This story is from November 7, 2019

Amar Kaushik: I haven’t been corrupted yet. Corruption, to me, is making a film with wrong intentions

The filmmaker gets candid with BT
Amar Kaushik: I haven’t been corrupted yet. Corruption, to me, is making a film with wrong intentions
When your directorial debut turns out to be the biggest sleeper hit of the year, the pressure on the second outing can be daunting. So, how is Amar Kaushik of the 'Stree' (2018) fame dealing with it, now that his second film 'Bala', which stars Ayushmann Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar and Yami Gautam, is about to release? 'Bala' has already had its fair share of controversies, including accusations of plagiarism.
However, in a chat with BT, the filmmaker says that he is unfazed, and all he cares about is staying true to his craft. Read on...
‘Bala is not just about balding’
When producer Dinesh Vijan approached Amar with a rough draft of the story, the latter was entrusted with developing the script, as a creative producer. From there to actually helming the project was a result of him falling in love with the story. Amar says, “The original story was set somewhere else, but I moved it to my hometown, Kanpur. While developing the script, maine isme bahut apnapann daal diya. I showed my writer around the city to make him understand the Kanpur wala vibe, dialect and swag. The process lent a personal touch and that’s when I decided to direct it.”
For him, 'Bala' was never the story of just a man facing premature balding. He wanted to tell a lot more than that, and that’s how Bhumi’s character — that of a dark-skinned lawyer — came into the picture. Amar asserts, “It’s not just about being dark, short or bald. We assume that a fair person has it easy in the world, but by calling him/her gora, aap wahin discriminate kar dete ho. We often poke fun at tall people by asking them, ‘Oopar ka taapmaan kya hai?’ Our conditioning doesn’t let us stop and think that such terms could be hurtful. I have tried to explore all these complexities and not just premature balding in the film.”
‘Small-town humour has shaped my sensibilities’
Having said that, the director is not keen on ‘correcting the wrongs’ of society through his films. Amar tells us that it’s the small-town attribute of not taking oneself too seriously, that has helped him tell stories that people can relate to.
He says, “Preachy isn’t my style. I always try to look at the humour in any situation; it’s easier to empathise that way. I was once partying with a couple of friends till late night when the cops arrived and picked us up. On the way to the police station, the bizarreness of it all hit me, and I started laughing. One of the cops was flummoxed and asked me what I found so funny. I told him that it was quite hilarious to be heading to a police station after partying with friends. He found it funny, too, and dropped us by the road after that.”

‘I haven’t been corrupted yet’
The filmmaker says that he will not choose a script just because it is safe. “Money is important, as you can’t expect your producers to make losses on a film. Mujhe paise nahi kharaab karne, par mujhe apna cinema bhi kharaab nahi karna. I don’t want to make a film just because the script is safe and will work. A lot of people ask me about the 'Stree' sequel, as they are certain that it will work. It would be a disservice to my craft if I start taking popular conjecture seriously and get on with a sequel, even though the script is not in place. That’s when corruption will win over my craft! I haven’t been corrupted yet. Corruption, to me, is making a film with wrong intentions. I have retained my innocence as a filmmaker in Bala. Woh innocence jis din jaayega, main corrupt ho jaaunga aur main kharaab film banaane lagoonga. Following the success of Stree, I felt the pressure to work on a different film, but I realised that I needed to ensure that whatever I am making should have my complete focus and honesty,” he says.
It’s not difficult to figure out the inspiration behind his worldview. He has assisted the likes of Raj Kumar Gupta and Onir, who are known for making films they resonate with. He says, “I feel fortunate to have worked with the right people, who moulded my thought process. They taught me that cinema is more important than making money. I am forever hungry to learn, which is why I assisted Majid Majidi on 'Beyond The Clouds' (2017). I wouldn’t mind assisting renowned filmmakers, like Sriram Raghavan, to hone my skills, whenever I feel that I am slipping. Ek success ke baad aapko bahut chadhaane wale mil jaate hain. So, I have brought my old friends closer, as I can always depend on them for honest reviews.”
‘Kuch toh aaj dhamaal karenge’
Amar says that the absence of a superstar in his cast has never been a roadblock for him. “I haven’t worked with a superstar yet, to talk about the pressure or ease one feels around them. For me, everyone who is hungry to do some good work, and everyone who thinks at the start of their day, ‘Kuch to aaj dhamaal karenge’, is a star. I see that hunger in Raj (Rajkummar Rao), Ayushmann, Bhumi and Yami. When we started working on Stree, we were told that we don’t have a big star. I said that we have so many stars that they will leave us blinded by their light when they shine together,” he reminisces.
‘Copying something is against my upbringing’
The run-up to Bala’s release hasn’t been smooth; the film was mired in controversies after the makers of 'Ujda Chaman', which also revolves around premature balding, accused them of copyright violations. So, how did he deal with the sudden hullabaloo? Amar replies, “It’s against my upbringing and ethics to copy anything. We spent over six months developing Bala and suddenly, someone calls it a copy… it does feel bad. However, I maintained a dignified silence or it would have turned uglier. After all, you know that you haven’t done anything wrong and people will see it in theatres.” Ask him if he has watched the other film to understand whether their allegations are justified and he says, “No, I haven’t. I watched the Kannada film, 'Ondu Motteya Kathe', whose rights they (makers of 'Ujda Chaman') bought to remake it in Hindi. I realised that we were making a completely different film. They started shooting 20-25 days after we wrapped up Bala. After we announced our release date, they announced theirs, which was scheduled to release before ours. However, that’s a producer’s call.”
With Ayushmann top-lining the cast, did he ever feel that his film has an edge over the other? “If a film is good, it will work irrespective of its cast. So, the fact that Bala has Ayushmann and hence it will do better, didn’t cross my mind,” he concludes.
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