Sudhir Mishra “If an actor’s film succeeds, he becomes a star”

In this telephonic talk with JYOTHI VENKATESH exclusively for Cine Buster, the maverick filmmaker SUDHIR MISHRA talks about his journey till date from being a production assistant to Vidhu Vinod Chopra in his film Saza-E-Maut to making his latest film Daas Dev.

What exactly is your film Daas Dev about?
My film Daas Dev is actually a reversal of Devdas. Around four years ago, it was Pritish Nandy who suggested that I make Devdas for him when all of a sudden, I thought about it but saw a strange similarity between Devdas and Hamlet. I have always felt that Devdas was an addict of not only alcohol but also power in a political dynasty and the reason for the split between Devdas and Paro is purely political.

In what way is your Chandramukhi in Daas Dev different from Chandramukhi in Bimal Roy’s or Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Devdas?
My Chandramukhi is the woman every politician knows very well but pretends not to know. My Chandramukhi has the same attraction for Daas Dev. My Paro did not go to the kothi but confronted Dev. If Dev is God like and Daas means slave, Daas Dev is the journey of Daas to Dev. It is about the person who liberated Paro. He is a victor not a loser. From a loser he becomes a victor.

Is Daas Dev is a satire or a political thriller?
Daas Dev is more of a political thriller than a satire. It drives home the message that love is impossible to happen if you think only of power all the time.

You did not take to politics by following in the footsteps of your grandfather!
My grandfather was one of the three or four people who were instrumental in our late Prime Minister Smt Indra Gandhi splitting the Congress. When he came to Mumbai, he never used to call Mrs Gandhi. I was a production assistant with Vinod Chopra from the film Saza-E-Maut starring Nasseruddin Shah and Radha Saluja. I have dedicated my film to my grandfather.

How tough was the casting for Daas Dev been?
I cast Rahul Bhatt because I liked him in Ungli. I cast Saurabh though there was no character like him in the original Devdas. I felt Anurag Kashyap had to be exploited as an actor and hence cast him as the father of Devdas. It is a very purposeful part but is talked about but not present physically. I cast Aditi as she is very sensual.

How do you think Daas Dev will fare at the box office?
Though every filmmaker wants his film to break the 100 cr or 200 cr benchmark, I will be more than happy if my film does a business of 50 to 60 cr at the box office. My film is more like a Badlapur, Fukray, Queen or Newton.I made Daas Dev on a big scale like an epic. It would have ideally cost a commercial filmmaker at least 50 to 60 cr to make it but we have made it on a budget of 13 cr and hence, I feel that even if Daas Dev ploughs back at least 30 to 40cr it would end up as a huge hit at the box office.

How big is the change in filmmaking now compared to what it was 30 years ago?
Today it is one of the interesting phases where I see many interesting partnerships being forged in cinema. I see an independent filmmaker like Anand L. Rai emerging as a good filmmaker. If he has backed a Shubh Mangal Saavdhaan, with a newcomer like Ayushmaan Khurana, he has also made a Zero with Shah Rukh Khan.

Which are the other filmmakers that you admire a lot?
There are several good filmmakers who I admire a lot like Rajkumar Hirani, Anurag Kashyap, Vishal Bharadwaj, Navdeep Singh, Vikram Motwani, Nikhil Advani, Kabir Khan, Imtiaz Ali and Anubhav Sinha.

Do you think filmmakers no longer rely on stars and concentrate more on content these days?
Today a lot of filmmakers are making their films solely relying on their content. Look at Richa. She was not a star when she starred in Fukray and Fukray 2 but after the success of those films, Richa Chadha is today hailed as a star on her own merit. Isn’t Aditi Rao Hydari who I had launched with my film Yeh Saali Zindagi a star with Mani Ratnam opting to cast her in not just one but two films in Tamil? Today a lot of stars are also good actors. If an actor succeeds with his or her film, he or she automatically becomes a star. Saif Ali Khan is a star but as an actor, was splendid in Vishal Bharadwaj’s Omkara. Aamir Khan is a star today but just look at his range as an actor with films like 3 Idiots and Dangal.

What do you think about web series?
I am 100% confident that web series is the future and they will co-exist with feature films. Also, don’t forget that feature films will also come on the web tomorrow and theatres alone will no longer be the solo outlets to showcase your films. Though in the beginning, you may feel that the web series will displace cinema, it will co-exist with cinema in future. Mark my words.

Go on!
I was a creative mentor and mentored the script for a web series made by Amazon with Irrfan Khan. I am also planning to direct a historical web series shortly. I find the scenario as far as web series exciting. Those who are stuck in nostalgia and continue to crib about the past and refuse to move ahead will be automatically left behind.

Which are the five best films of yours as a filmmaker till date?
My journey as a filmmaker is yet not over. I have made around 13 films in a career span of 30 years till date and can easily make at least twenty more films as I have a lot of stories in my head waiting to be made as films. I am of the opinion that though there are many who make fantasies, someone should tell stories of our time too. I’d say that Dharavi, Yeh Woh Manzil To Nahin, Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin and Khoya Khoya Chand are my five best films.

Are you allergic to casting stars in your films!
In my case, I, fortunately, have the trust of a lot of stars like Anil Kapoor, Kay Kay Menon, Chitrangada, Irrfan, Pankaj Kapoor, Shabana Azmi, Madhurii Dixit and Deepti Naval, who besides being good actors are also good stars.

What next?
I am in talks with Pritish Nandy to make a sequel to Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi. I am also writing a black comedy now, besides Mehrunnisa, which I wanted to make with Amitabh Bachchan and Rishi Kapoor asap.