Vikramaditya Motwane: ‘The biggest need right now is to find stories’

The thought of setting the series in the film world of the ’50s started brewing around 10 years ago when large-scale series gained worldwide viewership. “Prior to that, film-buffs would often talk about movies by big directors such as Christopher Nolan. Suddenly, there was a shift and people were discussing web shows such as Game of Thrones (2011-19), House of Cards (2013-18), Breaking Bad (2008-13) and Mad Men (2007-15). During one such discussion, the idea of doing a series based on the ’50s’ Hindi cinema and the stars of that period came up. That idea grew from a one-pager to a 10-pager and, eventually, a screenplay,” says Motwane, who made his directorial debut with Udaan (2010) and followed it up with movies such as Lootera (2013), Trapped (2017) and Bhavesh Joshi Superhero (2018).

Aditi Rao Hydari and Aparshakti Khurana in Jubilee.

The 10-part Jubilee, whose first five episodes dropped on April 7 and as many more will release on April 14, taps into the overwhelming nostalgia that film lovers cherish about this era. “There are these little Easter Eggs we have thrown in here and there. The scene with a lead character’s torn shoes is a tribute to Shree 420 and its iconic song Mera joota hai japani,” says Motwane. The series, however, is conceptualised as a high-drama. It starts with a search for the next star, who will be anointed as Madan Kumar since it was a prevalent practice then for aspiring actors to take up names that would appeal to a pan-India audience. This triggers a cut-throat competition, deceit and drama. Jubilee’s cast features Prosenjit Chatterjee, Aditi Rao Hydari, Aparshakti Khurana, Ram Kapoor and Wamiqa Gabbi, among others.

The biggest challenge before the Jubilee team was to create a compelling narrative. “We mostly dealt with challenges that I consider good such as wrapping up shoot in time and sticking to the schedule while filming songs,” says Motwane. It is, however, tough to create the authentic look of the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s — that’s something Motwane had experienced as a co-producer of Bombay Velvet (2015). Jubilee’s world is created with the help of sets, locations and computer-generated imagery (CGI). “We built the sets for the preview theatre, projection room, labs and offices shown in the show. Bombay streets are constructed but the depth, of course, is thanks to CGI. The interiors of theatres are real as it’s difficult to create. We shot in several old theatres including Liberty, Alfred and Maratha Mandir,” says Motwane.

The answer to why this era is so special, says Motwane, is two-fold. “Many of the storytellers then came from other places to Bombay, which is like this melting pot of a city. Among them were the Anand brothers (Chetan, Dev and Vijay) and Bimal Roy. They all moved to the city with stories to tell. A few generations of us filmmakers have lived in the city. Hence, the stories are not coming from outside. The biggest need right now is to find those stories,” says Motwane. That apart, the ’50s witnessed the growth of cinema in India. “There was a risk-taking attitude and aesthetics were different. There was a support system to encourage talent,” says Motwane and adds that he has massive regard for Dev Anand. “As a producer, Dev Anand launched directors like Guru Dutt and Raj Khosla. There was also space for musicians like SD Burman to create great music,” he says.

Though decades have passed by, stars are created even today and the stage is set for them to take over the showbiz. Citing the example of Ranveer Singh’s launch by Yash Raj Films with Band Baaja Baaraat (2010), Motwane says, “Ranveer was presented in Band Baaja Baaraat as a star opposite Anushka Sharma who already had a successful movie, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008). Did they see Ranveer and realise his talent first? Or, they were ready to make the film and wanted to find a star for it. In any case, whoever was going to be in that film was going to be a star. Similarly, with Student of the Year (2012), its lead actors were going to be stars. After that, of course, it depends on the audience and other factors to sustain their stardom.”