'Mumbai is not the real India' - Kamlesh Pandey

A pen is mightier than a sword. This saying stands true when it comes to writer Kamlesh Pandey after you read his answers to the interview below, and if you asked him why he chose a career in writing, he'd answer that it was much more a case of the career choosing him. Writing runs in his blood.

Let's face it, today many of the movies we see are just plain bad. Except for a few, there hasn't been a lot to get excited about lately (the last ten years or so.) It may be that the majority of professional storywriters and scriptwriters out there are not producing quality material; they're just simply collecting paychecks. We don't blame them, but wish we could collect six-figures for some of the trash that is being written. Anyway, welcome Pandey, a mixture of old school and new school types who wants to believe that his grey hair hasn't stopped him from penning new age films like Rang De Basanti and Delhi 6. After months and months of carefully plotting story, creating vivid characters and structuring a hundred and twenty pages in such a way for maximum dramatic impact, Pandey has become an orator of sorts. We found that out when the acclaimed writer invited us at his Juhu Link Road residence to talk about his writing and experiences in Delhi 6. A die hard patriot and a real lover of real India, he gets most of his inspiration from small town and villages and says, "That's where the real stories are found, not in Mumbai". A die hard fan of Raj Kapoor films, he believes that Delhi 6 is a modern interpretation of Raj saab's Jaagte Raho and questions, "If Raj Kapoor was alive today, how would he have made Jaagte Raho?" One of the most passionate writers we have today, Kamlesh believes, "We are no less than Vyas who wrote Mahabharata, Tulsidas who wrote Ram Charitra Manas or Valmiki who wrote Ramayana. We are their children". Bollywood Hungama's London correspondent and UK's Harrow Observer columnist Devansh Patel grills Kamlesh Pandey for over two hours in what went down as one of the most memorable interviews. So as the final word of the below interview was written, we got a bit saddened and recalled what the genius writer said, " The best reward for a writer is that he is the first audience of his work. Once it goes out of your hands, it belongs to the whole world. You lose it and just relish the moments of its creation."

How did the idea of making Delhi 6 cultivate?
The idea came from Rakeysh. He is from Ballimaran which is a part of Delhi 6 - Chandni Chowk area. This was while I was writing Rang De Basanti. He once mentioned his memories of Delhi 6 and the kind of people, issues and behavior, etc. In fact, I lived with Rakeysh in Delhi while doing the research for the film. I loved the place, its people, the culture and the attitude. People of Delhi 6 still call the soft drink which they serve in restaurants and dhabas, 'Campa Cola'. The guy will then bring a Pepsi or a Coke. That's what Delhi is about. The city is still trapped in a certain time zone. Rakeysh and I sketched bits and pieces of the city without knowing the fact that we will come out with beautiful film titled Delhi 6.

So what was the basic idea of Delhi 6 you wanted to come out with?
The basic idea of Delhi 6 was that of an NRI boy who comes to India with his grandmother, and like many other NRI's, he too finds the basic infrastructure not present; there is poverty, filth, superstition, etc. Eventually he hates India but by the end of the film he falls in love with it. Plus there was a love story weaved into the film too. But we thought that the basic idea wasn't enough. We needed something else.

Kamlesh Pandey And what was that 'something else'?
If you've seen my film Tezaab, it was Awara of 1988. How I started was with the thought that if Raj Kapoor was alive during that period, what Awara would be like. Tezaab had many tributes to Awara too. The introduction of the villain of Awara, K.N.Singh, in Awara is exactly the introduction of the hero of Tezaab, Anil Kapoor. Coming to Delhi 6, I remembered Raj saab's Jaagte Raho. It was a very simple film with Raj Kapoor looking for water. It was a man's search of water. But through that one simple incident, Raj Kapoor exposes the hypocrisy of the entire society; the biases, the hates, the loves, the double faces and so on. So I thought, let's make a modern interpretation of Jaagte Raho. Raj saab is my university. Not only me, but for many. Thus Delhi 6 also exposes the two-facedness of our society.

There is a very big statement in Delhi 6 about Americans too, right?
Yes there is. It's about George Bush but we haven't named him. There is this whole big sequence shot in New York about Indians and the Americans which you'll see in the film.

I'm sure the audience will accept Delhi 6 because of Rang De Basanti's success.
We don't know that. But what we know is that if Rang De would've flopped, Delhi 6 would not have existed. Rakeysh's Aks was a little ahead of its time. It was a very significant film where we tried to say something very important. But I think we missed the audience or the audience missed us. I'd like to say that the audience failed us because we let them get away with murder. For the success of every bad film, audience is equally responsible and not only the maker of that film. We have appeared for our exam and our exams are over. Now the audience will give their exam. This proves what they want - good cinema or bad cinema.

A man like you having grey hair can write about what's prevalent in today's time. You sure are a mix of old and new school types.
Rakeysh jokes a lot with me on that front (laughs). I was in the same flight which banged into the helicopter and I narrowly missed meeting our president mid air (laughs). I then called Rakeysh and said that my journey is still not over and he replied saying that I am still young to write for about a hundred films. I am not old to die. I like to keep in touch with what is happening to our present India. I don't only meet the people to find what's doing the rounds but I am a regular subscriber to the magazines or the work of fiction written in Hindi by many of our youngsters today. Mumbai is not the real India. The stories are not in Mumbai, the stories are out there in small villages and towns. I get the vicarious experience through the writing of what India is thinking and what our young India wants.

Have you scripted any character in Delhi 6 from the real India?
Yes I have. There are a couple of people in Delhi 6 who are real life inspiration from my village in Allahabad. There is a person called 'Gobar' in Delhi 6 played by Atul Kulkarni who is a real person. I was a kid in my village Balia in Eastern U.P. when I knew him. He is so fascinating, as a person that I want to write a whole film on him. His real name was different though. People often ask me that I should pursue direction but I tell them that I am not that greedy. Once you become a director, only one film is there for you in your mind, but as a writer, I am doing almost half a dozen films, animation too. I have a far richer life, not in terms of money, but in terms of telling stories which no director can claim to have.

Delhi-6 How many changes did you make in the script of Delhi 6?
I have lost the count of the drafts. It's strange but true that the final draft of the script wasn't ready and we started the shoot of Delhi 6. I think scripting is a very alive process. Sometimes, things happen suddenly and unexpected. That's why you have to be always open for changes all the time. A script isn't just a mere piece of paper. The best reward for a writer is that he is the first audience of his work. Once it goes out of your hands, it belongs to the whole world. You lose it. You relish the moments of its creation.

Relish some moments from Delhi 6 like how the name of the film was born?
There is an interesting story behind this. I and Rakeysh were walking in the night in old Delhi where he was introducing me to the different areas. I was an alien there. While walking, we noticed that there was a fight going on in one of the corners of the street. During that time, the name of the film wasn't finalised. In fact, the name that we had in mind was revealing the whole story. Anyway, then one of the boys was getting beaten up by other three and that's when he said, "Haath na lageeyo, Delhi 6 ka launda hoon". I happened to hear that and told Rakeysh that we found the name of the film. What an attitude that boy had. Delhi 6 isn't just the postal code; it is the identity of the people living in old Delhi and its culture.

But we also hear that the old Delhi was a set, right?
Yes, it was. I went for the shoot to Sambhar in Rajasthan where the re-created the old Delhi. Every sign board in that town was painted with Delhi 6 including the posters of the local Delhi politicians, the banners, etc. What a great job Sameer Chanda has done. I couldn't recognise that the set was old Delhi. It felt as if we were in Delhi 6.

With writers like you so clear about what they want, don't you think that writers should actually narrate the scripts to the actors along with the director?
I leave that part for Rakeysh to handle. Yes, we both are in sync with the script. The director knows as much as the actors know. Not that I avoid the actors but I am neither close to them nor far from them. Writers are more comfortable with the directors and not the actors and the same goes to the actors. They are more comfortable with the directors than writers. Its better that the director does the narration because finally, it's his vision. Rakeysh is very good with people and I am not. Sometimes you have to be a bit political, manipulative, and smart; you have to see how people are reacting, etc. Rakeysh has this expertise and I don't. But when I am needed, I am always available.

We personally think that writers are the engine of the car. Without which the car cannot move ahead.
You're right. We writers have a very responsible role to play. We are story tellers of this nation. We are no less than Vyas who wrote Mahabharata, Tulsidas who wrote Ram Charitra Manas or Valmiki who wrote Ramayana. They were the story tellers of their time about our country and country men. We are their children. Whatever story I write, there is something of me going into it. D.J, Aamir Khan's name in Rang De Basanti, was me. When I left college, I was very much in demand because I was a writer. Many of my friends used my services to write love letters to their girl friends. Once I was out of the college, I was nobody. I was zero. That's why I kept going to my college to reclaim my old glory which was not there any more. DJ was me. In Tezaab too, a lot of Munna, Anil's character, was me. That anger and the angst is what I possessed while writing Anil Kapoor's role. I still am like that because you have to keep your anger alive in order to bleed your stories out of your system.

Delhi-6 Did the same angst make you write Rang De Basanti?
Yes it did. Rang De Basanti started almost fifty years ago. As kids, we once heard Chacha Nehru say, "Anybody who is found corrupt in this country will be hanged by the nearest telephone pole". So next morning, we kids were going to school and saw all the telephone poles empty. We were so innocent that we believed in Nehru because we loved him beyond our limits. Forty years later, the telephone poles are still empty. Neither a single politician nor a bureaucrat has been hanged from the nearest telephone pole. That was the angst which made me write Rang De Basanti.

A true Bharat you are.
Thank you. Well, each of your questions has an interesting story. This one also. Our country isn't called 'Bharat' because of the great king Bharat. 'Bha' means light and 'Rat' means in search of. Imagine the great people who put the whole meaning of this country into the name. Bharat is a country which is in search of enlightenment and not in search of global domination, fame or economic growth. Our country has always been in search of light, even today, and that is the real glory of India.

Why should one go and watch Delhi 6?
Because Rakeysh and I have made one of the most unusual films which is so unique and fresh and so Indian. There hasn't been a film lately which is so Indian.

Tell us a bit about the pigeon in the film. Why so prominent on all the posters and hoardings?
(Laughs) The pigeon is there because of Om Puri, who plays Sonam Kapoor's father. What to give him in terms of his role. Also we wanted to cover the roof tops of old Delhi. There are no sky scrappers in old Delhi and the roof tops make the most fascinating visuals in the mornings and the evenings. So how do you use the roof tops was the question. Then again, the pigeon is also a metaphor for Sonam Kapoor who wants to escape that environment. Om Puri's role in the film is to take care of the pigeons and feed them. It's a tradition which still exists in India.

"Delhi 6 will appeal to the audiences because of its new narrative" - Abhishek Bachchan

So often actors who are "on the edge" tend to forget how quickly the mountain of their talent can turn into the molehill of their image. But Abhishek Bachchan has developed such a talent for going so far over the edge so many times in his career that it's as if, by establishing his own perspective, he's redefined the boundaries. As one of modern cinema's most luminous points of light, binding together such disparate, and often desperate, is a sense of honour that seems to come from Abhi's implicit understanding of how far over the edge fate can lead us. But the buck doesn't stop there. Getting the chance to talk to the uber- talented Bachchan last weekend was, well, icing on the cake. It's no wonder that he has found so much success in his work for cult roles like in Yuva, Guru, Sarkar and Sarkar Raj - he is an intense but laid back man drawn to his passion while also seeming quite grounded. Our talk was brief, but what followed was a look into the process of making this genius. We won our battle to make Abhishek smile. But he made us smile too, which is maybe more important anyway. The principally serious-minded actor who loves joking around off and on the sets was closing in on the end of a long day on Valentine's Day as a special guest at the Indian Idol show taking place at the R.K. Studios in Chembur. He walks on to the sets along with his co-star Sonam Kapoor, shakes a leg to his favourite 'Kaala Bandar' and 'Masakali' to which the audiences scream 'once more'. He really got in the groove with his rapper style dance. Next, his bouncers in grey coloured safari suits come close to the sets signaling that it's time for Abhi to exit...and exit quick because he had to catch a flight to New York in the next five hours. Out walks the soaring Bachchan in his black suede suit with shiny black boots. By then, we had given up hope. He opens the door of his vanity van. Gets in and shuts it. Within seconds his bouncers open the door again, and then the extraordinary happens. Abhishek Bachchan invites us in his vanity van for the only interview he wanted to do on the V-Day. We knew it is hard work to talk to a journo after a four hour long shoot on the reality show but also knew that he's happy to do what he can to support Delhi 6. Five minutes into the interview, we hear "A.B., you in?" to which he replied, "Yeah Bhabhs". Now this is what a true gentleman does. He introduced us to Sonali Bendre, one of the Indian Idol judges for the season. "Meet my bhabhi Sonali", he says with utmost respect. His sweet bhabhi requests us, "How much time will you take to finish the interview?" We say, "Give us five minutes please". We were punctual and concluded on time. Ten minutes is what Abhishek took from us. But what we took back on that special day from Abhi was - his affability, his liberality, his gravity and his sincerity towards his family, his work, his fellow colleagues and journalists like us. Bollywood Hungama's London correspondent and UK's Harrow Observer columnist Devansh Patel met the towering personality called Abhishek Bachchan, on perhaps one of his most busiest days, where we discussed success, failure, overseas audience, Rishi Kapoor, Waheeda Rahman, 'Genda Phool' and of course, Delhi 6, all in ten minutes. Didn't we say he had to catch a flight?

How far are we going to see an actor like you stretch? It feels as if you're already on the apex of your acting career.
Thank you. It's very kind of you to say that. But it's not about how far I'm going to stretch. It's about how far the directors are willing to push. It's always been about the director and I've always maintained that. We actors, unfortunately, end up walking away with all the credit but it has to go to the directors. I'm very fortunate that somebody like Rakeysh picked me to play Roshan in Delhi 6. We have tried something new. I think Rakeysh is somebody who you've grown to expect to change and to introduce a new narrative and a new language to cinema. I do hope that people appreciate the effort we've put into Delhi 6.

Abhishek Bachchan When we met Rakeysh Mehra and one of the writers, Kamlesh Pandey, they told us that Delhi 6 is a modern interpretation of Raj Kapoor's Jaagte Raho.
Let's put it this way. You see the film through Roshan's eyes and he leads you through the entire film. He is almost the conduit. He speaks to the audiences throughout the film through his voiceover, through his actions. This is something I've never done before and I hope I manage to take my audience through the film because if I manage to do that, it will mean that the audiences have managed to allow themselves to be gripped by the story and the screenplay.

People always ask you - What have you learnt from your failure. Let's flip the question. What have you learnt from your success?
Not to take it seriously (smiles). That's the one thing everybody who've been successful will tell you. The day you start taking success seriously, it'll take it back from you the next day. Your success is an acknowledgment of your hard work and hopefully good work. But in order to maintain it, you have to continue to work hard if not harder. If you don't, as fast as you caught it, it's going to go away.

You will be the first Indian actor to put on an accent throughout the film. Was it then necessary to put on an enunciation to justify your character?
There is an interesting story behind this. We worked out an accent. I had an accent coach because Roshan was born and brought up in New York. So we felt that Roshan should have a strong New York accent. We did a few readings and worked on it for a month. I was then ready with the lingo. Once I was ready, we did another reading with Rakeysh and recorded it, and when I heard it again, I said, "You know what I feel is going to happen is that this film is so rooted to India and Indian culture and it's so meant for the Indian audience that it can alienate them to some extent because they might have trouble understanding what I was saying". The NRI's wouldn't have a problem accepting it but back home in India things might go wrong. I had this thought because I was watching an English movie channel in India where this movie had English subtitles. I enquired why an English film should have an English subtitle to which they explained that a lot of times our Indian audience cannot understand the accent. So they want to read and know exactly what the person speaks. That made a lot of sense to me.

So what did you and Rakeysh finally decide?
I suggested Rakeysh to have a twang but not a very heavy accent because we could've confused our Indian audience. He thought about it for a very long time and still wanted to go with the accent. He convinced me to do another reading and by the end of it he finally agreed with me. We went for a faint hint of the accent. So in spite of training for a month we eventually did not go for it while we were on the sets. You will notice it once you see the film.

Abhishek Bachchan After Sarkar Raj making it to the 'Top Ten' films at the U.K box office last year, do you think the overseas audience are now accepting a change in cinema by not being tempted by just candy floss films?
I've always believed that a good film works and a bad film doesn't. Movies like Black, Sarkar and Sarkar Raj which are song-less films have proved that they can collect huge amounts of money at the box office and do extremely well. All these films have gone down as one of the highest grossing films of that particular year. Having said that, I do believe that there is a bit of a glass ceiling. We as Indians want to see certain elements in our films. We love our song, our dance, our emotion, and if you see the trend, it's not only about candy floss films. It's about a film which has poetic justice. Song, dance and emotions are the three strong pillars of Indian films which I think are required and that's when your audience opens up. So although I think Sarkar Raj did break the shackles last year, it will still take more time until the overseas completely accepts a song-less film.

So is it right to say that Delhi 6 has all the three pillars?
You're right. Delhi 6 is a very commercial film. It's got its song, dance and emotions but it's also got a new narrative. I think Delhi 6 will appeal to both Indian and the overseas audiences because of its strong narrative.

Please share with us your unforgettable experience working with Waheeda-ji and Rishi-ji.
(Smiles) They are two of my favourites. I've worked with Waheeda aunty before in Om Jai Jagdish. It was a sheer honour to work with her again. She is the most dignified and beautiful lady on Earth. She's such a wonderful person to be on the sets with. She has this aura about her which lights up everyone's life and I can't be more privileged that I have already done two films with her. Actors go through their entire career not having an opportunity to work with her because she doesn't do lot of work. I was very excited that she had agreed to do Delhi 6. I was equally, if not slightly more, excited about Chintu uncle (Rishi Kapoor) because he was my childhood hero. If there was anybody after dad for me, it was Chintu uncle. So there I was, with one of my childhood idols. Guess what; he didn't let me down at all in terms of whatever I expected of him in the screen space I share with him in the film. He is sheer brilliance. He is so effortless yet stylish and just the class with which he pulls off his performances is commendable and makes you very envious.

It's been ages that we Indians have played that one song in every marriage taking place in India. The last one I remember was 'Didi Tera Dewar Deewana' from Hum Aapke Hain Kaun. I guess 'Genda Phool' has arrived with a bang.
(Smiles) What's wonderful about 'Genda Phool' as oppose to the rest of the album is that it's a fantastic fusion between a folk song and a modern orchestration and production. What's heartening about 'Genda Phool' is that it makes you feel that India still has its heart in its roots. You give them (audience) something which is embedded in Indian culture; they're going to go for it. I'm so happy about that. It's an old folk song which Rahman and his team reproduced with the infusion of modern beats. The song epitomises the India of today.