Rajkumar Hirani on the Sanjay Dutt biopic, being comfortable in a producer’s shoes and his immensely successful directorial innings
Harshada Rege (DNA; December 16, 2015)
He is the man with the Midas touch. With an impressive 100 per cent record at the box-office, Rajkumar Hirani is the director every filmmaker aspires to be and every actor dreams of working with. Like everyone around, I am an admirer of his work. When I get the opportunity to meet him, I grab it. At the director’s office, he surprises me by apologising profusely and repeatedly for a few minutes’ delay. (I recall the numerous times actors have walked in two hours late for an appointment without offering an excuse or an explanation). A clear indication that Raju (as he is fondly called) is truly what they call in B-Town language ‘zara hatke’. Success suits him because he knows to wear it well. For the next 30 minutes, he talks about turning producer, his next venture the Sanjay Dutt biopic and his production Saala Khadoos which releases next month. Excerpts from the conversation...
Imtiaz Ali said in a recent interview that the best producer is the one who is invisible. Agree?
Imtiaz must have meant someone who doesn’t impose or interfere, but invisible doesn’t mean that you are not there. You do your thing without showing that you are doing it. So, I think that is the way I handled these people. I did not go on the sets for a single day. I knew that if I did, there would be a lot of pressure on the actors and director. If they had written some scenes, I would give them my inputs or rewrite it a bit and hand it to them. Once it was given to them, it was up to them whether or not to use it. Once they finished shooting, I sat on the edit. So, I helped them creatively, but without imposing myself on them. I would always tell Sudha Kongara (the Saala Khadoos director) that the final call is hers. But she is a smart girl, she understands that if she is getting a good suggestion, she should take it.
Did you struggle with production, especially during 3 Idiots, your first film as a producer?
I started with Vinod (Vidhu Vinod Chopra). He was there for my first two films. With 3 Idiots, I got into production. I used to do ads, so I had a team at a smaller level that would handle things, so it wasn’t a problem. But sometimes, I feel that, ideally, a director should be given that comfort where he shouldn’t be thinking that I have to sign these cheques in the evening. A director should be in a position where he is only directing. On the sets, he is only looking at the performances, thinking ‘How I am going to shoot this?’ But very honestly, I have never been in that position. I got a lot of support when Vinod was there. He would handle the bigger issues, but he’s not someone who is on the sets and handling issues. He would put the money in the bank and say, ‘Yeh paisa hai, chalo tum log banao’. Toh, de facto you were still a producer. I do dream of a day where I can find a person who can completely take charge of all that and I can get up in the morning and say, ‘I just have to direct’. At the same time, if I produce more, I want to give that to someone.
When did you think of making a biopic on Sanjay Dutt?
This story wasn’t on my radar, it actually fell into my lap. I was planning to do something else after PK. When Sanjay came out on parole for the first time, he opened up and began venting. I had gone to his house to meet him. I must’ve gone at at about 5 pm and ended up staying there till 3 am just hearing him out. And that, despite having worked with him in three films. I thought I knew him. But when I heard him, I realised I knew very little of his life. I was blown away. So, I told him, ‘I will come some other day. I want to hear more’. Next day, he called me up at 4 pm. I went to his house again. Then I started going to his house everyday, this happened for the next 25 days. After the second day, I called Abhijat to join me. We used to go there everyday and hear him out. I was completely amazed by a life like this. I told him, ‘This should be made into a film’ He said, ‘Ya, make it.’ I told him but you have to tell the truth. He said, ‘This is the truth. Do what you want with it.’ Then I met his family, his friends, other people, cops, everybody. It’s turning out to be something different.
Most of his life story is in the public domain. How will you make it interesting?
People don’t know his life. They think they do, but they don’t. You know only those few things that are written. Par andar kya hai...nobody knows.
Why did you choose Ranbir for the role?
Whenever I have seen Ranbir, I have just loved the way he performs. I think he’s a fantastic actor. Secondly, we needed someone who could play Sanjay from 18 years to 35. He’s at that age where he can play both. And third, he knows Sanjay very well. He is born in a film family, he understands that world better than anybody else. With all those factors put together, I think he’ll do a fantastic job.
What period of Sanjay’s life fascinates you the most?
His entire life has been a roller coaster ride. His sister told me one day that they never got to spend time with him. She said, ‘Our brother comes and goes away.’ At eight, he was sent to a hostel. Ten years later, when he returned, his mother fell ill, so kahin chala gaya, then for drug rehab, phir chala gaya. Wahaan se aaya, phir jail chala gaya. It’s such an up-and-down journey... so there’s lots to say (smiles).
What would you say about censorship today which many filmmakers have a huge issue with?
It has to be a body of certification. It cannot be a body that says, ‘Yeh kaat do, woh kaat do’. They should say, this is your work and for this we’ll give you an ‘A’. How there’s PG-12 or 14, for example. I think in any work of art, there always will be randomness about what is good what is bad. Those contradictions will always be there, ke yeh pass hua, woh nahi hua. The people who sit there to review our films represent a cross-section of the society, it’s critical that those people are selected well. The moment you have educated people like, say, college professors, lawyers, artists, who have a slightly liberal point-of-view towards life, we will end up creating a Board which will look at things more holistically. Any cinema gives you a point-of-view. A lot of junk also comes, so it’s a problem for them. But take for example PK, it’s giving a point-of-view. If censorship stops that point-of-view and says, ‘We are not going to let this pass’, then there will be no progress in life. You need to have a liberal point of view for a society to grow. I think woh kuch bhi karenge gaaliyan khayenge, It’s a tough job for them. Sometimes they do well, sometimes they make mistakes. But I think if the members can be selected a bit carefully it will be an easier space.
A lot of young directors of this generation look up to your work, whose work do you admire?
Among earlier directors, Guru Dutt and Hrishida’s (Hrishikesh Mukherjee) work. But I think that everybody, at some stage, makes one great film and that work you admire. When I look at Talvar, I look at the way Vishal (Bhardwaj) has written and I say ‘Wow! What wonderful dialogues, wonderful writing!’ The way Meghna (Gulzar) has directed it, I’d say, hats off. The performances by Irrfan (Khan) and everyone are great. So every time, there will be some work of a filmmaker that will inspire you. This time, Vishal inspired me with his film. I love the way Imtiaz (Ali) does his work. I love the way (Anurag) Basu can surprise you with his work, the way he did with Barfi. (Anurag) Kashyap in his own way. So all of them are doing great stuff in some way. Kabhi koi picture achchi hogi, kabhi nahi hogi, that stuff keeps happening. I would say films inspire me more than the makers. One particular film of a filmmaker inspires you, then obviously you appreciate that person.
Of the characters that you have written, which one are you closest to?
The character you are writing at that point obviously become closest to you then. You spend two years living with that character, trying to be like them, trying to think like them. I remember, when we made two Munnabhai movies and we were planning to make the third one, someone told me ‘Don’t make another Munnabhai because now you are behaving like him, you are talking like him, your bhasha has become like that.’ When you are writing a character, you are completely engrossed with that person. Munnabhai, being the first film, will always remain special.
Does your son want to follow in your footsteps?
He is showing some inclination towards filmmaking. But it’s too early to tell, he’s still in school.
What’s a day in your life like when you are not working?
The trouble is that I am always making movies. In the last few years, it’s been PK, then Saala Khadoos — many things are happening. I have just jumped from one film to another. A lot of times, I feel that I should just get away and take a backseat, but the thing is, I also enjoy this. If you have to ask me what do I like doing beyond this, then I would say I like travelling. I love to get away and I have been planning for many years that I’ll take off somewhere for a month, but I haven’t been able to do that till now. At the most, I have been able to run away for four-five days and I have to be back. But travelling is something I want to do in this lifetime as much as I can.