Raid Cast and Crew “Raided By Cine Buster”

While Ajay Devgn’s successful streak at playing characters with high social wattage is leaving the audience asking for more, Dipti Ranglani Gulabani meets up with the intense performer as he gears up to play a fearless IT officer whose Raid can make the mightiest break into a sweat.

Ajay Devgn

Tell us about your prep for the role that’s based on a true story.
I obviously met the real man on whom my character as an IT officer Amay Patnaik is based on. But I would like to say that I met him not just because of who he is or because of such an unbelievable incident. I wanted to understand how he was so honest and most importantly why so honest? His morals and the person whose house he chose to raid where nobody had ever dared to go before, also makes for a very interesting plot.

How challenging does it get to grasp the nuances or research about the character?
The kind of research that the story writer and director have done didn’t leave much for me to do. Ritesh wrote the first draft and then we got Raj on board, so together they worked and did the detailed work. They’re the ones who worked very hard and so I can’t take their credit.

Since you have also helmed projects in the past, how did you contribute to this movie?
Usually, when you work in a movie, you do happen to give a few inputs regularly. With Rajkumar Gupta also, there was a good tuning since he’s a sensible director, and he understands what the other person is trying to suggest. So you see, it’s basically a teamwork and I give a few suggestions or inputs jo thoda bahot mujhe samajh mein aata hai.

Your first reaction to the script and the role offered to you?
When I heard about the true incident, my first reaction was that they should definitely make a film on this character and this incident. At that time they didn’t have a screenplay. Then the team started work on the detailed screenplay. It’s got many fascinating elements and you will understand that only when you see it. There are many layers to the story and I’m sure everyone will really enjoy it.

The script took a while to materialise. Do you think it’s being released now because movies on similar themes are working now?
No, that’s not the case. I had first heard the story about 3-4 years ago. It takes time for a correct script to be formed around a real-life incident and till the work is not accurately finished, we cannot go ahead with it.

Your take on the movie coming out at a time when very high profile raids and scams are shaking the nation up?
Scams toh hote rehte hai. Because of media, people get to know about these raids and scams more easily now. But it has always happened. In fact, you might not be having any idea about the number of raids and scams that had taken place in the 80s and 90s. The incident this movie is based on is also one of them, so yes there’s this element of relevance also. But these economic offences have always been there.

Is it a conscious decision to star in commercially viable movies with a social message?
No, not always. See, filmmaking is not always about being socially relevant, it’s about being entertaining. And by entertaining I don’t mean it has to make you laugh, it has to keep you involved for the 2 or 2 and 1/2 hours, and when you come out you feel like it was worth it. So, in that, if you can deliver a social message it’s nice, but it’s not necessary for me.

Do you think audience preference has changed and they’re more interested in relevant stories like Toilet Ek Prem Katha or Pad Man?
Yes, I think the audience preference is changing and even we are changing with them. Through the internet and other mediums, there’s so much exposure that everyone knows what’s happening around. There are world cinema and other movies available on the internet. Even my watchman is checking out movies on the internet. The audience is evolving and we are also catching up.

Do you think it’s a particular genre that just clicks?
People don’t care about the genre. They just want to get entertained. It is not about a genre. It’s just a good film or a bad film. Tell me which good film has not worked? It’s very difficult for a good film not to work.

How much importance are movie promotions worth?
For me, promotions are like a hit and run case. Sometimes there’s so much hype about a movie that by the time the public watches it, and realises it’s a bad film and the word gets out, the movie has already made the money over the weekend. So sometimes promotions help movies in a hit and runway.

After producing Aapla Maanus, would you also be interested in acting in Marathi movies?
Yes, I’m definitely interested in acting in Marathi movies. If I get a good script, I will do it.

How’s your equation with Ileana D’Cruz?
She’s a very sweet girl and we get along very well. We have worked together in Baadshaho. She’s playing a very strong character in the movie and fits the dialogue that goes, “India Ke Officers Ka Nahi, Unke Biwio Ka Bahadur Hona Zaroori Hai…”

How has the experience been working opposite Saurabh Shukla as the negative lead?
He’s a great actor and great fun to work with. We have worked together in the past but this is the first time he’s got a lengthy role. All of our scenes together have a got an intense as well as a humorous touch too.

Your favourite dialogue from the film?
There are many amazing punches but my favourite is…Main sirf sasural se hi shaadi wale din khali haath lauta tha… varna jiske ghar subah subah pahuncha hoon kuchna kuch nikaal kar hi laya hoon.

Which projects are lined up next?
There’s Luv Ranjan’s rom-com which is currently being shot and after that we will start with Singham 3. Maybe after that, once everything is on schedule, then we will start Golmaal 5.

 

ileana D’cruz

The demure diva Ileana D’Cruz opens up about her experiences while working on her forthcoming release Raid to DIPTI RANGLANI GULABANI.

After a string of glamorous roles, what attracted you to this role in Raid?
It’s a good shift. Especially after Baadshaho, Ajay’s fans were very pissed (off) with my character in the movie for betraying him (laughs). But my concern wasn’t so much about the character or the look in the film as much as I’ll admit, I was concerned with the length of the part. I’m just glad to be a part of this film because it is very important for this story to be told. So I consider myself lucky for getting to essay this role.

Surely it was a big decision to make this shift?
Yes. I am selfish, I look at impactful roles to play. In Raid, my role isn’t lengthy for sure but it’s very interesting. Playing the 80s wife, I thought I’ll have to play the typical wifey role of cooking food and taking care of home, so I didn’t have a lot of hope. But when I was convinced to hear the part, I realised she was quite spunky. I especially like the way my character speaks to her husband because it’s amazing how they are shown as equals.

Tell us more about this character. How did you prepare for this role?
It’s a great story and the role that I am playing is very different. This is a story that needs to be told because whenever you hear about a raid you only hear about the person who has been raided and not about the officer’s backstory. There are lots of such officers whose story needs to be told. I don’t like researching about my roles. I like it when it’s spontaneous. With research, it becomes a bit spoon-fed and I don’t want to play my part depending on what people are writing about it. But as far as my look in the film is concerned, my stylist wanted me to look like Rekhaji from the 80s. I’m dressed in very simple, quintessentially Indian looks, even the night suits were the lungi types.

What was your initial reaction after you heard the first narration which was mainly hero-centric?
When I first heard the story, I asked Raj if this is based on a true story and when he said that it was, I was shocked because all this is true. It is not just some filmy drama that we have put in, this actually happened. The man who really did this is truly a hero and the tagline of our movie is apt. I’d like to meet that man, shake his hands and shake his wife’s hands. It’s not easy, because especially the raids in the 80s used to take place without the husband getting to inform his house or his wife, and the latter just used to keep waiting and wondering what’s happening, not even knowing whether her husband is coming back or not.

How is Ajay Devgn as a co-star to work with?
He’s very easy going. From the first film, he’s been telling me he’s a lazy actor. I don’t think he’s lazy, but in fact, he makes his work look very easy. He will come on set, he will chill and do his lines and I keep wondering how can he do it so coolly, but it’s also years of experience. We became friends when we first started working. He’s like a buddy and as artists, we really respect each other.

Any memorable moments from behind the scenes?
I used to burst out laughing when shooting the songs. When we were filming ‘Sanu ek pal…’ I thought this was so cocky and I would laugh every time we had to do a take. It was funny having to play that typical biwi. Even during ‘Nit khair mangdi…’ there was a huge crowd that had gathered to see Ajay, and we were shooting a scene where I trip and he’s there to hold me. But I couldn’t control my laughter because that was so typical and had an old-fashioned feel to it.

After your success in Bollywood, is it a conscious decision to stay away from South?
Initially, after I signed Barfi, south filmmakers stopped offering me projects. Recently when I went to Hyderabad for Chiranjeevi’s birthday, I met my old co-stars and asked them why I wasn’t being offered a film, and I think it’s due to some miscommunication that they thought that I didn’t want to do films in the south anymore. I did get a lot of offers after that, but I haven’t liked any role yet. I wouldn’t want to compromise my standing in the south by doing an ok movie, I’ll pick apart very carefully.

Your take on how women are objectified onscreen in Indian cinema?
I don’t think it’s only in the south or in Bollywood. For instance, I read about the recently released Hollywood movie Jumanji, about how men in the movie were dressed to be in the jungle and how the girl appeared in micro minis running around the woods. I would like to add that even I have been objectified, in fact when I first started out, a lot of attention was given to my waistline. I used to find that very amusing and wonder why were filmmakers so obsessed with my waist. But I can’t blame Indian cinema alone and it would be right to say that this problem exists all over.

How was your equation with your co-star Ajay Devgn’s wife Kajol?
I do get along very well with her and we talk about different things every time we meet. I don’t discuss movies with her but I’m a big fan of Kajol. She’s me all time favourite. Seriously, I am not such a fan of Ajay’s work, as much as I love Kajol. The majority of Hindi films I have seen are hers, such as Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, K3G and Pyar Toh Hona Hi Tha.

Your dream movie to be cast in?
A remake of Hema Malini’s Seeta Aur Geeta. I think Chaal Baaz was a worthy remake of the classic and Srideviji had done an amazing job.

 

Producers Bhushan Kumar and Abhishek Pathak with director Rajkumar Gupta

It is true that not all heroes wear a uniform. It is also true that not all heroes always face the camera. We bring to you producers Bhushan Kumar and Abhishek Pathak along with director Raj Kumar Gupta who discussed their movie Raid with DIPTI RANGLANI GULABANI

It is obvious that after being applauded for his previous movies like Aamir and No One Killed Jessica, director Rajkumar Gupta’s rather commercial outing Raid has raised many eyebrows. When asked about his move to the mainstream cinema, Raj said, “I like making movies for everyone and for me all my movies have been mainstream. As far as a big ticket movie is concerned, then I don’t see if the movie is big or small, I just see if the story is worth telling or not. When I heard this story I felt that this needs to be talked about.”

We nudge him to tell us about how he happened to choose this script over others, to which he responds, “after a long time I heard a story that had the unbelievable twist factor. I couldn’t imagine that this could be a true story and when it was narrated to me by my producer Kumar Mangat, I thought that this story was different, and if it’s true, then I need to make it.”

Kumar Mangat Pathak’s son, Abhishek Pathak seconds the claim and said, “Our writer Ritesh Shah had narrated the basic plotline to us a long time ago and we decided to take it further at a little later time. Once we had a script in hand and got Raj on board, we took the project to Bhushan Ji to co-produce this period drama.”

It is no secret that the dialogues of Raid are impactful and director Rajkumar Gupta proudly mentions that, “this isn’t a serious film, the tone is intense because of the story and the officer’s background, but the strong dialogues keep the story flow very crisp yet humorous.”

Since the audience is lapping up the biopic trend, we wonder if Raid was a conscious step towards cashing in on the same, to which Bhushan Kumar responds, “we in fact would not call it a biopic, it’s a true story inspired by the incident of 1981 and based on the officer who raided and found Rs. 420 Cr in cash. In today’s time the amount could well be in thousands of crores, which makes it a huge amount in the history of raids. We had started work on the movie much earlier, so there’s no question of us lining up this thriller if we weren’t so sure about its content.”

When investing time and effort in a period drama with an A-list cast, there are bound to be some challenges. Abhishek mentions, “that’s right, every movie has some challenges. Ours as producers was to make sure that this product looks right in every way and since this is a period drama, the production values, the research and presentation should be accurate.”

So if those are the challenges, we ask Bhushan Ji to also tell us which was the easiest part of making the movie. He doesn’t skip a beat to say, “definitely, Ajay Devgn. Having him play the lead role made a lot of difference because he’s a very comfortable actor. He’s also a director, so he knows it best how to get involved in his character and he gets right inside the skin of the part he’s playing. That’s also something we have always seen in all his previous movies.”

Well, as the team prepares to Raid the box office windows on 16th, March 2018, it remains to be seen exactly how unbelievable a story it has for the viewers!