delay it a bit. It has Amitabh playing a major role with Jackie, Sunil and Akshaye.

Why did you opt for Dilip Kumar to play
the father instead of Amitabh Bachchan?
It’s rather unfortunate that the media should have written about Dilip sahab so prematurely. It's very unfair. I just happened to mention at a party — when too many people questioned me on who’d be playing the father — that I had Dilip sahab in mind. But I am yet to talk to him. Of course, I do want him in my film. It’s a great role, and, I feel, only he can do justice to it. I never wanted Amitabh to play Abhishek’s father in the film because it would destroy the illusion of the epic. I didn't want people to relate to them as real-life father and son. Mukul (Anand) had tried it disastrously in Sultanat, with Dharamji and Sunny. And I had myself tried and failed with the Dharamji-Sunny and Sunil Dutt-Sanjay Dutt combination in Kshatriya.

Who’ll be the girl opposite Abhishek?
I don’t know. It could be a new girl. I might think of a known face if I didn’t find a suitable fresh one.

(“Since the announcement appeared I have been answering calls from all kinds of girls, known and unknown,” adds Bindiya Dutta.)

Wasn’t Kareena Kapoor your first choice?
She is committed to doing a film with Rakesh Roshan opposite his son. So I didn’t consider her.

Where will you be shooting the film?
All over the country — in Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, all over. I haven’t worked that out as yet. I am designing it to be a visual treat, reflecting the glory of Indian heritage.

What’s the thrust of the film?
It will be an intense love story. The love story of a boy, his lady-in-waiting and his motherland. I wouldn’t want to say anything more than that at this point in time.

Did you ask Abhishek to grow the beard for your film?
No. I didn’t.

Have you been interacting with him on the film and his role?
Not much. But I have got to know him. He has the right attitude, and is very constructive in his approach. He is into the project wholeheartedly and I am sure he will make an outstanding actor. He knows the medium, and working with a boy like that is half the battle won.

Are you feeling the responsibility of launching a Bachchan progeny?
It certainly is an immense responsibility. I understand that the expectations are sky high. And that means additional pressure.

Are you conscious that the Bachchans might keep a close watch?
No. But it will be natural if they show concern. I have told both Amitabh and Jaya, ‘I will make a worthwhile film. I just want your moral support, I want you to back me to the hilt’. The rest is my responsibility.

You were keen on making a love story on a much smaller scale
after the “intense experience” of Border...
Yes. That’s what my unit wanted as well. They keep telling me that I’d make a very good love story. I also feel that. But then I don’t know what happens to me when I get down to planning a film. It grows in dimension. Becomes big. I guess it’s difficult to think small once you have worked on a large canvas. That’s what people like Spielberg have done. Gone bigger and bigger. Aakhri Mughal is a love story — but of epic dimensions.