By Ila Sankrityayan
New Delhi, Jan 6 (IANS) Vishal Bhardwaj, the renowned Indian film director and composer, has spoken about the directorial debut, ‘Kuttey’ of his son, Aasmaan Bhardwaj.
He shared his excitement about working on his son’s directorial project, and the guidance he provided to him and he also spoke about the necessity of using vulgar language in the film.
Talking about his son in the course of a conversation with IANS, Vishal said: “He has majored in screenwriting in the School of Visual Arts, New York University. He graduated from film school, he has been on sets thereafter and has assisted me formally. This is his original voice. I am excited and anxious at the same time.”
The film written by Aasmaan Bhardwaj and Vishal Bhardwaj features Arjun Kapoor, Tabu, Naseeruddin Shah, Radhika Madan, Konkona Sen Sharma, Kumud Mishra and Shardul Bhardwaj. The music is also composed by Vishal.
When asked about the vulgar language used in the film, Vishal acknowledged he wasn’t sure if it would be accepted, but emphasised that “it is the flavour of the film, it is the reality of how some people talk”.
The maker of ‘Omkara’ said: “In the crime world, major gangsters use this type of language. So, this is not used for a gimmick. This is for the characters. People watch so many shows on OTT that they know that there will not be any issues if the things are seated in reality.”
Vishal spoke to IANS about the music of the film.
“The music of ‘Kuttey’ is special,” he said.
“The first song, ‘Awaara Dogs’, is for presenting the characters of the film. I composed this song a long time ago and I was looking for the right film.”
“When I heard the script of this movie, I knew that this was the right movie as it belongs to the same caper genre that ‘Kaminey’ does. It’s a one-night story and it’s from the crime world. This is why this song is very special.”
Vishal is best known for ‘Maqbool’, ‘Haider’, ‘Omkara’, ‘Kaminey’, ‘Makdee’, and ‘Pataakha’.
When asked about his own career journey, Vishal talked about how he started as a composer but eventually moved towards directing, saying: “When I started my career as a composer, I did not know if I was ever going to be a director.”
“At that time I was completely new and saturated in my music because I was not getting the kind of films I wanted to do. At that time, I felt that it would be difficult for me to survive as a composer. That’s why I thought of becoming a director.”
He also discussed the differences between composing music for a film he directed and one he didn’t, stating: “When you are the director, it’s very good as you can take all the decisions. But then you are confused about whether you have made the right decision or not as the onus is on you. When you are doing it for someone else, you look for the command. It’s different in both scenarios. I enjoy both of them.”
Vishal also commented on including the local elements in his music, saying, “There is definitely an element there. Mostly it is capturing the mood of the film rather than the language of the film.”
He shared his excitement and anxiety about his son’s directorial debut and talked about the various aspects of the film, including its language, music and cultural ties.
Vishal told IANS: “I love scoring music for my son. Sometimes, he used to reject the tune because he didn’t like it. Other times, he did not like the music of the stanza. I was working for a director after a long time and that too with my own son. It was a new experience for me and for Gulzar sahab as well.”
When asked about his plans for future adaptations of Shakespeare’s works, he said: “Yes, I want to start a trilogy based on Shakespeare’s comedy.”
He also discussed his upcoming projects as a director, including a movie for Netflix called ‘Khufiya’, saying: “I am already doing a movie for Netflix. The shooting is over. It’s called ‘Khufiya’ and it’s an espionage drama. Tabu is in it. This film will be coming soon.”
Vishal was also asked about the guidance he provided to his son during the making of the film, to which he replied: “I was definitely involved in the script. I have done additional screenplay and dialogue. But I never went to the set because I did not want him to be self-conscious or anybody to feel that I had done anything in the director’s capacity. It’s all his vision, but I am the co-writer in the movie so my flavour is there. But the voice is his.”
He also explained the reason for the film’s title: “The title suits the story of the film because everybody is trying to deceive each other. This movie has nothing to do with ‘Kaminey’ but it belongs to the caper genre as well.”
“Tarantino has made a lot of films in this. The film ‘Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels’ (directed by Guy Ritchie) also come under the caper genre.”
When asked about the challenges he faced in establishing himself in the industry, he admitted that: “I struggled a lot. Everyone goes through this struggle because it’s not easy to get success overnight. The stakes are very high. I am very happy that I could sail through and make it big in Mumbai. I am a very lucky person and I have worked extremely hard for my success.”
Vishal shared his hopes for the film, saying, “Like any filmmaker, I hope that people will like the movie and come to the theatre to watch it.”
–IANS
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