On Day 2 of the Cinevesture International Film Festival, Hansal Mehta and Pratik Gandhi delight with their acumen
Acclaimed director Hansal Mehta’s cinema has all the gravitas needed to make thought-provoking content. Only on Day 2 of the Cinevesture International Film Festival in Chandigarh, we see his delectable sense of humour as much as his deep insight into what goes behind the scenes.
In a session, he and his current muse, the talented actor Pratik Gandhi, talked about director actor-relationship and what it takes to crack the code. Mehta joked how its ‘lazy casting’, which brings him to his Scam 1992 actor once more. On a serious note, he shares how Applause Entertainment, which has produced the much-anticipated series on Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, actually roped-in Pratik first and came to him later. But then who else but Pratik, who has been playing Gandhi on stage for years would have been a better fit for the part of the Father of the Nation.
Pratik had been visualising and aspiring to play the Mahatma on screen for the last 10 years and can relate to so many qualities of his. But what strikes him the most about Gandhi is how one could be so stubborn, yet so morally right. Was it ego….a question Pratik often asks himself? Gandhi’s simplicity too, according to him, was a very strong tool and something we need to pay heed to in today’s time.
Both Mehta and Pratik insist that Gandhi is more relevant than ever and would be in all political climates. Mehta adds, “Non-violence (ahimsa) is a principle that is not only significant in public domain but even in households.” While Pratik shares the Gandhi we will see in Mehta’s series will be more of a human being and less of a Mahatma, Mehta refuses to divulge any tangible details. He would rather let time and the series itself tell the tale. Yes, the series is very much based on eminent historian Ramchandra Guha’s books and, yes, long form of series, he observes, “Is the ideal format to tell the story of the man who said, My life is my message.”
Being a Gujarati himself, Gandhi was not an automatic role model for Mehta, “We have different ideals at different points of time.” Besides, he quips, “I don’t revere anyone blindly.” For someone who has given us many real stories, be it Harshad Mehta, Telgi and now Gandhi, he would not be drawn into the debate of the challenge of biopics either. To those who feel history is right now the flavour of the season, Mehta begs to differ. “Just one Chhaava does not prove a point.”
On the murmurs that Bollywood, a term, he feels ought to be demolished, is not working, he does admit, “We all are working under pressure, of box-office numbers, of views on OTT and more.” But if you think his last theatrical outing, The Buckingham Murders, fared badly, he divulges how it was a profitable proposition. Actually, but for Simran where he did not apply ‘minimising the risk’ formula, all his films, from Shahid to Citylights to recent ones like Faraz, have made money.
Risks on OTT too have to be accounted for and he takes immense pride in creating the watershed Scam 1992 with low budgets. Will Gandhi be India’s answer to The Crown, well, he feels, “India should have its own moment. If anything, I am waiting for us to make something like the web series Adolescence.” As OTT too is falling in the formulaic trap, he does sense another disruption around the corner. Only the disruptor, he insists, won’t be any new platform, for “disruption comes from the artistic community.” Thus he thinks companies like Applause Entertainment and RSVP are the real disruptors, who will put their money where their conviction lies and numbers follow.
His own conviction has led him to back a Punjabi film Hanere De Panchhi. Interestingly, he considers it a privilege to be part of this stunning vision. He may have talked about how he is in search of ‘egoless actors’, but clearly his ego takes a backseat in the larger interest of good cinema.
Thus, he has no hesitation in sharing how Gurvinder Singh’s Anhe Ghode Da Daan guided the sensibilities of his own film Aligarh and he even borrowed Singh’s Chauthi Koot’s cinematographer Satya Nagpaul. If he views himself as a chronicler of his times, recording history as truthfully as possible, Pratik shares how Mehta would never colour his vision or see his characters through the prism of his personal ideology. But then these are not men who proclaim to know it all, but are forever learning!
Jasbir's heart beats for Heer
As he shared his journey from the childhood days —when he discovered his love for music, but had to hide his tumbi from his father who didn’t approve — to his phenomenal success with Dil Le Gayi Kudi, he cracked jokes about serious arty filmmakers and took a dig at Bollywood’s shallow portrayal of Punjabis. “Punjabis do have depth,” said the singer, who takes pride in his association with stalwarts like Hans Raj Hans, Puran Shah Koti and late Surjit Patar. “I can’t say I studied much literature, but being in their company enriched me and my music. Even my theatrical association with Harpal Tiwana and Gursharan paaji helped me shape myself post the success of Dil Le Gayi, while dealing with MTV and Channel V crowds. Theatre helped me get my body language and diction right.” Well, Dil Le Gayi… might have been career defining song for him, but the dil of this dashing Punjabi munda still beats for Heer! — Parbina Rashid
