TechniColour dreams

Singed by the box office drubbing of his last venture, Subhash Ghai tries to experiment and reinvent himself with Black and White.

Getting panned by critics and audiences alike for his last directorial film Kisna, Subhash Ghai, from the way it looked, was reluctant to get behind the camera. But even if Kisna's disastrous outing upset him, Ghai doesn't admit it. Not even after three years, when his latest outing Black & White has just hit the screens.

By the time you read this, chances are that the film (produced by Mukta Searchlight Films, which has produced films like Iqbal and Joggers Park in the past) will either be a hit with audiences or on its way to whimpering away. Whatever happens, Black & White will be one of the most important milestones in Ghai's journey.

For one, Ghai has once again done what he's best at: introduce newcomers. While the likes of Jackie Shroff, Vivek Mushran, Mahima Choudhary are Ghai's finds, Black & White will see debutante Anurag Sinha, a graduate from Pune's FTII, as Numair, a terrorist who befriends Anil Kapoor (a professor at Delhi University) in a plan to blow up the Red Fort. What happens eventually, though, is the emotional battle that Numair fights, what with all the love and affection he finds in Chandni Chowk (where the film is set).

No matter how the film unravels, it's crucial for Ghai because he has, so far, been seen as a maker of big budget films. "I've been a film-maker, period. But yes, the script of Black & White has haunted me for the last three years," says Ghai, who agrees to talk to us between press interviews and music sittings of Yuvraj, his next directorial venture pegged at Rs 45 crore, starring Salman Khan.

Interestingly, Ghai has been simultaneously working on both these films which are radically different. Black & White, for instance, is a modest venture that cost Rs 7-8 crore to make.

"It (Black & White) is serious cinema and I'm not expecting it to generate revenues at the box office. I'm only hoping that whosoever watches it likes its content, story, acting and script."

And if Ghai has come out with this story that's been haunting him, it's because of the changing attitude of the city that he resides in.

"Communal riots, burning of trains and buses, people thrashed on streets, I never thought I'd witness all this in Mumbai... In those moments, it was the script of Black & White which kept me awake. That's when I realised the film needed to be made, its voice needed to be heard," he says.

So what's the attempt he's made? "Terrorists or militant outfits are made eventually of people. We can hate their beliefs but we need to understand what fuels it. It's the mind of the terrorist that I wanted to understand, I've done so by understanding it on my terms, in my way," says Ghai.

It's a reason why seasoned actors like Anil Kapoor and Shefali Shah gave the film an instant nod. In an interview to Business Standard last year, Anil Kapoor, in fact, had mentioned that Black & White would be one of the most important films of his career.

"It's a film which will be close to the hearts of people who've been involved in it. Anurag, for example, is a fantastic actor who emotes wonderfully. I've always been associated with cinema and launching actors with perfect 'looks'. This time, I introduce an actor who is just talent, talent and more talent," says Ghai.

Ghai's transition to Black & White also came from the fact that his students at Whistling Woods International, friends, and he himself began questioning what exactly was happening with Indian cinema. Having done the rounds of international film fests and witnessed how important Indian cinema has become globally, Ghai says he was charged up to reinvent himself.

"The success of Joggers Park and Iqbal, which we had produced, made me realise that Indian audiences were waking up and accepting good films. That's when I decided to make this and take a break from larger-than-life cinema that I'm usually associated with," he says.

With 41 days of start-to-finish schedule, the film was shot 85 per cent in Delhi's Chandni Chowk and 15 per cent on the sets in Mumbai. Even though he doesn't expect monetary returns, this is a film in which Ghai, his cast and crew have instilled a lot of faith.

In conversation with Black & White's Numair aka Anurag Sinha

Congratulations on your first film. How do you feel?
Thanks. I'm excited, anxious but ready to face critics, audiences and the industry alike. It takes courage to make a film like Black & White. And I'm glad I started my innings with what I call meaningful cinema.

How did the film happen? Your expectations from it?
I graduated from FTII in 2006. I actually studied Chemistry at St Stephens, Delhi, but was always involved in theatre. I've worked in films like Spandan and Some Like to Dance (which did the rounds of various film fests) and worked with theatre veteran Ram Gopal Bajaj. I always wanted to be an actor associated with good scripts. Luckily for me Black & White was the first script that came my way. With the way Indian cinema is evolving, I am hopeful that the film will be accepted by everyone.

Tell us something about the shooting schedule of the film?
We would wrap up by 1 am and resume shooting by 5.30 am. I don't know about others but I hardly slept. I was enthusiastic throughout. The crowds never bothered me because no one recognised me. There was a great sense of pride to be in the midst of seasoned actors and in the heart of Chandni Chowk and its people.

You've studied acting. How much of that learning experience came in handy while actually shooting for the film?
A sound course in acting is bound to sharpen the skills of new actors. At FTII, we learn a little bit about everything (including editing, camera techniques) so in a sense, all aspects of film-making are taught to us. And that is crucial when you come to shoot at a film set.

What's next?
I haven't signed any films but I'm looking forward to doing good roles and strong scripts.