Vinod, What is Mission Kashmir?
Vinod: It's a film that deals with two people. The promos have the tag line
'two brave men battle each other.' It is primarily a film that deals with
these two individuals' viewpoints and their conflict. This is not a pro or
anti film. People who will go to see the film should not go see it as either
pro-India or anti-Pakistan. If anything it is a pro-Kashmir film. I am a
Kashmiri as you know and I have felt strongly about what has been happening
in Kashmir for the last 10 years. So it's a film, which deals with the
problems of Kashmir as a people.
What are you trying to convey through your film?
Vinod: I am trying to convey to the audience that let's live in peace and
harmony. My film is dedicated to Kashmiriyat. It is a centuries old
tradition of religious tolerance and harmony. The film is an attempt to
revive that tradition. Like I said somewhere, it is not a journey into the
future. It is a hope for future but a journey into the past because really,
the past is where we have to derive the hope from. It is a film that reminds
us of the Kashmir of the past when it was a paradise where people lived in
peace and harmony.
Jackie, what made you want to do this movie and play a terrorist?
Jackie: The only reason I did this movie was Vinod Chopra, I wanted to
work with him again and he has done a fantastic job.
Vinod: Jackie Shroff walked into my house and said 'I want to be in your
film' and I said, I'm sorry Jackie but there's nothing really I can offer
you in the film. So he went through the script and said 'aha! Hilal!' and I
was like, what? Hilal is only in two scenes. He said I want to play Hilal
and will not charge you anything, just tell me where to be and when. He has
brought Hilal to life from a character which was only two scenes, we
extended it to more scenes and he's done a powerful and brilliant job, and
so Hilal Kohistani was born,"
Sanjay, there's been a lot of talk about you playing a father in the film,
why do you think certain media are making such a big thing of it?
Sanjay: My mother did Mother India when she was 25, so I don't know why
there's all this fuss about me playing a father now. I think there's so much
new blood now anyway that we have to make way for them. It was a great
challenge playing the character. I play an honest cop in the film named
Inayat Khan who loves his country and he'll go to any lengths to save
Kashmir. Save paradise, save Kashmir, is his motto. I jumped at the role
because I simply love my character.
What was it like shooting in Kashmir?
Sanjay: Being in Kashmir was an emotional experience. It's something that's
really gotten out of hand. I've shot in Kashmir before and it was so
different last time. This time there are barricades and trenches all over
the place. There are weeds growing everywhere and even the Dal Lake is not
clean. It breaks my heart to see Kashmir like this. I wish they could
resolve the issue. But it doesn't look like it's going to get resolved.
People don't want it to get resolved.
Hrithik, what was the experience like for you shooting in Kashmir? Were you
afraid at all?
Hrithik: Vinod knew exactly what he was doing. If my director has the guts
and the confidence and the faith and the dedication and the drive to strive
and get the work done in Kashmir to get the authenticity why shouldn't we
join him? There were a lot of people who were worried. My mom and dad were
worried too. But then I said if they all are going then I must go.
Vinod reminds me of a particular sequence involving Hrithik in Kashmir:
Vinod: We were shooting in Kashmir and Hrithik was dressed up as Altaaf, and
before I knew the cops came in and pushed away a crowd, and Hrithik was
there and also pushed away and he was screaming at my "Sir! Sir!"! And I was
like what are you doing there and he was saying they don't believe me that
I'm a part of this film! So my bodyguard who spoke in Kashmiri told the
officers this is my boy and he is an actor in this movie, and they said,
"Ohhh, he is your hero? He looks just like a Kashmiri!". Hrithik has done a
brilliant job in the movie.
At this point, Vinod points out how dedicated Sanjay has also been
throughout the making of the film and how he did the movie with a passion
for it more than anything else.
Vinod: My production team made out a cheque for Sanjay Dutt and he said
"Don't talk money with me, take this cheque away!", so you see I'm working
with my people, who have faith in me. It's a very unique relationship and
dedication we share.
And let me tell you one thing about Sanjay, there is a scene when Inayat
Khan's wife Neelima dies and he takes out a handkerchief and wipes her blood
off their marriage photo and that scene was conceived and written by Sanjay
Dutt. In the scene he puts on a pair of glasses and stares at the photo
before wiping the blood off it, and Sanjay said to me on an outdoor in
Kashmir that 'here is where I will establish these pair of specs and in that
scene he pulls them out to read some documents', so he was very involved in
the film and the scene is very touching. He wrote and did that scene
himself.
Sanjay, what made you want to do the scene like that?
Sanjay: I felt that her death asked for a quiet moment, which just focused
on Inayat mourning in house where his wife died. Vinod loved that
suggestion.
Were any of the others involved in any other aspects of their characters?
Vinod: They all are, every one of them, a very dedicated and brilliant team.
Even Jackie, Hilal belongs to him, I just directed him. I made decisions
such as that Hilal would never be shown in full figure in the film, you'll
only see a lock of hair, or an eye, but the rest is Jackie from the way he
talks and walks to the aura he creates on screen.
Every actor has been involved passively in making my film. Jackie Shroff
waited three and a half days on the set with his make-up on, not knowing
when he will be called and all for one single shot. I am sorry that happened
but what I am saying here is that Jackie Shroff was on the set every morning
at 9 O' Clock waiting till 6 o' clock for three and a half days. That is
commitment and dedication. Sanjay Dutt couldn't sleep with his wife because
the water in which Hrithik drowns was very dirty and Sunju had to be in it
for so long that his body was stinking even after three baths with Dettol.
Every actor was committed, so was Hrithik.
I ask if Vinod Chopra feels any change in Jackie's acting having directed
him earlier in Parinda and 1942: A Love Story.
Vinod: I think Jackie has grown as an actor. In Parinda I had to channel him
and hone his acting towards a direction and this time he was just raring to
go and knew exactly what to do with his voice and eyes, he has really done a
wonderful job.
Hrithik, you play a terrorist in this movie which certain media are already
labelling as similar to your role in Fiza. How similar is Altaaf to Amaan?
Amaan in Fiza was not brave like Altaaf is. He was confused and was
searching throughout the film until eventually he gives up and becomes a man
who commits suicide. He believed that was his destiny. On the other hand
Altaaf of Mission Kashmir is just the opposite and does not give up. He is
heroic and strong as well as brave. He will do anything to get what he wants
and is not confused but focused completely. There is a big difference.
The actor's have certainly brought the characters to life, any particular
scene or memory you want to mention?
Vinod: There is a scene when Inayat's dead wife appears before him and says
I forgive you. And in that scene Sanjay's eyes are full of pain and anguish
and as she forgives him they begin to reflect hope and happiness, which is
something truly amazing. You have to see it to believe it. He is an actor
who can actually control the emotions of his eyes.
Sanjay, how do you portray that intensity in your eyes?
Sanjay: It's life experiences, you learn. I've been through a lot and my
experiences help to portray that pain that Inayat Khan feels.
Vinod points out his dislike for the term Bollywood as it indicates an aping
of Hollywood.
Vinod: I don't like the word Bollywood, it implies that it is a cheaper or
inferior version of something that already exists - Hollywood, which is not
true. We have been making films in India longer than Hollywood so if
anything they are the Bombay of the West.
And on that note we end our conversation and head to watch a special
screening of the explosive movie which is packing audiences everywhere.
|
