‘Tamasha’ also
reunites you both after the massive success of ‘Yeh Jawaani Hain Deewani’. So,
how different is ‘Tamasha’ in comparison with ‘YJHD’.
Ranbir Kapoor – In ‘YJHD’ the principle thought was that
Ayan Mukerji was going with the film was that happiness is real only when it’s
shared. It was the boy who was selfish, who wanted to do things but he also had
love interest and thought that he wants to travel the world and love would come
in between. In ‘Tamasha’ it’s nothing like that as the boy wants to be with the
girl but the girl doesn’t want to be with this boy because she thinks that the
boy is not what he was earlier. He was a different person when she met him
earlier, but now he seems to be like a robot, a small screw in the big
mechanism of the world where he is just running a race without realizing that
which race he is running. I don’t find any similarities between these films and
also as a cinema people or a director’s actor its out job to give the audience
something which is comfortable at the same time give a new experience on
screen. So I won’t say they will experience ‘YJHD’ or a ‘Rockstar’ or ‘Love Aaj
Kal’, it’s a completely new feeling. We don’t have the formula of success and
failure in movies so we have made a story which is very close to Imtiaz’s heart
and believe that it could be a very engaging and an entertaining film. But
having said that till the film opens to the audience, we don’t know what they
will take from the film. What we take from the film is that we take a thought,
we take the inspiration, we take a smile on our face, a tear in an eye and we
take something which will probably change us in a way and if it does that to us
than I am sure it will do that to the audience also.
Deepika Padukone – Lot of films will talk about
self-discovery but, we also have to understand that every director also has a
way of telling a story. In ‘YJHD’ the characters were completely different, the
point of the film was completely different. By that logic we can also say that
was also a love story and this is also a love story, so how are they different,
but they are different. As every director has a different story to tell and the
way of telling that story is also different. In lot of ways it’s not similar at
all, you will discover when you see the film. As a film ‘Tamasha’ is very
relatable as lots of youngsters are going from a dilemma in their life where on
one hand they want to do what their parents want them to do and on the other
hand there are so many more avenue and professions which you can take up which
are still are considered as a legitimate career. So, in that sense it’s going
to be extremely relatable film and I feel it’s going to shake up lot of people
making them uncomfortable as in lot of way the film is going to tell you the
truth about yourself.
Deepika, you are
working with Imtiaz Ali after a long gap, so what difference do you find in him
as a filmmaker in comparison to the one you worked with at the time of ‘Love
Aaj Kal’.
Deepika Padukone – I won’t say my equation with him has
changed, but there is lot of trust, love and respect for him. Ranbir and I both
in a simpler way are his fan and admire him. We also have a relationship almost
like a guru-shishya, but in a modern version as we are also friends. We value
him a lot as he understand us individually, as human beings. He is an extremely
non-judgmental person so you can talk to him about absolutely anything and he
is interested in knowing. So you don’t mind sharing your journey and life with
him because of two reason, he is non-judgmental and he has been a part of both
of our lives right from when I started my career. So there is a kind admiration
for him and really valuing what he said, if he has any advice for us, we will
take is very seriously. Why I say our relationship is like a modern
guru-shishya version because he is someone who is open to our criticism or our
any kind of input or advice we have for him because for our love for him, he is
someone who will take it openly. So that’s the kind of relationship we share
and that’s what he has used it in the film. The format he has used for this
film is very different, we were not bound by specific script and yes we had a
broad story idea and what the message was in the film. But lot of time he
wanted us to improvise, so he would give us the dialogues and say that these
are the lines but I don’t know how I want to play it out, so I want you guys to
do different things now and show me what all you can do. So that’s the kind of
responsibility he has given us and the kind of faith he has in us, that he can
give us something and that we will be able to deliver it. So that’s the
relation we have now in comparison to the time of ‘Love Aaj Kal’.
Ranbir, as Deepika
just mentioned that ‘Tamasha’ has been shot in different style and from what we
hear that even your forthcoming film ‘Jagga Jasoos’ has also been shot in
different style. So as per you what are the advantage and the disadvantages in
such different style of film-making.
Ranbir Kapoor – The advantages are that it’s very organic,
it’s very new, you don’t have any preconceived notions when you come to shoot.
It’s all created there with the energies that are there on that particular day
with the people you are surrounded with. The disadvantage is that you are going
in it blind. Like when I did ‘Barfi’, the whole film was like me and Priyanka
used to reach the sets and Dada (Anurag Basu) used to give us a script where it
used to be a line written that ‘Jhilmil & Barfi ate pani puri’, and he used
to create the scene on the spot. So in the entire film me and Priyanka had no
idea what we were doing, it’s only when we saw the film we were like ‘Oh! This is
what the film was about’. So you have to trust the director so much as he is
taking the pressure, he is creating the movie with camera, with performances
and organic energy. Having said that it’s also very scary as I could have a
film like ‘Bombay Velvet’, where the whole film was improvised and when you see
the result, you feel I should have taken the control over it. Of course it was
not shot like that, it was shot with lot of control. So there are advantages
and disadvantages in such type of filmmaking, it depends only upon what kind of
an actor you are and how much you trust the director with whom you are working
with.
Now a days, even before
a single scene of a film is shot, its release date is already announced. So as
per both of you do you feel such type of production strategies hamper the
quality of a film.
Ranbir Kapoor – I feel what Aamir Khan said long back that
to kill the creativity of a film give it a release date. A film is like an art,
you have to let it materialize, make it and when it’s ready then release it.
Putting a release date then you are working against the time. But having said that it’s an expensive
medium, you have to make money and holiday dates along with good weekends get
you that numbers.
Deepika Padukone – But, I don’t agree with that as I am
definitely someone who believes that your intentions for making a film have to
be completely honest. Why you are doing that film, what is the story you want
to tell and as an actor be very honest about your characters and about your
performance. I think that truth somewhere comes out at the box office. If you
are honest the audience senses that. The recent example was ‘Piku’, it got so
much love and appreciation. It was a film where we dint plan a release day nor
did we make any tamasha about it. A lot of people would question me that what
is this film? You are working with Irrfan and such stuffs. But, I had faith in
the film, its content and I had faith in the fact that our intentions of making
that film were honest. If this is there everything else follows. Looking at the
kind of love that film has got I am not of that opinion that one should release
date in mind and work backwards, then you are just putting projects and not
making a film.
Recently we saw many
female oriented films being made and out of which few were highly successful
including Deepika’s ‘Piku’. But why is it that in such types of films we don’t
see any top actor working in it.
Ranbir Kapoor – See the thing is that at the end, what a
male actor does, what a female actor does is never beyond the content of the
film. For example say a film like ‘Piku’, the content of the film is bigger
than everything. It’s not that who is bringing what stardom, Deepika has chosen
that film not for stardom but for her love for the film and its content as an
actor. Having said that you can’t belittle anyone’s involvement in the film, if
it’s Irrfan Khan, Deepika, Amitabh Bachchan, everyone adds to a films success.
If a film like ‘YJHD’ works well, it’s not my success, its Deepika and my
success together. The fact is that she bought her stardom and acting for Naina
and I got it for Bunny. Apart from that it’s the content of that film which
works. So I don’t think stardom of any male or a female actor is bigger than
the content of a film. Also, in case of films like ‘Hum Aapke Hain Kaun’, it
was very Madhuri Dixit centric film and has Salman Khan also. So it also
depends upon on the content of the film and from whose point of view you are
seeing the film.
Deepika Padukone – It depends upon the kind of the film, you
cannot generalize the film. At the end of the day what is the story you want to
tell. Are we trying to add the A-lister male actor to the film just because we
want to position the film in a certain way or are we planning to be honest with
the story and its requirement first. Within the story it all depends upon who
is correct or will do justice to that part. So it all depends upon the film and
its requirement.
Lastly, Ranbir there
are so many films which have been announced with you. Right from ‘Jagga
Jassos’, ‘Aye Dil Hain Mushkil’, Sanjay Dutt’s biopic to Ayan Mukerji’s
superhero film. So what’s the status of all these films.
Ranbir Kapoor – The writers are still writing the script of
Sanjay Dutt’s biopic and Ayan’s film, so it’s unfair from my side to talk
anything related to them. “Aye Dil Hain Mushkil’ is 75% complete. ‘Jagga
Jassos’ is something that I have grown working in (laughs), but it’s very
exciting thing to work back with Anurag Basu. It’s about a detective in a high
school who stammers and is trying to find his step-father. Because he stammers
he has got to sing, as when you sing you don’t stammer. It’s on the line of an
‘Indiana Jones’ type of adventure film. It’s something which will be very
interesting to watch on the big screen, it’s a new genre so I am very excited
with this film.
