Raazi director Meghna Gulzar: ‘I find real-life stories liberating’

Her last movie, Talvar, which was based on the 2008 Noida double murder case of Aarushi Talwar and Hemraj Banjade, was critically acclaimed. The crime drama won rave reviews for its lead cast’s solid performances as well as the sensitivity with which director Meghna Gulzar handled the subject. With her forthcoming release, Raazi, the filmmaker has picked up yet another true-life story, that of an Indian Kashmiri undercover agent, set during the 1971 Indo-Pak war. The movie, starring Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal, has been adapted from Harinder Sikka’s 2008 novel, Calling Sehmat. Meghna, whose first choice for the protagonist’s role was Alia, tells After Hrs what made her cast the powerhouse performer and why she is drawn to unconventional plots...

What was it about Sehmat’s story that appealed to you?

It’s a powerful tale, which talks about ideals and principles that seem unfamiliar in today’s times. And as it’s a true story, the draw for me was much more complete.

You have said earlier that you couldn’t imagine anyone else but Alia as Sehmat. What does she bring to the table as an actor?

For one, it’s a 20-year-old girl from Kashmir, so the physicality is smack there. I did not see this character as a Lara Croft. I saw a vulnerable, fragile girl who went through a tumultuous journey and that fragility is inherent in Alia. Plus, the performer that she is! 

Which of her films have you seen? Any performance that stood out?

I think Udta Punjab. That was on top of my mind. She is fabulous in Highway and even in Dear Zindagi. You can’t call that a performance — it’s like she’s being herself on sets. Of course, she’s good in other films too, like Student Of The Year, Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania and others. She straddles all these worlds with equal flair, which says a lot about the actor that she is.

You have a talented ensemble cast including Vicky Kaushal, Rajit Kapur, Soni Razdan and Jaideep Ahlawat. That’s something we have seen in your other films as well...

Right from the writing stage, every character has a purpose in the film. If they have a purpose and a consequence, you need to cast them correctly to justify that character’s presence. Also, I like to use faces that haven’t been too exhausted since they resonate better as the character they are playing, rather than the other identities they are known for.

Movies that focus on India-Pakistan generally tend to be jingoistic. How did you approach a sensitive subject like that?

Jingoism isn’t inherent in the story, so I didn’t need to douse the film with it. Plus, it’s not my sensibility. I will go back to Talvar for this because there were two ways that story was dealt with. One was sensational, while the other was sensitive. It comes from the maker’s sensibility or those who are behind it. It’s the same case here. I’m not telling the story for inflammatory purposes.

You started your career with movies like Filhaal and Just Married that explored relationships. Then you moved on to real-life stories. What was the turning point?

The turning point was Talvar and it has to do with Vishal Bhardwaj because it was his suggestion to make the film. I thank my stars I had the wisdom to jump at it without processing too much. I said yes first, and then I started getting scared because it was so out of my zone. The pressure to deliver made me work harder. I find real-life stories liberating because you’re free from the bells and whistles where everyone has to look nice and the hair has to be blow-dried etc. Here, your character can have a sweat patch. You’re focusing on telling the story in the most powerful way possible. Then there is the challenge of the responsibility of telling a true-life tale. I find that stimulating as a filmmaker. 

You have assisted your father, Gulzar, on films such as Maachis and Hu Tu Tu. Do you owe your sensibilities as a filmmaker to him?

Our movies are vastly different. As filmmakers, I don’t think our sensibilities are similar at all. Our craft is different as he comes from his life experiences and I come with mine. But I’ve been a student of Sociology, so that connect and that social awareness plays up in everything I do. When you make a film, at the least, there are 200 people working on it for seven to eight months. At the end of the day, if it is irrelevant or so irreverent that by the time the audience has finished the popcorn they have forgotten about it, it’s such a waste. I’m not saying every film has to have a message. We falsify the meaning of the word ‘entertainment’. It doesn’t need to be a slapstick comedy. Entertainment means engaging. You can engage the audience either by frightening them or making them sad, happy or prompting them to think. But that much talent, hard work and money should amount to an end product that resonates, otherwise what’s the point!

When we recently met your dad, he told us that you often reject his work (Gulzar has written the lyrics for Raazi). You even asked him to change the lyrics of one of the songs...

Unfortunately, it has happened with every film of mine (smiles)! Partly because I take a certain latitude as I’m his daughter and I have the right to. But seriously, the beauty of it is that when he is a lyricist for me, he is extremely respectful. He’ll never impress upon the fact that he’s my father. If I have a counterpoint and it’s valid, he will graciously rewrite the lyrics or a line or a song for me. And I respect and appreciate that.