Kussh S. Sinha makes his directorial debut with supernatural thriller Nikita Roy, that releases in cinemas on June 27. Starring sister Sonakshi Sinha in the title role, the film also has Paresh Rawal, Arjun Rampal and Suhail Nayyar in its cast. t2 chatted with Kussh on his first film, what went into directing Sonakshi and what he has learnt from his father and veteran actor Shatrughan Sinha.
You are releasing Nikita Roy on a Friday which is crammed with new films along with earlier releases that are doing well. Wouldn’t another release date have given your film more of a chance at the box office?
I am happy that we are coming to cinemas because I will be able to hear back from audiences regarding their thoughts and also possibly see how the film affects them.
Yes, the release is unexpected because we have got a couple of biggies coming out on the same day. The trailer for Maa (starring Kajol) came out before that of our film and so people didn’t know what space we would come in. But we have received extremely positive feedback so far. It is a mixed-genre film and they were pleasantly surprised by it. They have also liked the fact that it looks like an original idea... it is not a remake or a rehash of some concepts put together.
As far as releasing the film this Friday is concerned, if we kept that in mind every single time, then possibly 90 per cent of films would not be made. There is always somebody else who is going to show up on the same date. If your story is engaging enough and the performances are good, films find a way to live by themselves, they find their audience, they find their own place to grow.
Also, to be honest, it is beyond anyone’s control. Who is going to tell somebody else not to release their film on a particular day? That is fine... we have been part of the industry for a while now.
Sonakshi Sinha
What made you want to direct Nikita Roy as your debut film?
I liked that it was an original idea. All the characters in it are strong. All of them have their motivations for doing what they do in the film. They have been written well. But we did rework the script extensively. The original idea and what we have got now are very different.
This is a mixed-genre film, but what would you primarily classify it as?
The longer version of my answer would be ‘mystery with supernatural elements’. The shorter version is ‘supernatural thriller’.
Do you enjoy watching films in this genre?
That is the funny part. When I was very young, I generally avoided horror films. But I think that is what helped me work on this film. If you understand the psychology of fear and what affects you and other people, then that always helps when making a film in this genre. If I had been desensitised to horror with regard to movies, then I possibly would not have been able to ideate or create sequences that would affect people emotionally.
The only horror film I have watched in recent times is A Quiet Place Part II. In fact, I watched it on mute because I wanted to see how the scenes would affect me without any sound layering.
Otherwise, when I am about to start work in a film, I don’t generally watch films from that space or genre because I think that you might end up subconsciously taking from those films. I would prefer to take from my own subconscious as opposed to taking from other people’s material.
Was Sonakshi always the first choice to play the title character?
Yes. I was always very clear that this role needed an actor with the capability that Sonakshi has. She is a phenomenal actor — probably the best actor from her batch — but I think she has been underutilised by some makers. More than a brother, I have watched her performances as a viewer and what she has done in Lootera, Akira and even Noor, to some extent, has been phenomenal. She has so much potential but you have to use it correctly.
Nikita is a very strong character, very layered and I felt she fitted the part perfectly. If Sonakshi had said ‘no’ — to be honest, she has said ‘no’ to some projects I have discussed with her in the past — then I would have looked at someone else.
What did you discover about her as an actor on your set?
I discovered that my hunch was right... that she has immense range. You just have to ask her for it. We were very professional on set because I also had to keep in mind that she is an experienced actor. She has done multiple projects and she knows her job very well. She is there on time, she learns her lines well. These are basics that actors are supposed to do, but today, even that is a problem sometimes. She is very easy to work with.
How was it directing a veteran like Paresh Rawal in your first film itself?
The amazing part about Pareshji is that he has so much experience and yet he is so open and humble. That also possibly came from the fact that he saw that we were trying to this film with all honesty. He picked up on that quickly and he was very collaborative with me. I will always be grateful for the space he gave me to discuss and collaborate with him on this film. I believe that this will be one more iconic character in the extensive list of memorable characters that he has played.
You have been an assistant director on the sets of various filmmakers, including that of Sanjay Leela Bhansali. What were your biggest learnings from that phase that you applied while directing your first film?
You learn patience when you are an assistant director as well as how to be extremely aware because you have to do multiple things at the same time. The director has to focus on his job on set, but the assistants have to look after a lot of other things. Things can go haywire very quickly on a set if people are not alert. So working in those high-pressure environments has really helped me.
Was acting never on the cards for you?
I think there are enough ‘shotguns’ in the family! (Laughs). I did go to acting school but that was because my father (Shatrughan Sinha) told me it was important that I learn how to act in order to be able to communicate better with actors as a director. When he told me that, I didn’t really believe him. But after doing a couple of courses, I realised that it actually makes a very big difference. As a director, if you understand how to communicate with an actor, half your job is done on set.
Do you have any memories of visiting your father’s film sets as a kid?
A little bit. I remember that I thought it was extremely boring because you keep seeing people do the same things again and again during a shoot and not really explaining to you why they are doing that. Obviously, as I grew older, I understood that this is how the process works.
My father has always been a people’s person and we have never seen him as a film personality. For me, he is a very good human being. That aspect of him has taught me a lot.
What are you working on next?
I am focusing on Nikita Roy at the moment because I think it is very important to be there with it until it is finished. There have been other projects I have started discussions on but they are in the early stages.