To have an animation film as a launchpad for your directorial debut is quite a substantial risk, considering that the genre is still in a nascent stage and has only a niche audience. But actor-turned-director Jugal Hansraj has done exactly that with his movie Roadside Romeo, which released this weekend.
So, is Hansraj nervous about his debut? “There is both excitement as well as a case of nerves, but I hope that the audience likes the film, as we have tried to make a complete entertainer,” he says.
Hansraj burst onto the scene as a child actor in Shekhar Kapoor’s Masoom over two decades ago. Last seen in a bit-part role in the movie Aaja Nachle, Hansraj is not averse to acting offers, but says that he thoroughly enjoyed the experience of donning the director’s hat.
Hansraj explains what made him choose an animation flick for his debut. Although he says he hadn’t planned on becoming a director, he was a big fan of animation films. He confeses that he used to be fascinated by how they were made. “I used to buy books and DVDs on animation, and Adi [Aditya Chopra], a longtime friend, wanted to make an animation film in India that was completely for the Indian audience.”
Knowing his love of animation, Chopra told him to work on a few ideas. “It took me 20 drafts before the film got finalised,” he says.
The idea of the story came to him, he says, at a traffic signal when he noticed stray dogs playing around a pile of garbage. “I thought, we have a story right there.”
More From This Section
Hansraj wants to shatter the myth that animated movies are only for kids. He feels that his movie is for the entire family.
The movie is India’s maiden 3D mainstream animation venture. Apart from Yash Raj Films (YRF), it is co-produced by the Hollywood studio Walt Disney.
Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Javed Jaffrey, among others, have contributed the film’s voiceovers. Hansraj says that he always had Khan in mind for the lead role, as the character is just like him — rich, stylish and cool.
Hansraj admits that he had a tough yet amazing time during the making of the movie. “It required a lot of patience and sometimes it took us more than two-three days just to get the expression of the character right.”
The movie took two and half years to complete, and Hansraj says that he drove the crew quite crazy. “They heaved a sigh of relief once the project was over,” he says breaking into a fit of laughter. With the reviews trickling in, Hansraj might just have the last laugh as well.
