My cinema is not just entertainment: Shoojit Sircar

Nonika Singh

He loves Punjab and Punjabis. If director Shoojit Sircar had his way, his very first film would have been about Punjab. Bhagat Singh and Udham Singh are towering revolutionary figures who have always fascinated him. But back in time when he toyed with the idea, a host of films on Bhagat Singh were already being made. So he moved on to his next favourite, Kashmir, and thus came Yahaan.

Today the director of superhit films like Vicky Donor and Piku is busy with the post-production of Sardar Udham Singh, the patriot who assassinated Michael O’ Dwyer, the former Lieutenant Governor of the pre-Independence Punjab. His knowledge of the revolutionary martyr is not limited to one-liners or merely confined to historical veracity. Rather his research on the patriot goes back to nearly one-and-a-half decade. Co-writer of Sardar Udham Singh, Ritesh Shah, shares how while writing the film, Shoojit deluged him with documents and articles accounting for minute details. But, the movie will not be a collation of facts, rather a ‘study of Udham’s heart and mind’.

Master of detail

Shoojit, who prides himself on doing immense research on his subjects, rarely picks up a subject at a superficial level. Thus a seemingly light-hearted film like Gulabo Sitabo, currently streaming on Amazon Prime, too involved getting into its many layers. The key difference between a period film and one set in the present is how to recreate the feel of the past. He says, “If I were to shoot a film in today’s England, it would be quite simple, just go there and let the cameras roll. But to re-imagine the England of the 1930 requires meticulous planning.”

Script is non-negotiable

For every film he makes, he works by a bound script, which is ‘a work in progress’, constantly evolving as well as a non-negotiable tenet. It is, thus, not surprising that even though his first choice to play Sardar Udham Singh was the late actor Irrfan Khan, when Vicky Kaushal stepped in, not even a wee bit of change was made in the original script. He says, “Any dos or don’ts are agreed upon prior to the writing”. Creative brainstorming with his favourite writer, Juhi Chaturvedi, who has written most of his films with a few exceptions like Sardar Udham Singh, in fact, lead to scenes/ characters being discussed threadbare and written almost in stone. For Gulabo Sitabo, they were determined not to play to the gallery.

Interestingly while his film Madras Café on the LTTE and Indian intelligence operatives working in Sri Lanka may have ruffled a few feathers, he is more than confident that bringing a hero like Udham Singh alive on screen would not offend anyone.

Humanism of the hero

While he keeps mum about whether it is difficult to strike a balance between humanising and eulogising a hero, he does say, “Udham Singh was an ordinary man who became a hero.” Shah fills in, “He is celebrating the martyr through his humanism, his influences, his ideas. Shoojit’s genres may change but not his approach which is to make cinema more meaningful and less dialogue heavy.”

Telling simple stories in extraordinary ways is Shoojit’s forte. Vicky Donor, Piku and now Gulabo Sitabo, the characters he introduces to the world are relatable everyday human beings. Drawn from the vortex of his personal experiences, how they ring a bell with audiences across the spectrum, he has no idea. Or at least is not willing to share the secret formula. But yes, he is tickled pink when after Vicky Donor, wonderstruck Punjabi families came to him and quizzed him: “How did you know so much about us?”

Pulse of Punjab

Really how did this Bengali get the Punjabi pulse so right? What explains this deep connect with Punjabis? He looks back, “Maybe it is because both Bengalis and Punjabis were active during the Independence movement. Maybe that is my link.” Besides, having spent college years in Delhi, the city he has masterfully captured in more than one film, he did have a lot of Punjabi friends. One Punjabi trait he hugely admires is their never-say-die spirit. While shooting for Sardar Udham Singh in Amritsar, he was totally taken in by the hospitality of Punjabis. But the man who never fails to hit the bull’s eye even with rather abstract themes as in the quiet yet evocative October is rather circumspect about his dedication and talent. While Shah beams, “Sardar Udham Singh is going to be truly special and visually spectacular.” Shoojit himself puts it rather succinctly, “Watch it and decide for yourself.”

Not playing to the gallery

Right now the world is watching his latest Gulabo Sitabao as it is streaming across more than 200 countries in dozens of languages. He is cryptic, “I don’t have to worry about box-office figures or speculate about whether people are watching it or not.” Teaming up with superstar Amitabh Bachchan yet again he admits that his bonding with the senior actor has reached a point of great trust. In fact, superstars in the making such as Vicky or Ayushmann or established ones like Deepika or Big B, Shoojit doesn’t cast them for their star value. The director, known for unusual casting, made Irrfan romance Deepika Padukone. He believes, “Casting is half the battle won, the most important determinant after the script.”

Since his cinema is also character-driven, hence a lot many films such as Vicky Donor, Piku and now Sardar Udham Singh named after characters, its actors and not stars who drive his projects. For Gulabo Sitabo, he made senior Bachchan undergo complete transformation with prosthetics et al, as he wanted audiences to forget he is anything else but Mirza. So why cast a superstar with larger-than-life image in the first place? “For he is an actor too,” comes the prompt reply. Just as his films are hugely delightful, but in his words, “They are not about entertainment, entertainment and entertainment.” Yet the filmmaker who insists he makes films for himself and his set of like-minded friends has hordes nodding in affirmation and appreciation.