The filmmaker on why the upcoming film is his most complicated story about love and its madness, working with A.R. Rahman’s genius, and more
“He doesn’t sleep and doesn’t let us rest either.” Days before the release of his much-anticipated film Atrangi Re, director Aanand L. Rai is still waiting for maestro A.R. Rahman to submit the final cut of the musical score. A simple man who knows more than a thing or two about romance and relationships, Rai describes the film, starring Sara Ali Khan with Akshay Kumar and Dhanush, as his “most complicated story about love and its madness.”
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To be released this Christmas on Disney+Hotstar, the film not only brings him together with Rahman, but also Tamil star Dhanush, whom he successfully introduced to the Hindi belt with Raanjhanaa. Anxious to know how the audience will respond to a film that was essentially made for the big screen, Rai talks about his tryst with love stories, the impact of COVID-19 on cinematic storytelling, his bond with Dhanush, and how Rahman’s music becomes the spine of films.
Edited excerpts:
The trailer gives a sense that you are revisiting the Raanjhanaa space. What made you tell a love story all over again?
Maybe those three minutes are making people feel that way, but I have a feeling that I have attempted my most complicated story about love and its madness. What makes me very happy is that even in these times when love has taken a secondary spot in our lives, I am able to tell you a love story; a love story with tangential emotions. Is it not a story about two men and a woman? It is. But is it just a story about two men and a woman? It is not.
Why do you think love has taken a secondary spot in our lives?
We are very distracted, and unable to understand our priorities. It has nothing to do with changing emotions; tt has to do with our surroundings. Insecurities are being thrown at us, and that is actually taking us away from trusting each other. In every decade, something changes… and this will also pass.
Aanand L. Rai | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Has the pandemic also played a part?
It has to do with the fact that you don’t know what is going to happen in the next two to three years. We are trying to secure ourselves with everything; it could be emotionally as well as financially. In the last few years, we have been so vulnerable that we are afraid of getting hurt. I want to make the new generation believe in relationships. I don’t think complicated; I have tried to touch the purest side of the emotion of love.
You love to etch strong female characters, provide them choices and arm them with the power to reject…
I don’t believe in the equality of genders. For me, the two genders are equal and I don’t need to talk about it. If I talk about equality, it means I am differentiating. In Tanu Weds Manu, Tanu had Raja in her life before Manu comes in. It was there as a matter of fact issue, and I didn’t try to explain it. Since then, it has been like this.
What does Dhanush mean to you?
I had first approached him for Raanjhanaa. After Tanu Weds Manu, I wanted to tell more gutsy stories and wanted an actor who could understand the ordinariness of that character. I was trying to find that in the actors of the Hindi belt. There are brilliant actors, but at that point int ime, no one was in a condition to play such a rooted character. I had earlier watched Dhanush in Aadukalam, and whenever I watched his Tamil songs, I felt that this man knew the strength of ordinariness.
I met him in Kolkata where he was for a brand shoot, and in 10 minutes, he agreed to do the film. But he added that he didn’t know Hindi at all. I said that it was not his problem; it was my job. I always felt that playing a character had nothing to do with the language. Dhanush learnt the dialogues and dubbed for himself, but ultimately it was about expressing the emotions. I didn’t think language would be a hurdle for such a talented actor.
Some bonds are made by nature. Now, I don’t look at him as an actor. He is like ghar ka bacccha. He gets the same love as my daughter.
What made you cast Dhanush again this time around?
When the story of Atrangi Re was discussed at the idea level in 2014, the only thing that was certain was Dhanush, The rest of the casting happened gradually. For the character of Vishu, I wanted Dhanush to portray another colour of his. Raanjhanaa was about redemption, but here, it is about a different kind of expression of love.
It is a very layered role; there are people who like to be silent and you don’t know them at all, but then there are people like Vishu who are quiet, but you still understand them. I quite enjoyed creating his character.
Throughout the shoot, Dhanush kept on telling me that Raanjhanaa was his film, but here I made him play a character. I asked him to wait for the film to release.
On paper, is it Sara Ali Khan’s film?
In a way, you can say it is about the girl… but the girl is not complete without the two men.
Rinku was always Sara for me. She has a beautiful restlessness and innocence. Her age went in her favour, as the role required somebody young and fresh, without baggage. All three are Atrangi (funnily weird) but you can start with her character.
Sara Ali Khan and Akshay Kumar in ‘Atrangi Re’
For a long time now, Akshay Kumar has been an one-man army in Bollywood. How did you convince him to play a character in your zone?
His favourite line was, “If you have the guts to tell a story like this, why can’t I play a character?” I love the simplicity he exudes on screen. It is very difficult to hold on to that simplicity for 150 films; most actors easily lose it in 20 to 30 films! He still comes across as raw clay. I want to work with actors who can sit, talk and remain in a secure space.
We often see foreign influences in Hindi cinema, but you seem to be keen on embracing the regional flavour. How was it like shooting in Tamil Nadu?
It is my country, whether I go to the north or south, I should be able to tell a story the way it should be told. It was fun shooting in Madurai with a Tamil cast and as a maker, I felt ignited. It was not easy to understand the culture and expression.
I directed two Tamil scenes, and quickly realised what you go through when you don’t know the language. You okay a shot even when you don’t know the language. Dhanush said, “Bhai, now you know. I did Raanjhanaa with you, without knowing the language. You are struggling with two scenes!”
I want to understand the language not just for the syntax, but also for the expression. Give me a chance and in the next two years, I would like to direct a Tamil film.
Tell us about your relationship with A.R. Rahman, and are songs losing their space in the digital OTT space?
I agree the value of songs is diminishing, but I don’t feel it has something to do with the rise of OTT platforms. It is just that we are not working hard enough on music. Working with Rahman means that I still don’t know how many songs are going to be there in the film. Today, there are six. By the time it is locked, there could be seven or eight, as he is still working on the score!
When you work with Rahman, you realise you are not making the film for anybody else, you are making it for yourself. He keeps working till the last minute. He is such a big man, but is always keen to correct the sound of the smallest instrument, playing in the fifth layer. If he gets disturbed, he works for three hours just to correct that.
For me, Rahman is a filmmaker. What he lends to a film is not just music, it is a pillar, a character. Before composing the score, he not only reads the script, but also wants to understand the moments. By the first cut, he becomes the spine of the film. In fact, he never stops till he becomes the spine of the film.
What went wrong with your earlier film, Shah Rukh Khan’s Zero?
In Zero, the heart was in the right place, but after some time, the heart stopped beating. That’s something I realised after the film. We knew the take off for the film, but we didn’t get the landing right. In the past, I have taken off without knowing the landing, but those films landed well. Here, it skid.
Was it about the casting or writing?
I can’t separate the two. It is not I who make a film; it is we who put it together. We all were very passionate about the idea, and we don’t have a more passionate actor than Khan sahib (Shah Rukh). It was a large-hearted film, but sometimes the size of the heart also becomes a problem.
However, God has been kind. My biggest hit never made me overconfident. Zero not working at the box office has not made me lose my confidence either. I was not hurt… just disturbed for a while, because with such good intentions and talent, the output should not have gone wrong.
How was it like shooting during the pandemic?
It was difficult, but we took all the protection and followed all the protocols. The minute I got a chance to move out, I took the chance because only way we could keep our immunity high, was by working. When you are focused, you rarely fall sick. I got COVID two days after I finished shooting!
Post-COVID, what, according to you, will be the status of love stories in movies?
I am an optimistic person. I think we have gone a little far from our basic values. People will start valuing things that they took for granted. All of us may not be able to imbibe those values, but there will be an urge to understand each other. It is like tu mujhe samajh main aa jaa (mate, open up, let me understand you) and I don’t want to cover myself with fake layers. This will subconsciously happen… I hope I am not asking for much.
Atrangi Re premieres December 24 on Disney+ Hotstar
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