Shreyas Talpade and Naseeruddin Shah in Iqbal, and (left) with Kapil Dev in the film

Is cricket just a metaphor in Iqbal?

That?s what I have been trying to say ? Iqbal is not just about cricket. Of course, it is the backdrop which propels the entire story. But it is more about the human spirit, about overcoming the odds, about making dreams come true.

So Iqbal isn?t a sports film like Any Given Sunday or Jerry Maguire?

We don?t even have a specific genre like sports film here. However, I wouldn?t be mad if the film is so labelled. But there?s no such classification in the context of Indian cinema. Sports is incidental in Iqbal and the lack of a better category has got people calling it a sports film.

What would you call the film?

A nice, sweet, feel-good film. After Teen Deewarein, I wanted to do something different. I don?t want to be slotted as a man who can make only one kind of film. I want to be that kind of a guy who can tell different stories. And I have always wanted to tell the story of an underdog. Also, to treat disability with dignity. So Iqbal contains the two elements. I have a lot of problems with the way disability is treated in Indian cinema ? self pity, a lot of crying?

Why did you go for a rank newcomer, Shreyas Talpade, for the title role of Iqbal?

The reason I went for a brand new face was because I had to be authentic to the game and to the story I was trying to tell. I wanted someone who did not just look like a bowler but could actually bowl. And I don?t think any of our actors could have passed off as a fast bowler. Now, Shreyas had played league cricket and he has also done Marathi television and theatre. He was a medium pace bowler but with the help of cricket coaches we turned him into a fast bowler.

So you actually had cricketing workshops for a feature film?

Oh yes! We spent two months before we could decide on Shreyas as Iqbal. See, you can fake a batsman, you can fake a spinner but you can?t fake a fast bowler. I tried hundreds of cricketers, hoping to turn one of them into an actor. I didn?t think it would happen the other way round ? an actor could be made to play cricket. But I was quick to realise that sportsmen make terrible actors. And luckily I met Shreyas.

Nagesh Kukunoor

Where does your favourite Naseeruddin Shah come into the storyline?

Naseer is the village drunkard who ends up helping the 18-year-old deaf-and-mute Iqbal achieve his dream. Iqbal also gets a lot of support from a wonderful loving family. The film makes you believe in the simplicity of a dream.

And then there?s Kapil Dev?

See, when you talk about Indian fast bowling, the only name that comes to mind is Kapil Dev. His persona plays a significant role in the film. He himself comes in at a critical point in the movie. Since SG (Subhash Ghai) is good friends with Kapil, it was not that tough to get him. He was a little nervous in the beginning but then he was just wonderful. Everyone in the unit was so ecstatic? as if God himself had stepped on to the sets that day.

With Ghai?s Mukta Arts banner behind you, did the bigger canvas help or force you to adjust?

The canvas only became bigger for marketing and distribution, but it never got bigger as far as the storytelling went. The muscle that SG brought to the table was enormous but it had nothing to do with the kind of film I was going to make. When Mukta Arts announced that they are going to produce different kinds of films, one of them was my kind of film. So there was never a confusion as to what I was making. I did stick to what I know best.

So will Iqbal be another festival flick or be part of the multiplex success story?

Although Iqbal is my kind of film, if there is anything like that, I am hoping for a much wider audience this time. It?s in Hindi, so it reaches out to a lot more people. Then it?s about cricket, which everyone can identify with, and as I said, the simplicity of a dream.

Are you ready to take on comparisons with Lagaan, once Iqbal releases on Friday?

By virtue of Iqbal being about cricket, I am aware that it will be compared to Lagaan. But hey, it?s not a bad film to be compared to (laughs).

Do you make a Hitchcockian appearance somewhere?

No, this time I have refrained from appearing in a single frame of the film. I thought it would be a good trivia question down the road ? the one film where I didn?t appear (laug- hs)...