Sarzameen may have met with mixed reviews, but for its debutant director Kayoze Irani what matters the most is how the film has managed to touch hearts. “I got a DM on Instagram from someone I don’t know, saying: ‘Sir, after watching the film, I went and I hugged my father. Thank you so much.’ That is all he said but it has stayed on with me. These are the special moments that I hoped would work, making Sarzameen stay on with the audience even after it ended,” said Kayoze — who also earned praise for his segment, starring Shefali Shah, Manav Kaul and Tota Roy Choudhury, in the Netflix anthology Ajeeb Daastaans a few years ago.

Now streaming on JioHotstar, Sarzameen stars Kajol, Prithviraj Sukumaran and Ibrahim Ali Khan, with Kayoze’s dad — actor Boman Irani — pitching in with a cameo. t2 caught up with Kayoze (who made his acting debut as Sudo in Karan Kohar’s Student of the Year) for a chat.

What came first in Sarzameen — the father-son conflict or the Kashmir insurgency angle and the idea of a patriotic thriller?

I was given a 50-page script outline by the writers Soumil (Shukla) and Arun (Singh). The patriotic angle was there but it was the family drama that stuck with me. That is because conflict is always more relatable when it is internal rather than external. I remember I was on page 25 of 50 and I just knew I wanted to do this film. The family equation, the father-son dynamic, is what excited me a lot in this film.

The other thing is that for an Indian Army officer — in this case it is Vijay Menon (Prithviraj Sukumaran) — to be put in a predicament where he is asked to choose between his country and his son, it is literally like being caught between a rock and a hard place. It is the kind of decision that will eat at the person all his life. I thought that was a great hook... it excited me. So even though there is a huge patriotic backdrop, there is Kashmir, there is action, there is this huge canvas... it is the internal conflict of these characters that I was most attracted to.

Is it a mere coincidence that you and your father have made your feature directorial debuts in the same year with films (The Mehta Boys, Sarzameen) that talk about a father-son conflict?

I think by now everyone just assumes that there are a lot of issues in the Irani household! (Laughs) But my dad and I share the most amazing relationship. In fact, he was away for a couple of days and I knew he was coming back home last night. I suddenly told him I was going over to spend the night with him so that we could have breakfast together in the morning. My father is someone I strive to be. And by that I don’t mean in terms of his achievements, I want to be the human being that he is.

What was it like directing him in Sarzameen?

Very, very difficult! (Laughs) I think we were both a little nervous because there is a huge blurred line that we had to overcome. The first thing I said when he came to the set was: ‘Hello Boman sir, let’s keep it professional.’ We were like that on set and during lunch when I would go to his vanity (van), we would be cracking jokes. But yes, initially it was a little odd. The first scene we shot together was a scene with Prithvi sir who jokingly said: ‘Boman, he is listening to you more than he is listening to me!’

My dad has a cameo in Sarzameen for which he shot for three-four days. I don’t think this is a character that he would play ordinarily. But I wanted him there as my good luck charm. And I feel that moving forward, even on my next, I would want him there in some capacity.

What did your principal actors bring to their respective parts that was uniquely theirs?

I flew down to Kochi to meet Prithvi sir, I spent a day with him and we spoke about the character in detail. He is a father himself and we spoke a lot about that. He is from sainik school, he has a military background and he has said in many interviews that he always wanted to be an Army officer. I didn’t know any of this when I went to meet him.

But when I spoke to him, he seemed so prepared for the role. He had done all his homework. He knew what the character needed to be, what the character’s motivation needed to be, what his wants needed to be....

Both Kajol ma’am and Prithvi sir brought a certain energy to the set that I could not have imagined. What I got out of them as actors was far beyond what I had expected. I was enthralled. There were many scenes where I choked sitting behind the monitor and that told me how well the performances were working.

Kajol ma’am told me: ‘Kayo, I want something of the boy (Harman, played by Ibrahim Ali Khan) to hold on to.’ So she brought in that whole gold chain moment in the film. That she is a mother in real life helped her come up with that element easily, and these are the things that helped me on set. They made my life so much easier... the performances are something I am really proud of.

What about Ibrahim? Sarzameen is a definite improvement over his debut film Nadaaniyan...

Yes, though Sarzameen is the first film he shot for. Ibrahim and I had six months of workshops together with (acting coach) Atul Mongia. In those workshops, we never discussed scenes or how to enact them. We would talk about his life and there are certain things he has told me that I would never share on a public forum. He really dug deep and found himself in the character, and I think that is what has shone through on screen. I told him that in a scene, if you retain a certain feeling even after ‘cut’, that is the take that we will retain. I enjoyed my preparation with Ibrahim a lot. It also helped me discover so much about the film and the characters.

The ending — with the big reveal of a key character — does catch one by surprise. How has the audience reacted to it?

I will be honest with you... I was very, very nervous about that twist. I was like: ‘Will it work, will it not work?’ But whatever reactions I have got so far, there has been appreciation for it. See, I went out there to make a full commercial film and this twist was a part of it. It seems to have worked with viewers because the numbers that we have got so far from JioHotstar are extremely strong and I am hoping that it lasts for a long time.

Do you think viewers are connecting to it more because of the filial emotions attached to it or is it purely for the shock value element?

I can’t see the reactions live since people are watching it in their homes. But whatever I have gathered so far indicates that people are going into the film for the spectacle and they are coming out with the emotion. That is because the emotion was the unexpected part — that of a mother going to any lengths to bring her son back and making a tough decision in the process. I still don’t have enough data to back that up, but I am hoping the film has a long run on the platform.

You made your acting debut with Karan Johar’s Student of the Year, alongside Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan and Sidharth Malhotra. Did getting to direct your maiden feature film with the same production house a dozen years later feel like a full-circle moment?

I actually joined Dharma Productions as an assistant director on Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu, directed by Shakun Batra. Honestly, I have always wanted to be a director, and acting happened by chance. While working on Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu, I met Karan in the office and he said that he felt I would suit the role (Sudo) in Student of the Year. I did it, but the minute it was over, I changed my focus back to directing because that is always something I really wanted to do.

My journey with Dharma Productions started 15 years ago. After Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu, I was an AD on Bombay Talkies and Lust Stories. I was also associated with Karan’s ‘Takht’, which, unfortunately, didn’t get made because of the pandemic.

They are like family to me and I am fortunate that I got to make my short film (in the Ajeeb Daastaans anthology) and now my feature directorial debut with them. My next film is also with them.

And acting is nowhere on the cards?

No, that chapter is closed!