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From the promos, Ferrari Ki Sawaari gives a very Munna Bhai look and feel…
People have rightly gauged that the film is a lot of fun but also has emotional value. It’s not the usual kind of film.… At the heart of FKS is a very simple story that could be about you or me. There is a lot of fun and laughter involved… a lot of drama….
See, the promos give the impression of Munna Bhai because there is a lot of similarity in the way in which I, Raju (Rajkumar Hirani, the director of the Munna Bhai films and the co-writer of Ferrari) and Vinod Sir (Chopra, the producer of Munna Bhai and Ferrari) look at life. For us, life is about being optimistic and never giving up. We like to have fun… travel… we love life. That’s what shows up in our films — whether it’s Munna Bhai, 3 Idiots or now Ferrari Ki Sawaari. But I haven’t consciously gone about making a Raju Hirani or Vidhu Vinod Chopra kind of film.
How did the idea of the film come about?
The idea for FKS has been going around in my head since Munna Bhai MBBS. But at that time, it was just a one-line idea that I spoke to Raju about… a film around a Ferrari car. Thankfully, Raju found that interesting. Once I got the initial encouragement from Raju, I started building on the idea brick by brick, line by line. When I finally showed him the whole draft, he quite liked it. Then Raju spoke to Vinod Sir and he agreed to produce the film. That’s how it all fell into place.
This is Sharman Joshi’s first big solo hero film. What made you decide on him?
The casting decision was completely made on the basis of the kind of characters I had written. The people in this film are simple people who have clean hearts and innocent smiles. I felt that Sharman perfectly fit the character of an earnest father willing to do anything to see a smile on his son’s face. Also, Sharman was very enthusiastic about the film from Day One…. I had worked with him in 3 Idiots (Mapuskar was an assistant director) and I had seen that spark in him of being able to fit into slice-of-life, everyday roles.
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| A moment from Ferrari Ki Sawaari |
Sharman told t2 that he had to audition for the role 30-40 times!
(Laughs out loud) Yes, that’s right. Actually, I wanted to be completely sure that he was the one for the role. Sharman is an awfully nice guy. I became a huge fan of his after 3 Idiots, but I didn’t want to take a chance with my debut film. While I was writing the film, I had no actor in mind for the main role because I did not want the image of any actor to come in the way of writing the character. Once the process of casting started, we did think of some bigger stars than Sharman and even bounced it off a few of them. They were interested in the film, but finally when we looked at the character in totality, we felt that there could be no one better than Sharman. He kept getting better with every audition… really got into the skin of the character… until the day arrived when I could see him as my character Rusy.
Vidhu Vinod Chopra is known to be a hard taskmaster on set…
He definitely is a hard taskmaster, as everyone knows (laughs). But the biggest advantage of working with Vinod Sir is that he is also a director himself. Though he was primarily the producer, he was involved in the creative process of this film too. He is someone who understands the director’s point of view and more often than not, allows you to have a free hand. He has an experience of 30 years in the business and if he feels that I can improve on something, I have to respect that because I am a newcomer in the director’s chair. If he was hard on me, it was always for the betterment of the film.
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Vidya Balan has done her first item number for your film. How did that happen?
Vidya I worked with in Lage Raho Munna Bhai and I loved her in Parineeta. I just love the way she carries herself… those gorgeous silk saris and big bindis. When the opportunity for this song (Mala jau de) came along, we couldn’t think of anyone other than Vidya to do justice to it. Visually, the song has come out so well… Vidya’s moves… the great beats…. People are really hooked to the song.
There is also this huge buzz that Sachin Tendulkar plays a cameo in FKS…
Wait till June 15 and you will know! (Laughs)
You will apparently direct the next Munna Bhai film...
It’s an honour to be even considered for a film like Munna Bhai. It gives me such a high that Raju and Vinod Sir have considered me for Munna Bhai after watching FKS. I don’t think any film is as awaited in Bollywood as Munna Bhai is and for the two of them to have so much faith in me is huge. We are still in the process of working on the script and it’s still not confirmed whether I will direct it or Raju will, but to be just considered for it is big enough for me.
t2 caught up with Ferrari Ki Sawaari trio Sharman Joshi, Boman Irani and Rajesh Mapuskar for quick chats at the IIFA weekend in Singapore.
Rajesh Mapuskar
Your fave father-son films?
I like Kunwara Baap because it made me cry, cry and cry. And I like crying (laughs out loud)! I watched that film so many times and I cried so many times… that boy was handicapped and my sister had polio, so I could relate to the father’s agony. My father was doing so much for my sister. I saw his struggle and that’s why I could relate to that film much more.... With Sharman’s character, there is a lot of resonance about what my father has done for me.... Then, of course, I like Bicycle Thieves. I like the scene where they go into the restaurant and give the child the pizza to eat. That’s my favourite scene!
Anything you craved as a kid?
A police uniform! (Laughs out loud.) For a good five-six years, I was after my father to buy me a police uniform. He never bought me one.
Your favourite Bengali films?
Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali. I saw it at NFDC.... I love Tony’s (Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury) films. I loved Antaheen (hums the Jao pakhi... tune).
Sharman Joshi
What kind of a dad is Rusy in Ferrari Ki Sawaari?
He is from the lower middle-class and he works as a head clerk in Worli RTO. He is very gentle and loving and he is always smiling. He is also extremely positive and energetic and ferociously protective about his loved ones.
Were you reminded of any childhood memories during the making of FKS?
I keep a very sharp demarcation between my personal life and my professional life because I feel it is kind of dishonest if I derive from my personal life. Script is the Bible.
Was there anything you wanted as a kid?
I wanted a remote-controlled car! We were in London for a holiday and were at Hamleys [toy shop] 15 years back and my father insisted on not buying me one! Instead, he bought me a puppy, which when you clap your hands, jumps up and gives a bark. That dog is still around, reminding me of my misery!
Boman Irani
The film’s tagline says “joyride”. What do we expect?
There are films that are laugh-out-loud funny and there are films that are six handkerchiefs worth of tears, but this I think is a film that moves you tremendously because of its innocence and honesty. At the same time, it will make you laugh at certain situations. You will smile even when you are crying. That is very rare. There is no tragedy. It moves you. It would want to make you love your family even more.
What do you play?
A broken soul… a car-wreck to a child’s dream of a Ferrari, so to speak. He is close to 70 and has lived the better part of his life in a corner of a dark room, watching television and doing almost nothing fruitful till an incident takes place and he decides to take up the cudgels for this young man and makes sure that he goes to London. My character is an unhappy, cantankerous and frustrated man who sees no good in the people around him. He is away from the rest of the family.... It is adversity that always brings families together. I realise that there is something in life that I have to look forward to in the second half of the film.
