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An Evening With Sudhir Mishra
I had the opportunity to interview Sudhir Mishra a few months back. Unfortunately, I couldn’t publish the interview right away since all of what’s in this account was from memory, and I needed to verify a few things before I could publish them. There are still a couple of unverified points which I have tried not to disclose. Here’s hoping Sudhirji doesn’t twist my ear at IFFLA for publishing the rest of it….
how is tera kya hoga johnny coming along?
tera kya hoga johnny is coming along well…. there are 4 shoot dates remaining, which we’ll be resuming when i get back. we couldn’t finish it off in december because some 5-star hotel scenes needed to be shot, and all the 5-stars are booked in december (due to peak tourist season), so they’ve asked us to come back in january when they will be more free to let us shoot. it’s a much smaller film in terms of budget as compared to KKC, and is set in today’s time.
did you watch johnny gaddar, and is that how you picked up neil mukesh for TKHJ?
i haven’t watched the film, but i did see sriram’s rushes, and picked neil up from watching those.
as a viewer, is there a particular genre of movies you like to watch? (i realized he’s answered this on PFC after i asked the question)
i don’t really watch movies. the movies that come out these days are horrible. i love scorsese’s films though i didn’t like “the departed”. the problem with today’s films is that everyone sets out to make a ‘type’ of film. they say “i’m going to make a dark film, a comedy film” etc. the want to simply ‘make a film’ is lost. too much posturing, not enough honesty in the craft. i also like lars von trier’s work.
what’s the casting process in india? most of the so-called “agents” there turn out to be cons, so who do you go through to conduct auditons and where/how do you spread the word?
i go thru shanu sharma who helps me out.. she conducts auditions and screen tests for me.. the word is spread thru prithvi and other groups locally and once the word is out, the line for the audition stretches all the way to VT. shiney in HKA was the result of one such screen test, and i even screen tested soha for KKC.
you’ve had quite a gap before your last few releases, but this time your next film’s shooting is almost complete before KKC released and you’re almost into post-production. did the funding just come through in time?
yeah, it’s all about when the money came to me. it’s like what i’ve said about wanting to make hazaaron… 8yrs ago, but only got to do it 3yrs back. and the same with KKC, which i wanted to make 5yrs ago, but only got the money to make it last year.
the last time we met, you mentioned a movie called “the nawab, nautch girl and john….” something… is that what KKC ended up being or is that another different project altogether?
(gives me a ‘i can’t believe you remembered’ smile) it’s “the nawab, the nautch girl and the john company”. that’s a different project, which will be much bigger in terms of budget, because i’ll need 35-40 crores for it. i’d shown the script to [an A-lister who I'm not sure I can reveal just yet] and he really liked it. he mentioned he wants to produce it and has put me onto his partner, and i’ll be proceeding with that when the time is right. nothing is concrete yet though, and if things don’t work out at that end, i’d like to have irrfan and lara in that.
lara dutta?
i have liked her work in jhoom barabar jhoom. she has this sense of self deprecation about her in that film which i think would really well work in NNGJC. in fact, before soha, i had auditioned vidya balan as well as lara dutta for the role. i auditioned her now so i wouldn’t have to audition her later on and think why didn’t i audition her before. so now, lara is working with me in “aur devdas”.
(shocked) you’ve seen jhoom barabar jhoom? the whole thing?
yes. shaad is like my nephew.
anything more you can tell us about NNGJC?
i plan for it to be a very madcap film set in the 1850s being narrated by a fat chinese man… it would be from his point of view on political parties and their workings in india.
[someone else's question] whom have you liked working with more… soha or kareena?
they’re both really good. and i mean that. kareena’s more instinct. soha is brighter. it’s very easy for me to get along with soha because i can talk to her, but with kareena i wouldn’t have much to talk about (smiles).
let’s talk KKC…
i’ve been disappointed more with the fact that nobody’s gotten the film. i was hoping all the critics and the reviewers would understand that it’s more than just a story about characters in the hindi film industry of the 50s. i was hoping for that especially from the people on PFC, who seem to be bigger korean film buffs than indian film buffs. people need to see that it’s more than just a reflection of the era. i’m not trying to showcase the film industry in those days, and it’s not about nikhat’s journey in the film industry or anyone else’s for that matter. the films of those days had stock characters, and those films would portray those characters as just that and leave it at that. that’s where i’ve tried delving into the lives of these characters. those days you had very typical characters.. i.e. the heroine (nikhat), the friend (shyamol), the villain (prem kumar), the hero (zafar), the vamp (ratanbala), the godmother (sharda), and the movie looks into their lives beyond what has been shown on screen. nobody even understood that the very last shot of the film was nikhat’s orgasm. that disappointed me.
but doesn’t understanding KKC also have a lot to do with understanding and relating to that era too? PFC does, admittedly have a huge young population who perhaps, might not be able to relate to the 50s… i don’t even know korean cinema by the way…
i’m not that old either… i didn’t grow up in the 30s or 40s either (smiles)
right, but you weren’t in the generation of viewers who’s being inundated with SRK’s six-pack on TV…
(smiles back silently)
regarding a discussion about the indian audience…
most indian films these days are made for the indian diaspora, aka “the homesickness crowd”. i’ve met some of the most brilliant people with the most horrible cinematic sense. you can have an amazing, brilliant physicist or a university professor, but give him a movie and he’ll prefer to watch govinda dancing on screen. why will he care for a khoya khoya chand?
regarding the casting couch, brought up by someone else…
it doesn’t exist. so many people in the industry now have made it on their own… just look at them.. aishwarya, priyanka, soha, rani, preity… (one person from the audience: “but not mallika, surely” to which he replies with “even mallika has made it by herself. she’s a very stong, independent woman) they have all made it by themselves, there are so many. in fact, i’ve heard of the couch in indian academia more than i have in the film industry and can recall stories from my days in the university.
on a discussion about characters in his films…
geeta rao of hazaaron… was based on a telugu girl named geeta rao that i knew many years ago. unfortunately, i don’t know where she is now, but i was expecting her to get in touch with me after hazaaron…
any other projects at your end?
i’m also producing a film called foot soldier, directed by piyush jha, which should be releasing in a few months.. do watch out for that.
34 Responses to “An Evening With Sudhir Mishra”
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Thanks Striker! :) Was hoping it would be longer! Great read!
Thanks a lot dude. der aaye durust aaye…:)
brilliant! ^:)^ superb! ^:)^ great questions! ^:)^ thanks for this striker!!^:)^ ^:)^ ^:)^
fatema, it might get longer… i guess i remembered most of the stuff that i had talked to him about, but hopefully our very own PFC author kavita can read this and chime in on other things i may have missed, since she was also present that evening. in addition, another friend might add a few anecdotes in the next 24hrs.. things that were discussed but escaped my memory..
tushar, thx re.. aaya tho sahi..
wb, sharminda na karo tussi..
Thanks a ton. striker……..yeh dil mange more…:)
understandably wonderfulling striker..
shukriyaaa:)
wow great read! :) thanks a lot for this.
That was great.
I miss Sudhir Mishra’s posts a lot.
Yeah Mainak, me too. And of course Anurag’s posts as well. But then considering that they aren’t posting here coz they are busy doing what they do best I’m happy!
Striker - Was this when Kavita was in town last month? Oh cool shall badger her properly then for filling us all in! :)
WOW !!!
Thanks striker
And a grrrrrrrrrr for not posting this earlier and having kept us from the joy of reading this article
even i’l prefer govinda’s film over KKC
love those 80s films where govinda is youngest of 3 brothers .. brothers have bitchy wives .. their mother is a dukhiyari widow who has to take tantrums frm the bahus .. and then there is this lecherous villain (shakti kapoor/gulshan grover) who tries raping his sister/girlfriend etc .. then the brothers leave the house with their wives/drive away govinda and mom frm house .. somewhere the villain exploits this condition .. finally brothers and their wives realize their follies and come back and say sorry to govinda (who tells them “maa ke pairr chhoo ke maafi maango” with moist eyes) .. and then finally the villain is tamed and handcuffed .. yo happy ending.
.. and i dont even know what was there to ‘get’ in KKC :(
Great article striker. Sudhir made KKC from the heart and that’s what matters. It was an honest effort which is amazing in our bollywood during this era of ripp-offs and “inspired” movies that the Bhatts and the Nadiadwala camps seem to specialize in. The story was great and the fact that it did not connect with our younger audience is incidental. I think the problem was with the character of Nikhat. Our Indian audiences are not very forgiving of strong women who believe in making choices and taking control of their lives. Nikhat tried to get up every time she fell- though not so succefully at the end. That is the only grouse I had with the movie. Why couldn’t Nikhat have won despite that weak kneed Zafar. Many like Waheeda Rehman and Nargis did succeed. Lets hope things turn out differently in TKHJ.
No Fatema … i dont think striker is talking abt the meeting that kavita had with Sudhir mishra when she was in mumbai !!!
i guess they met him in the US n she met him again here !!!
nice questions machan !!!
anand, dpac, neeraja, mainak, kk, filmbuff, medium.. anytime guys.. sorry couldn’t share earlier, since i was trying to validate a few things in there..
fatema, this was in late december when sudhir had come to the US.. i’m not sure if k3 (kavita) met him in bby last month, but if she did, i’m sure she’d have more good stuff to add on here.
filmbuff, my sentiments exactly.. you nailed it. plus for me, soha didn’t match up to what sudhir had in mind for nikhat. she wasn’t convincing, at least to me..
I agree striker. Soha was not mature enough for the role, even though she gave it her best shot. The part when she is an alcoholic and is dying, does not ring true because of her youth and inexperience. Also Shiny did not promote the film the way he should have. I wonder what the mystery behind that is. Look at how people like Amir and SRK promote their films. They go all out. There is no doubt about it.
filmbuff, don’t think shiny promoting the film would’ve done much. he may be getting into the big budget films, but he’s not in the league of the khans and the kumars where him as a solo lead would work out as an ROI opportunity. he was brilliant in hazaaron and gangster, but since then, he just has the same drunk/stoned look in each film. it’ll be cringeworthy to watch him do a comedy. his smile alone is a deterrant.
KKC in itself is a tough film to market without making it seem like an “art film”, and when people see that it might be along the lines of one, it’s enough to keep the masses away.
“…i
Nice interview with one of the few original minds in our industry.
Rudro, I have faced this too, and i’m sure many have. Why do you think it is so? Why do so many obviously intelligent people prefer trash as entertainment? Could it be that they have developed their intelligence muscle at the cost of their aesthetic muscle?
That could be one reason but I’ve even seen people who are not only superior in their professions but also listens to good music, reads good literature, gives very sharp opinion on contemporary issues but while watching films, they just love to leave the brains at home. May be they consider film making is not a cerebral-enough art? Some of them will watch a scorsese, coppola in a while but David Lynch, Almadover,PT Anderson,Gus von Sant, Wong Kar Wai never rings a bell for them.
Thanks Striker … Great Read ! Wont K3 be in Mumbai next month ?
playback, not sure.. haven’t touched base with k3 in a couple of months since she’s been traveling. will let you know if/when i find out though..
thnx striker. but dont agree with sudhir mishra compltly. i still think that soha was the weakest link in the film. if it was someone else (but dont know who) it would have gone to compltly different level. yes soha did what she could.
pnu, yup.. soha was def weak.. so weak in fact, that all thru the film, all i could think was “what if… chitrangda had played nikhat instead…”
speaking of which, hazaaron is playing on star plus rt now, and so i take leave…
Hello all -
I have posted a personal account of the meeting with Sudhir on my blog(it was too long to post as a comment.
Check it out: http://www.lackimagination.blogspot.com
thanks arpita.. a brilliant piece. you touched on many topics that i simply skimmed over or didn’t recall. i do remember that madhuri one though.. hilarious.
Thanks for sparking the thought in me, striker :)
Being a scientist and a filmbuff, I wanted to add my two cents worth on the issue of brilliant minds and their take on cinema. Just like film-makers can be complete illiterates about science (a reference to how badly any science class is picturized in bollywood films), scientists can also be devoid of any cinematic knowledge. This is more true of scientists because they spend an inordinate amount of time delving into some very specialized and esoteric concept. Most (not all) scientists probably just want to be entertained and not informed when they see a movie, especially since they read for information all the time!
I am neither from IIT (disappointment) nor from IIM (more disappointment) but yeah I do work in hi-tech field where I get paid for my supposedly smarter brain.
There are some days when I wish to watch a movie but not apply myself to a movie. Those Sundays, such movies are always Welcomed. But there are times when I really sit and want to get involved in movies thats when MSFU or JG or BF or KKC (I haven’t watched it yet though) rule!
I have few friends who are really into world cinema. But again on the other side, I have friends who go Krazzy for Dhoom 2.
And all of them into hi-tech field. So I guess its got nothing to do with profession but just the way you are wired or where you coming from emotionally.
Movies are not supposed to be “one size does not fit all”.
Striker:
Sudhir’s film is running at the dc filmfestival. Check out the timings at filmfestdc.org and spread the word.
sm, yeah.. sudhir was telling me about it over the weekend.. might stop by on saturday
Great interview Striker and objective too (clearly I can see you were not awed by the person being intervied, so good job). What Sudhir says and what Sudhir really says has some conflicts that you caught well. Eg. from “I don’t watch Bollywood nowadays..” to “But Jhoom Barabar Jhoom had this….” Clearly he does but probably does not admit.
or
In one of his earlier write up’s which I think (his introductory one on PFC) he had mentioned something about, how Film people are like any other profession and should be treated normal (and I respected him for that), to blowing it up by saying “the audience did not GET KKC”…..a highly egoistic and bombastic statement I think, implying the audience are all morons and I am one smart human.
I loved his HKA and his scripting for Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron, but also felt his Calcutta Express was very average and have not seen KKC, but the verdict “on the street” was that he went to floor with a first draft of the script.
Not looking forward to his Devdas (or anyone elese’s) cause it makes me believe that THEY are all out of subject matter ideas, hence presenting a dead horse in a different way.
Interview wise though it was commendable and there is no denying Sudhir is one of our gems.
thanks vivek.. it’s funny, but the first two times i met him i could barely look at him without feeling intimidated. he has this aura, a tremendous presence when he walks into a room, one i didn’t even feel while meeting amitabh bachchan. the following two times i’ve met him it’s been a roller coaster ride.. i shoot questions and comments at him, and he replies back with such nonchalance and effortless ease with that sleepy smile of his, and you can’t help but be wooed. he has the ability to look at you, snap his fingers and say “you’re a woman now”, and i’ll probably go to the bathroom and put on makeup. he’s hypnotic. but the comfort level i have with him now is nothing short of amazing.. so much so that while we were all having drinks at IFFLA, he just casually put his arm on my shoulder and leaned on me.. a simple gesture, but it takes a lot of trust to do that with someone. an awe-inspiring person, for sure.
Vivek:
If you have not seen KKC how the hell can you presume to sit on judgment of whether the script was a first draft or not! Films are a medium where everybody seems to feel that they could do things better than the writer and/or the director. Like any artistic medium, I guess a film project is something a creator puts their heart and soul into and whether it connects with the audience or not then is an entirely different matter. Not being a film maker myself, but being a film lover, I can guess how heartbreaking it must be for a creator to see the disconnect between his vision and the expectations of the audience. There are different ways people percieve the world. You might like a glossy “Sivaji” or “Dil Se.” There are others who might like a more finely brewed tea. We should at least be willing to give each director his due by not dismissing his or her work in a cavalier manner.
SM:
Let me reiterate what I wrote (clearly it does not seem to be visible). The word on the “street….is.” I DID NOT SAY THE WORD PER VIVEK IS…..
Since I have not seen it I will not say something that I heard on the outside as my view.
b) On you dismissing his work, AGAIN READ WHAT I SAID…”he is one of our gems…..” and also about liking his HKA. So no question of being dismissive of his work.
I am talking about the man being interviewed and he has some inconsistencies and for all I care it could be Satyajit Ray or whoever, if there are inconsistencies, there are inconsistencies.