The change in release dates has really thrown our schedule out of gear. We are now reworking all our dates and commitments,” Neeraj Pandey tells me when I point out that he had promised us to bring the cast of his film Aiyaary to Calcutta before release.

Originally scheduled for a Republic Day release, the spy saga that stars Sidharth Malhotra and Manoj Bajpayee and brings back the A Wednesday! pair of Naseeruddin Shah and Anupam Kher, was pushed to February 9 when Padmaavat chose to hit theatres on January 25. And then a last-minute request for modifications by the defence ministry has meant that Aiyaary now releases this Friday. Over phone, we chatted with Howrah boy Neeraj — the man behind films like Special 26, Baby and M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story — on Aiyaary (that refers to the trickery of shape-shifting)... and then some more.

The constant change in release dates must be frustrating…

It’s very unfortunate, for sure. No one likes to keep shuffling dates like this. The first marketing campaign for a film is always the release date and we have had to change ours thrice! It’s not a pleasant situation at all, but also something that couldn’t be avoided. It’s been a strange kind of a journey for us, but I am glad we are coming out on February 16. So let’s hope for the best.

But given its theme, Republic Day would have been the most appropriate day to release the film…

That’s true. We had locked the date way, way back, in early 2017. It was a great date, but it wasn’t to happen.

Have you had to make drastic changes after the defence ministry saw it?

Not really. There have been no cuts, only modifications. After the examining committee watched the film, it was handed over to the revising committee and some officers of the ministry of defence saw the film along with them. Some modifications were suggested after which the censorship was done. It’s essentially the same film. We were asked to mute a few words and change some dialogues. That’s about it.

Where did the idea of Aiyaary come from?  

The germ of the idea came about when I was making Baby (2015). It was then that I met a person who told me about a small incident that escalated into a huge embarrassment for… (pauses and thinks awhile) someone (smiles). That story stayed with me and after I made Dhoni, I went back to it and started searching for more and that’s how the process of writing Aiyaary started.

It’s a very layered script. We are talking about three-four different things in this film, which are individually strong enough to be told on their own. It’s very easy for us to point to the younger generation today and tell them they are not responsible enough, but that’s not true. It’s actually the generation before them who are responsible for the way they turned out (smiles). Through Sid’s character (Jai Bakshi), who is a young major, we are trying to start a conversation about how we should stop pointing fingers at an entire generation. Then there is a whistleblower and that’s an interesting thread again. That’s why I say it’s a very layered script.

How much of it is fact and how much fiction?

It’s largely fictionalised, and we have taken some stuff from here and there. You will get the context once you watch the film. A lot of research went into writing the script. Not a lot of information is available in the public domain, so I tried to meet as many relevant people I could and try and source titbits from them. Meeting all these people is not easy. It required some persuasion from friends and colleagues. The actual writing took time because I had to read up a lot on the subject. When you make a film on men in uniform, it’s important to get those uniforms right. The costume department worked diligently to make sure they got it all right.

Of all your films, Aiyaary appears to be the closest in theme and tone to A Wednesday! Would that be a fair assumption to make?

I agree with you completely! In fact, it’s interesting you mention this because A Wednesday!, if you remember, ended with a scene in an under-construction building and the first scene of Aiyaary is set in an under-construction building. It’s kind of poetic, I think (smiles).  

Manoj Bajpayee has been a staple in almost all your films, but what made you cast Sidharth Malhotra?

I’ve only directed Manoj in one-and-a-half films… half because we made a short film called Ouch! and there was Special 26. But he’s done a lot of other films for our production house (Friday Filmworks). This is a mentor-protege story and we needed an actor with a strong presence to play a colonel, which Manoj has done very well. Then, we needed a young guy who could be tough and vulnerable at the same time and Sid was appropriate for it. Plus, Manoj and Sid look good together… they look like mentor-protege….

Do you naturally gravitate towards writing these edge-of-the-seat thrillers that are about men in uniform and have a flavour of patriotism?

(Laughs) I don’t know… I think I will have to make a few more films to be able to answer that… Aiyaary is only my fifth film as director. See, the idea is always to tell a good story. The audience today is consuming content from all over the world and so I am always looking to tell something new in an entertaining manner that keeps the viewer engaged.

All your films, with the exception of Dhoni, have the potential to be franchise films. You’ve already made Naam Shabana, a spin-off of Baby. Do you write your films consciously that way?

(Laughs) Not consciously, for sure. But yes, Special 26 automatically lends itself to that situation where you could continue the story. Or even Baby, for that matter. Let’s see. There are lots of other stories waiting to be told. I am chasing quite a few ideas (smiles).

What’s the latest on turning your novel Ghalib Danger into a film?

I haven’t really started writing the script yet, but that’s probably something that I will pick up in a year’s time. It’s an interesting story that I feel will make for an engaging film. But despite the fact that I have already written the book, I feel I need to spend some time on the script for this one.

You’ve produced a Marathi film (Taryanche Bait) as well as a Bengali film (The Royal Bengal Tiger). With your roots in this city, will we see you doing more in the industry here?

Definitely! I am always on the lookout for good stories. The day I feel driven enough by a good story, I will get a Bengali production off the blocks immediately. Though I haven’t had the time to watch many films in the last year, I know a lot of work is happening there. Jeet (Tollywood actor) keeps me constantly updated about the scene in Calcutta (smiles).

NEERAJ’S RECENT FAVE WATCHES

I know it’s been around for a bit, but I recently watched
The Night Manager and loved it. Tom Hiddleston is very good in it. Among films, I just watched
Get Out, which has been nominated for quite a few Oscars. It’s a phenomenal film about changing relationships that left me thinking for hours.

Priyanka Roy
My favourite Neeraj Pandey film is... Tell t2@abp.in