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Directorial debut Anil Mehta

Pressing the rewind button, Mehta says: “When I was shooting ‘Veer Zaara’, Adi (Aditya Chopra) asked me why I didn’t direct a film. After ‘KANK’, he asked me the same question. It was then I gave the idea serious thought, as I felt I had reached saturation point as a cinematographer.”

Mehta says “Aaja Nachle” came to him “on a platter. I had the best production support from Yash Raj. The story was Adi’s. Jaideep Sahni wrote the script. When the script turns out well, it’s half the battle won.”

The movie progressed at breakneck speed. “We went into production quickly as we had to finish shooting before April. It was an outdoor shoot and we had to wrap it up before the rains.”

“Aaja Nachle,” Mehta says, is not a “love story. It is the story of a small town girl, Shamli, who goes to New York. The film explores the transformation she undergoes and the cultural space she misses.” Mehta says, “It is a personal story and a mainstream film. I would not like to call it a different film, because that’s what everyone says. And if you say it is not a regular Yash Raj film, then I want to know how would you define a banner that produces a ‘Kabul Express’, a ‘Chakde India’ and a ‘Tara Rum Pum’. The perception of a Yash Raj film is too monolithic.”

For a cinematographer-turned-director, Mehta is easy about his visuals. “‘Nachle’ is not a visually-oriented film. It is easy going visually. The visuals should grow from the script, you know. It is very organic. You need to get under the skin of the story and interpret it visually. For ‘Nachle’, the look is natural, real and a tad untidy.”

Mehta preferred not to do the camera work for his film. “Mohanan, who also shot ‘Don’, is the DOP (Director of Photography). I was very clear that I did not want to shoot the film. I believe cinema is built on collaboration. And a different DOP would bring in that important extra bit. I did not want to lose that contribution.”

The cast and script were in tandem. And about getting Madhuri on board, Mehta says, “Adi said ‘should we get in…’ and there was this big pause. Then he said ‘should we call Madhuri?’ The next day Yashji called Madhuri, she said yes, and work flew from there.”

While Madhuri has no love interest in the film, Mehta is all praise for his ensemble cast. “I am fortunate to have worked with this talented bunch of actors. Everyone, from Kunal Kapoor and Konkana Sen Sharma to Vinay Pathak and Ranvir Sheorey, has turned in fine performances.” Mehta admits the pressure of directing what is being perceived as Madhuri’s comeback film is enormous, “Expectations are too high. But we hope to captivate audiences across India. I look at ‘Nachle’ moving on from Madhuri’s ‘Ek do teen’ days. The sensibilities are different now. But the title song shows the old fire burns as bright as ever.”

Music by Salim-Sulieman has struck the right chord with listeners. “They have managed to bring out the character of the film.” The soulful ‘O Re Piya’, sung by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, a personal favourite with Mehta, is the flashback song. “The album has huge width. And this movie showcases yet another talent of Madhuri, as a singer.” Mehta is of the view that having editing experience helps people make better movies. “Look at Rajkumar Hirani (the Munnabhai movies) and Sanjay Leela Bansali, both are trained in editing and both have made mind-blowing movies.”

Ask Mehta what his future plans are, and he says with a laugh: “I don’t know. I am a bit lazy. Maybe make another film. Something fun and entertaining.”

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