Watching a film is a process. It requires the investment of time and emotions. Every once in a while, a film comes along that makes you think. It’s like a breath of fresh air and touches a new chord in your heart. Aanand L Rai’s films often have that effect on people. Whether it was Tanu Weds Manu or its sequel, Raanjhanaa or even his latest release Atrangi Re, the audience were dazzled by their unusual nature but also found human stories beneath the core. Atrangi Re tells the story of a girl who, overwhelmed with tragedy, makes a whole new reality for herself. She’s happy to be in that bubble till love makes her prick it and helps her embrace life with all its uncertainties and pitfalls. The film talks about mental health, about second chances, about the power of love and compassion. And yet it remains entertaining despite the various strands running through it. Excerpts from an interview with director Aanand La Rai, who insists it’s honesty that propels him to tell unusual stories…
What made you direct a film like Atrangi Re?
Atrangi Re talks about mental health but that aspect drew some flak from the critics. What do you have to say about that?
What has been the nicest thing someone said to you after watching the film?
What would have been different if Atrangi Re released in theatres?
Which is your favourite song from the film?
How have your dynamics changed with Dhanush since Raanjhanaa?
Is casting South superstars a conscious decision to entice a pan-India audience?
Nowadays, you’re expected to cast actors belonging to the region the film is set in…
Dhanush reportedly had reservations about Sara Ali Khan being the right choice for Atrangi Re as the role she was playing was quite complicated…
If you met Sara Ali Khan’s character in real life, what would you say to her?
Your next production is Good Luck Jerry with Janhvi Kapoor and then Raksha Bandhan with Akshay Kumar...
One thing which I always tell myself when I go for a new film is that I have to be honest and give it my best. It is very important when I’m starting a story. My only thought at that point is to be as real to my actors and technicians as possible. This helps me tell a story and creation itself is not easy. I’m expected to create a new world. It’s like becoming a mini God. So the only thing that can help you reach that is your purity. I like to keep myself as real as possible.
I don’t know why we are not interested in listening. Especially the critics, they are not interested in listening to the story. We all want to sit on a high chair and pass judgements. We’ve grown up listening to stories about fairies, about Gods and demons, about superhumans and we were never judgemental about them. I don’t know why we have changed and want to judge everything. I know everyone has a perspective but I find it difficult to understand whether they even care about the intention behind the story. You sometimes just want to say something different only to stand out.
From my initial days, I wanted to just tell stories and listen to people liking or disliking my work.
I was always open to it. The only thing is that I never compromise on my honesty. I try to stay as honest to my story and there is no mathematics to the process. There is no way to know what will make the film a hit. I know the way I want to tell my story and I enjoy doing that. I’ve been very lucky in my journey.
And I’ve received my share of love from the audience. Whether it was Tanu Weds Manu or Raanjhanaa or even Zero, which the audience didn’t fall in love with as much as I expected them to. But it’s fine. So I’m okay with it. I was honest and they were unbiased about it. So I’m ready to take anything about it.
I can sense their emotions. Even for Atrangi Re, I got reactions that were overwhelming. What comes out in reviews sounds like an order for the audiences from a supremo. Like it’s the final judgement. For the audience, when they don’t like anything, I know they mean it. When they share their expectations, it’s real, it’s human. I learn from it. I’m very happy with the reaction I got for Atrangi Re.
I have no idea. I can tell you that the box-office numbers can give you a feel of whether the audience has liked the film or not. But at times you make money but don’t get love. With Atrangi Re the love we received has been overwhelming. I’m very sure it would have crossed my expectations at the box office too. We achieved what we wanted. I don’t get bothered by the numbers.
I have a great liking for Rait zara si, which is like the soul of the film. But the heartbeat is Tumhein mohabbat hai. It’s the magic of AR Rahman and Irshad Kamil. They aren’t just the composer and lyricist of the film. They are telling the story. It’s great learning for me too.
(Laughs) For starters, I have grown by ten years. So I was like a big brother to him and now I’m a very big brother. It started as an actor-director bond but now it’s like two brothers working together. It’s an emotional bond. Touchwood, I hope it continues like this.
The only conscious thing here is that I want to explore my country. I want to understand the different regions and know India a little better than I do right now. So I take joy in exploring that with my stories. When I’m exploring these regions, I’m exploring the different colours of my country. It adds a lot of flavour to my story. In this process, I discover actors. With every film, I feel like I’ve done a new course and every actor is in a new chapter.
It is not about staying real, it’s about staying close to reality. You’re not making a documentary. It’s a feature film. When you make a documentary, I understand that the only thing that can make it real is to have people who were there when something happened, as real as a film. With film, it’s fiction. It’s a creation of an emotion. You don’t have to cast a boxer when you’re making a film on boxing. Actors have to play the character.
We knew it was a difficult casting because we wanted a young actor who had a natural innocence but at the same time she had to have a certain restlessness as well. And she also had to be mature enough to understand the complexity of the character. This combination is rare to find in one actor. To have an innocence and still have the maturity to understand the character. Sara fortunately fit the bill. She has a childlike quality and yet has a lot of maturity for her age.
Rinku is such a beautiful soul. I feel she is the most normal girl I have ever seen. We are abnormal. It is so beautiful to have your father with you for so long. If given a chance, I would love to have my father with me. It is normal. If I meet her today, I can just sit and chat with her for hours.
It’s always exciting to read new stories. I always maintain that my production house is a director’s production house. Directors are coming in and creating their own world. Whether it is Good Luck Jerry or Raksha Bandhan or Action Hero, we are making it with a lot of passion. We are enjoying the process. Most of them are not easy films but we want to reach the audiences with real stories and expressions. We really want to surprise the audience and not get stagnant. We wish to explore and give them more energy and happiness.
What made you direct a film like Atrangi Re?
Atrangi Re talks about mental health but that aspect drew some flak from the critics. What do you have to say about that?
What has been the nicest thing someone said to you after watching the film?
What would have been different if Atrangi Re released in theatres?
Which is your favourite song from the film?
How have your dynamics changed with Dhanush since Raanjhanaa?
Is casting South superstars a conscious decision to entice a pan-India audience?
Nowadays, you’re expected to cast actors belonging to the region the film is set in…
Dhanush reportedly had reservations about Sara Ali Khan being the right choice for Atrangi Re as the role she was playing was quite complicated…
If you met Sara Ali Khan’s character in real life, what would you say to her?
Your next production is Good Luck Jerry with Janhvi Kapoor and then Raksha Bandhan with Akshay Kumar...
What made you direct a film like Atrangi Re?
One thing which I always tell myself when I go for a new film is that I have to be honest and give it my best. It is very important when I’m starting a story. My only thought at that point is to be as real to my actors and technicians as possible. This helps me tell a story and creation itself is not easy. I’m expected to create a new world. It’s like becoming a mini God. So the only thing that can help you reach that is your purity. I like to keep myself as real as possible.
Atrangi Re talks about mental health but that aspect drew some flak from the critics. What do you have to say about that?
I don’t know why we are not interested in listening. Especially the critics, they are not interested in listening to the story. We all want to sit on a high chair and pass judgements. We’ve grown up listening to stories about fairies, about Gods and demons, about superhumans and we were never judgemental about them. I don’t know why we have changed and want to judge everything. I know everyone has a perspective but I find it difficult to understand whether they even care about the intention behind the story. You sometimes just want to say something different only to stand out.
What has been the nicest thing someone said to you after watching the film?
From my initial days, I wanted to just tell stories and listen to people liking or disliking my work.
I was always open to it. The only thing is that I never compromise on my honesty. I try to stay as honest to my story and there is no mathematics to the process. There is no way to know what will make the film a hit. I know the way I want to tell my story and I enjoy doing that. I’ve been very lucky in my journey.
And I’ve received my share of love from the audience. Whether it was Tanu Weds Manu or Raanjhanaa or even Zero, which the audience didn’t fall in love with as much as I expected them to. But it’s fine. So I’m okay with it. I was honest and they were unbiased about it. So I’m ready to take anything about it.
I can sense their emotions. Even for Atrangi Re, I got reactions that were overwhelming. What comes out in reviews sounds like an order for the audiences from a supremo. Like it’s the final judgement. For the audience, when they don’t like anything, I know they mean it. When they share their expectations, it’s real, it’s human. I learn from it. I’m very happy with the reaction I got for Atrangi Re.
What would have been different if Atrangi Re released in theatres?
I have no idea. I can tell you that the box-office numbers can give you a feel of whether the audience has liked the film or not. But at times you make money but don’t get love. With Atrangi Re the love we received has been overwhelming. I’m very sure it would have crossed my expectations at the box office too. We achieved what we wanted. I don’t get bothered by the numbers.
Which is your favourite song from the film?
I have a great liking for Rait zara si, which is like the soul of the film. But the heartbeat is Tumhein mohabbat hai. It’s the magic of AR Rahman and Irshad Kamil. They aren’t just the composer and lyricist of the film. They are telling the story. It’s great learning for me too.
How have your dynamics changed with Dhanush since Raanjhanaa?
(Laughs) For starters, I have grown by ten years. So I was like a big brother to him and now I’m a very big brother. It started as an actor-director bond but now it’s like two brothers working together. It’s an emotional bond. Touchwood, I hope it continues like this.
Is casting South superstars a conscious decision to entice a pan-India audience?
The only conscious thing here is that I want to explore my country. I want to understand the different regions and know India a little better than I do right now. So I take joy in exploring that with my stories. When I’m exploring these regions, I’m exploring the different colours of my country. It adds a lot of flavour to my story. In this process, I discover actors. With every film, I feel like I’ve done a new course and every actor is in a new chapter.
Nowadays, you’re expected to cast actors belonging to the region the film is set in…
It is not about staying real, it’s about staying close to reality. You’re not making a documentary. It’s a feature film. When you make a documentary, I understand that the only thing that can make it real is to have people who were there when something happened, as real as a film. With film, it’s fiction. It’s a creation of an emotion. You don’t have to cast a boxer when you’re making a film on boxing. Actors have to play the character.
Dhanush reportedly had reservations about Sara Ali Khan being the right choice for Atrangi Re as the role she was playing was quite complicated…
We knew it was a difficult casting because we wanted a young actor who had a natural innocence but at the same time she had to have a certain restlessness as well. And she also had to be mature enough to understand the complexity of the character. This combination is rare to find in one actor. To have an innocence and still have the maturity to understand the character. Sara fortunately fit the bill. She has a childlike quality and yet has a lot of maturity for her age.
If you met Sara Ali Khan’s character in real life, what would you say to her?
Rinku is such a beautiful soul. I feel she is the most normal girl I have ever seen. We are abnormal. It is so beautiful to have your father with you for so long. If given a chance, I would love to have my father with me. It is normal. If I meet her today, I can just sit and chat with her for hours.
Your next production is Good Luck Jerry with Janhvi Kapoor and then Raksha Bandhan with Akshay Kumar...
It’s always exciting to read new stories. I always maintain that my production house is a director’s production house. Directors are coming in and creating their own world. Whether it is Good Luck Jerry or Raksha Bandhan or Action Hero, we are making it with a lot of passion. We are enjoying the process. Most of them are not easy films but we want to reach the audiences with real stories and expressions. We really want to surprise the audience and not get stagnant. We wish to explore and give them more energy and happiness.
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