New Delhi: Filmmaker Shoojit Sircar’s movies are a peek into life as it is. The filmmaker has said he finds the diversity of the ordinary in India fascinating.
Inclination towards everyday life
It is this inclination towards the everyday life which makes Sircar return to ordinary stories. Movies like Vicky Donor, Piku, October or the upcoming Gulabo Sitabo. The film stars Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurrana as ‘Mirza’ and ‘Banke’.
“I am really influenced by normal, simple, everyday life and people, like ‘Biji’ and ‘Dolly’ in Vicky Donor. They used to drink and say whatever they felt like. These characters were so lively. I have seen these people around me,” Sircar said.
“Even in my social media posts I am like them. After observing them,I pick up notes and moments to make a film out of it. It satisfies me, the director said over phone from Kolkata. He is currently spending time with his family due to the coronavirus induced lockdown.
Storyline of Gulabo Sitabo
Gulabo Sitabo is about a landlord and tenant set in old Lucknow. These two characters, live a hand-to-mouth existence while trying to outfox each other.
Sircar said tghe film is populated by many outstanding characters. These roles are played by Vijay Raaz, Brijendra Kala, veteran actor Farukh Jaffer and Shrishti Srivastava.
Ensemble cast
“I call it an ensemble cast or the world of Gulabo Sitabo which is about the lifestyle of my characters. I just go and sit there in a corner and observe these characters through my camera. That’s how I shot the film. These actors feel like people picked up from real life,” Sircar pointed out.
The uncomplicated way of looking at people appears even in the main story of ‘Mirza’ and ‘Banke’. Their conflict has no religious angle though they come from different faiths. According to the filmmaker, most people in India coexist peacefully.
Faiths can coexist
“I remember I used to play football in my childhood. There were others from different faiths and backgrounds. It had the son of the person who would take us to school on his rickshaw. Then there was the guy who came to pick up our garbage but I never knew this,” Sircar stated.
“When I grew up, society put that divide in my head. My childhood didn’t have that divide. We were just eight years old. We would meet in the evening to play. This has had a lot of influence in my life and films,” added Sircar.
Dodging the crowds
The filmmaker described Lucknow as an old cosmopolitan city where coexistence is a part of life. His aim was to capture its soul by focusing on old areas like the Chowk and Hazratganj. Bachchan’s elaborate get-up helped them dodge the crowds, at least initially.
“The advantage we had with this film is in some shots people could not recognise Mr Bachchan. We would get the shot ready and then he would come. There were onlookers but they initially did not figure out who this man was. Slowly the word got around that it’s Amitabh Bachchan and then the crowd came. We shot the film in bits and pieces like that,” informed Sircar.
Challenging Amitabh Bachchan with different roles
It’s his third film as a director with Bachchan after the unreleased Shoebite and Piku. While Piku saw Bachchan with a wig and paunch, the actor sat for hours to get the prosthetics right to play ‘Mirza’ in the film.
“I was not sure whether he (Bachchan) will accept ‘Mirza’s’ character. There were doubts whether we will be able to pull through it. Because there always are chances that it can go into gimmicky or unreal. However, in the film we have tried our best to make him look like Mirza,” he said.
“There is also a thought to present Bachchan in newer avatars through his cinema. Because of his aura, there is always this thought to make him normal, a new character. These characters are like the ones found in old Delhi or Hazratganj,” Sircar added.
Reunion of sorts
With Ayushmann, it was a reunion after the runaway success of their 2012 film Vicky Donor. “We have worked together and there is a comfort level that we share. For ‘Banke’, we needed someone who had vulnerability and innocence about him. The character comes from a background where his existence is hand-to-mouth. Ayushmann and Mr Bachchan’s pairing brought a lot of freshness, Sircar pointed out.
A first for Bollywood
The film is slated to stream June 12 on ‘Amazon Prime Video’. It will be the first major Bollywood movie to have a direct release on a streaming platform. This is because theatres remain shut due to coronavirus pandemic.
The initial announcement had led to some sharp reaction from theatre chains, which Sircar termed as ‘unfortunate’.
“Everybody has their own way of dealing with the process. Nothing is bigger than that, not even me. The situation was to adapt at this moment. We can’t sit at home… In that situation, my job is to put the film forward to the audience. That doesn’t mean my films will not be in cinema,” Sircar signed off.
Agencies