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| Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat): Needed makeup tips. Guess who helped out. One of my fav pics with Kick Chick @Asli_Jacqueline #kick |
His books have been turned into Bollywood blockbusters but Id release Kick is a first for Chetan Bhagat. For this is the first time the bestselling writer has written directly for the screen. t2 was the first publication he spoke to about how he came to co-write the screenplay for the Salman Khan film, his fascination for “round faces” and his next novel.
Kick is your first screenplay. Tell us a bit about it…
It’s a big Salman Khan movie which has a huge buzz. I knew Sajid Nadiadwala because he had bought the rights to 2 States. I got to know him through that and he was working on a project called Kick. He had taken the rights of a Telugu film of the same name and he was trying to make it with Salman Khan in it. He asked me if I would be interested in doing the screenplay.
It was such a different kind of a challenge, you know, that I agreed. Normally I have been involved with films but they are my books that became movies, but to do the script of an already existing movie, I thought it would help me understand the screenplay medium a little better and I thought it would be a new challenge for me. And, of course, to do a big Salman Khan film, which is directed by Sajid Nadiadwala — this is the first time he’s himself directing a film, having been a producer for 28 years — is quite a prestigious project to be part of. They also wanted to make a film that is very stylish, which I think is showing in the promos.
From the first trailer, Kick appears to be an action-packed film while you have mainly written relationship stories. Was it difficult to write action?
Yes, it is true that the current promo shows a lot of action but there is also a lot of relationship in the movie. The film is about a man who lives for his kick. Now, “kick” does not mean kicking around or kicking someone (laughs), “kick” is the feeling one gets when one does something exciting or when you achieve something. The relationship is a big part of the story and I think that is where I tried to make a difference, because the idea was to not only make an action movie but a film that has a strong woman element to it also.
So, what gives you a kick?
Well, I did this movie for my “kick” basically (laughs out loud)! And also just to be a part of the Salman mania, I guess.
Have you been a Salman fan?
Yes, I am a fan. And you know Salman has helped me… the very first movie that was made of my book was Hello [from One Night at the Call Center] and he did a special appearance in that film. That was my first brush with Bollywood, in 2008. And Sajid Nadiadwala made 2 States happen. So, when I had a chance to contribute to their project — and it is really their project, their baby — to be able to contribute in caring for their baby for a while, I just thought there’ll be a big “kick” to it.
And I am seeing that now, the excitement in social media over every song release, every poster release is unprecedented, because it is Salman essentially.
Do you see yourself doing more scripts now?
I want to but I don’t have the time. Because novels are a priority. Frankly, after Kick there have been a lot of offers but I have been declining them because I’ve been working on my new book, which will come out in October. And books take more time than screenplays.
How different is writing a script than writing a novel?
There are many, but I think there are two main differences. One is you work in collaboration in a script, that’s a very big difference in the working style. There could be other writers, there’s a director, producers… so you work in collaboration, which in a way is good because writing books can be a very lonely process. At the same time, film writing is slower because everybody needs to be on board, there needs to be consensus on everything. So it’s a different style and approach to working. I have to give not only my vision, I have to make sure the director’s vision of the film is also reflected in the script.
The second is, in a book the words have to convey everything but in a movie the screenplay is one part of many things — there are actors, locations, clothes, lights, music…. These five different elements are there in addition to the writing. You have to understand the contribution of all these elements that make up a movie.
A book is a solo game… writing books is like playing tennis, a film is like cricket.
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Did you go to the sets of Kick often?
I’ve spent more time on the sets of Kick than any of the other films, even though they were my adaptations. Yeah, Sajid Nadiadwala has a very good style of working and since this was his first direction, he was open to ideas and suggestions. I found Jacqueline [Fernandez] to be quite friendly… there’s that picture of hers I tweeted doing my make-up…
Yes, where you’ve called her “Kick Chick”…
Yeah, I have renamed her as the Kick Chick and I want people to hereafter address her as that (laughs out loud).
What was it like working with Salman Khan?
Like I said, I have worked with him in Hello... and I can say that he has mellowed down. I think he’s far more selective about his work now and he is quite focused. I found him quite focused on the film, he put in very long hours to make sure that it completes on time because it needed to be done for an Id release. I didn’t interact with him too much but you know, I’ve known him, like I said, for six to eight years. He has a lot of wisdom in him, I feel.
The music has been a hit. Your favourite number?
Ya, in Sajid Nadiadwala’s films, even in Housefull and all, he has managed to get the music right. The idea was to make the music very popular, songs that are easy to sing for everyone… and very Salman-esque at the same time. I like all the songs. I like sentimental songs, so I like Tu hi tu a bit more than the others.
Your favourite Bolly films?
I like a couple of directors. I like Zoya Akhtar’s movies a lot… Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. Then I like [Farhan Akhtar’s] Dil Chahta Hai. I love Abhishek Kapoor’s work too. I mean I know it’s my own book [The 3 Mistakes of My Life], but I felt Kai Po Che! was very good.
What about when you were growing up?
We grew up in the Amitabh Bachchan generation. We were fascinated with all his films. We used to watch them over and over on bad prints in VHS tapes, which is something I think this generation doesn’t even know about… what a VHS tape looks like, what a video library that rents out movies for Rs 5 is all about, but I remember watching the whole Amitabh Bachchan collection, putting in all-nighters.
An overrated Bollywood film, according to you?
No-no, I won’t do that (laughs). But I don’t think the people who made those films are overrated. I would say I am overrated, a little bit. But that’s a good thing. I’d rather be overrated than underrated (laughs)!
Do you watch English films? Your favourites?
Yes, a lot. I can tell you about a recent favourite — Her. It’s about a man who falls in love with his phone’s operating assistant. Like Siri [in iPhone]. It’s amazing, it’s quite something, especially for all of us who are addicted to our phones. It tells you how a man actually ends up having a relationship with his phone.
I also saw The Grand Budapest Hotel, it was really nice.
Your first Bollywood crush?
Ahhh…. you know it’s a little embarrassing (laughs) but it’s that girl in Maine Pyar Kiya.…
You mean Bhagyashree?
Ya. It’s a little embarrassing now but you know, those were different times. People even say my wife resembles her a little bit, though now people compare her looks to Alia Bhatt more. But if you notice, they all have the same face structure, you know. I guess I like round faces.
Your latest Bollywood crush?
Crush? I don’t know, I am married now, so I don’t know if I am entitled to have crushes in public. But I can tell you I really like Alia’s work. I think she’s phenomenal. I also liked Kriti [Sanon]… I liked her work in Heropanti. I think these two girls are very good.
Give us a sneak peek of your novel…
It’s a love story. It’s set in Bihar and it’s a rural-urban love story. I’ve tried to touch rural India this time, which I haven’t done in my previous books. Rural India is also a part of India. The challenge is to do a book that my readers like, you know, stories about contemporary modern India, yet I am able to cover new ground, and I am able to give my own take on rural issues.
Do you feel young people in Indian villages are beginning to read in English?
That is what my view is, yes. I think we don’t include them… may be they don’t speak very good English, their proficiency is not that high, but they want to improve it and they want to be part of the dialogue that the English world creates. And I think there’s a certain elitism we’ve created around the language. You know, English is the new caste system, in a way. So the book is an attempt to kind of demolish that and democratise the language a little bit. It’s a challenging book because it’s taking on the issue of elitism in English but the book itself is in English.
When are you coming to Calcutta next?
I haven’t been there in a long time and my in-laws [who live in Southern Avenue] are a little upset, but I should be there soon, at least for the launch of the new book.
