Hrithik told t2 that he brought the script of Kaabil to you to produce. Weren’t you working on ‘Krrish 4’ at that time?
I was, and also on another story where Hrithik had a triple role. But unfortunately I couldn’t crack the last 30 minutes of that film. Around the same time, Hrithik told me he had met Sanjay Gupta. He had liked the idea that Sanjay had narrated to him. Sanjay and I have been exchanging ideas for some years now, so when I heard a two-line plot for Kaabil, I knew that we had found the film we should make together. Sanjay told me he wanted to make the film in 40-45 days. I told him that I wanted to work on the screenplay with him and make this a bigger commercial film.
There was so much talk about actresses who refused Yami Gautam’s role...
Everyone in the team wanted me to cast an established actress. They said there should be a good performer opposite Hrithik. But I always thought that I should cast a new girl. So whenever I went to these girls, I would narrate very half-heartedly. I wanted them to refuse so I could tell my team that I tried, but no one wanted to do the role!
And what made you cast Yami?
Luckily, I happened to see one of Yami’s songs from that T-Series film she had done (Sanam Re) and I immediately called her to meet me. The moment she walked into my cabin, I knew she is my heroine.Yami has a girl-next-door face. She looks simple and honest. She couldn’t believe it when I told her I was casting her opposite Hrithik! (Laughs) When I told Hrithik, he hadn’t even heard of her but when we screen tested her, he loved her.
When I made Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai (Hrithik’s debut film), there was supposed to be another actress (Kareena Kapoor) opposite Hrithik, but she backed out four days before we were supposed to start. I had a whole set built and waiting! I went to a wedding where I met an old friend. He introduced me to his daughter who had just returned from the US. I took one look at her and thought she would be perfect. That was Ameesha Patel. We got her ready in three days and started shooting the film!
You seem to have been very involved with the production of Kaabil...
I have great regard for Sanjay’s work. I think he is one of the best technical directors we have. I just wanted to make sure that he understood my vision. I wanted Kaabil to be my kind of storytelling and his technical ability. He has made the film better than I could have. I didn’t even go to the sets when he was shooting. When I see the shots and compare it to how we had originally written them, I know that Sanjay has made them 10 times better on screen.
Sanjay wanted to complete the film in 45 days. But I told him to take 90 days and make a good film. I was in no hurry and had no budget constraints. I am not the kind of producer who makes five films a year. I want to make one good film every few years. I didn’t want to make any compromises because I am making the film under my banner (Filmkraft) and it’s my son’s film. I asked for his complete involvement and also told him not to take up any other film during the making of Kaabil, and he happily agreed.
This is your sixth collaboration with Hrithik. What is your working relationship like?
He and I are very frank with each other. He is not afraid to tell me if I am wrong and I can tell him if he is making a mistake. He can come and tell me if he is not comfortable with a camera placement... he can’t say that to any other director. We argue with each other to make our film better, and not to satisfy our egos.
Kaabil released on the same day as Shah Rukh Khan’s Raees. Today, two big films clashing has become a huge problem for producers and distributors. This is not an issue that the industry faced during your time...
In my time, they would release five films together! The world was small then and so we would have a run of 25, 50 and even 100 weeks. Now, a film’s lifespan is one week. It has to make money in the first three days. If two big films release together, they just eat into each other’s business. In those days, there would be four-five theatres and each theatre would have one film playing for weeks. People had ample time to go and watch films. That era is over. Now a film has to be a humongous hit to play for more than two-three weeks.
You are clearly very upset with the clash between Raees and Kaabil...
Look, I don’t own the date. People can do what they want. But if the tables were reversed, I would never do this to them. It is an unethical thing to do! I am very hurt. My film was ready in August. I could have released earlier. I picked January 25 based on the slots that everyone else had already picked up for their films. I had decided on this date last February. I don’t want to harm someone else’s film. A clash of this kind harms the film, the distributors, the exhibitors and even the audience. Many people can’t afford to watch two films in one week, so they have to make a choice. This situation is not fair on them either.
Hrithik had a very tough 2016, both personally and professionally. Did you have any advice for him?
There was no advice given. He has seen my failure when he was growing up. He was born when I was 25. I had been struggling for five years before he was born and it continued for another decade. He has seen failure at close quarters so that’s why it doesn’t affect him too much.
What’s next for you after Kaabil?
Let’s see. I will go back to writing ‘Krrish 4’ and the triple-role film. ‘Krrish’ will need a lot of prep. Visually, it will be a very big film. The triple role one will be very challenging for Hrithik. I don’t know which one I’ll crack first.
Karishma Upadhyay
