LIFESTYLE
Most of us have families that are dysfunctional in some way. So Kanu Behl decided to make a movie out of his experiences, says Amrita Madhukalya
"Har family, family nahi hoti," says the promotional tagline of Kanu Behl's Titli. The film, based on the life of the youngest son Titli (Shashank Arora) of a carjacking family living in the dark underbelly of Delhi, who is desperate to run away from his intimidating brother Vikram (Ranvir Shorey), draws deeply from Kanu's own personal demons.
"I wrote a film before this (one) but couldn't mount it. A lot of things were going wrong in my life at the time... I was going through divorce. So I stepped back, reassessed why I was writing that film, and found that it was a dishonest attempt. So, I took six months off to write something that came from personal experiences."
That's when his writing took him to his relationship with his father. "I had a difficult relationship with my father. So, I set out to do a film about this young boy with an oppressive older brother. I did not want this to be a rant and wanted some distance from my own experiences. So, I transposed my experiences into the relationship between the brothers, because the older brother is almost like a father; their age difference is quite a bit," says Kanu.
Titli debuted at the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes last year, and releases in India this week. Produced by Dibakar Banerjee and YashRaj Films, it also stars Shivani Raghuvanshi, Amit Sial and Kanu's father, theatre artiste Lalit Behl.
Kanu grew up fearing his father, who wanted him to act instead of being a screenwriter and director. Lalit Behl, who admits that he ignored Kanu for his career, says he is proud of his son. "Initially, I was a bit reluctant, but I went ahead with the film. I realised that the older generation also needs to ease on the restrictions it lays down in the name of discipline," says the veteran actor-director.
Dibakar, who earlier worked with Kanu in Love, Sex Aur Dhokha and Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!, says Titli is a personal attempt by his protégé. "Kanu's relationship with Titli is very personal, because it was coming from his experiences, his struggles with his father and his family while growing up."
"Early on, I knew that Kanu's depiction of family will stand on the head of these preconceived notions that the Indian audience has about family. Many who saw the film were shocked by this absolute candid approach to what goes on inside a family. Because a lot of what happens in the film also happens in their lives."
Dibakar says there was a moment when the script was taking shape when he himself wanted to direct it. It also helped that Anurag Kashyap threatened to produce it. "Initially, I was reluctant about producing someone else's film. When Anurag said, please produce it or I will, it weighed in swinging my decision."
His involvement with Titli has mostly been with marketing. "I gave feedback for the script and during the edit. Other then that, I've been involved in marketing it, in the making of the trailer, etc," says Dibakar. "I make sure there's one hit song in every film I do. I looked after marketing in Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!, LSD, Shanghai because, when Khosla Ka Ghosla came out, no one other than producer Ronnie Screwvala knew how to market it. But Titli was so much of its own animal that one had to just go with."
Kanu's next, Agra, has gone to the Asian Project Market at Busan Film Festival. It's about a man in love with a girl who has to prove to his family that the girl exists. But, he denies that family is a familiar leitmotif. "I am obsessed with the idea of a film. Agra is mostly about space – physical and mental – and the lack of it in India," says Kanu.
Former Cricketer Ajay Jadeja named heir to Jamnagar royal throne
Meet woman, India's first visually impaired IAS officer, who cracked UPSC twice with AIR...
Successors to religion to love life, 5 questions answered about Ratan Tata
Haryana's new BJP government to be sworn in on October 17 in Panchkula, PM Modi to attend
Good news for Delhi-NCR commuters, Delhi-Mumbai Expressway nears completion, set to open by...
How did Noel Tata succeed Ratan Tata as head of Tata Trusts?
'A day I'll always remember with...': Throwback to Ratan Tata's meeting with Sachin Tendulkar
Adani Energy secures Rs 61088000000 contract in Kenya for enhanced....
What key traits does Google seek in new hires? CEO Sundar Pichai makes big revelation
BIG boost for Gautam Adani as he emerges as biggest dollar gainer among the list of...
RG Kar case: West Bengal government remains silent as condition of fasting medics deteriorates
IDF expresses 'deep concern' after Israeli airstrike in Lebanon injures two UN peacekeepers, says...
Aishwarya Rai ends rumours of tiff with ‘pa’ Amitabh Bachchan’s family with new post, writes…
Mumbai Metro launches Whatsapp-based ticket service for lines 2A and 7; know steps to avail it
Meet former TCS employee, who even worked in SBI bank, then cracked UPSC exam to become...
India announce squad for New Zealand Test series, Jasprit Bumrah named vice-captain
Tamil Nadu train accident: Mysuru-Darbhanga Express crashes into goods train, several feared injured
DNA TV Show: All about JPNIC controversy and why it's causing political tension in Lucknow?
NC's Omar Abdullah meets LG, stakes claim to form J-K government, swearing-in ceremony on...
IND vs BAN, 3rd T20I: Predicted playing XIs, live streaming details, weather and pitch report
Sharjah-bound Air India Express flight with 150 onboard safely lands in Trichy after reporting…
IND vs BAN, 3rd T20I Dream11 prediction: Fantasy cricket tips for India vs Bangladesh
Combined wealth of India's 100 richest individuals, for first time in 2024, surpasses Rs...
Ozonetel Acquires CloudConnect Communications
Noida Police announce traffic diversions for Dussehra celebrations: Check key routes to avoid
Ratan Tata's millennial friend Shantanu Naidu and his midnight surprise for the industrialist
Indian speedster Mohammed Siraj takes charge as Telangana DSP
Mukesh Ambani’s Diwali dhamaka offer: Get free AirFiber for one year, unlimited internet; here's how
Oil Ignores War: Why Markets Are Calm Amid Middle East Chaos
Amitabh Bachchan receives birthday wishes from Ajay Devgn, Prabhas, Rajinikanth, Kajol, Navya
PAK vs ENG: Pakistan become 1st team to lose Test match by an innings despite scoring 500 plus runs
Noel Naval Tata: Check educational qualification, family tree of new Chairman of Tata Trusts
Rupee hits all-time low against dollar, know why Indian currency fell, which one's strongest
Here's how Shantanu Naidu's midnight birthday surprise for Ratan Tata left him 'visibly awkward'
Nobel Peace Prize 2024 awarded to Japanese organisation Nihon Hidankyo for...
An Ila Arun blockbuster launched THIS actress in Bollywood, everybody in her family is a star
Amid divorce rumours, 'Flying Beast' Gaurav Taneja and Ritu Rathee reunited for daughters?
When PM Modi's one-word SMS to Ratan Tata brought Nano to Gujarat
PM Modi holds bilateral talks with his Laos counterpart Sonexay Siphandone in Vientiane
Meet man, who is behind over 9% surge in Bandhan Bank share price today
Narayana Murthy's next BIG step, Infosys to no longer send job offer letters, the company will...
Vettaiyan Box Office Day 1: Rajinikanth, Amitabh Bachchan's film earns Rs 30 cr