September 3, 2010 (Sampurn Wire): Jai Tank, director of Madholal Keep Walking, tells Jyothi Venkatesh that his film exactly did not set the box office on fire though he thought that since films like 'Peepli Live', 'Udaan' and 'Tere Bin Laden' have made a big dent at the box office, the audience is today ready to accept a film if it touches the chords of their hearts, he is happy that his film has fetched him accolades.

Why did you set out to make your film 'Madholal Keep Walking'?

Ever since I was a kid, I used to see films and there was this desire in me to make films. I used to conceive various subjects even when I was in college. I have gone though various phases in my life, including the phase when I was hunting for a job and was jobless. For a period of a month or so, it was okay but then it started hurting me and my belief in myself started waning. It was then that I thought of making a film with the backdrop of fear psychosis.

How tough was the job of casting the actors for your film?

Casting was really tough. The biggest difficulty was that I had the images of the actors only with myself. For certain films, it is very easy to cast particular stars. I decided to go in for auditions because I wanted to cast real faces in my film. I was not biased because I was not familiar with any person whom I had auditioned for the roles.

Is it true that Irrfan Khan refused to do the role of Madholal?

Though now I cannot think beyond Subrat when I think of Madholal, it is true that I had bounced off to Irrfan about the subject and narrated the role of Madholal when I had finalized the first draft but he told me that though he would have loved to do the film, he was tied up with Nishikant Kamat's film 'Mumbai Meri Jaan'. Certain actors just fell in place as the subject was finalized.

How did you zero in on Subhrat Dutta for the title role?

Believe it or not, I did not zero in on any actor to play either the main lead or the role of his wife after I had locked the dates of all the other actors in the film. My casting director showed me the clippings of some films in which Subhrat, who is a popular actor in Bengali films had acted. I decided to cast him in the title role. It was my Director of Photography who had suggested the name of Neela Gokhlale for the role of Madholal's wife, just ten days before the film went on the floors. I asked Neela to come to the office clad in a sari Guju style. I cast her the moment I saw her.

Do you believe that a film will work only if you adopt a linear approach of telling the story?

Sometimes I feel that a linear approach is good to tell a particular story. However, if the script requires a non linear approach, I have absolutely no qualms at all to make a non linear film. Many films which have a non linear approach have also worked wonders at the box office and hence I would not think that the audience may not like a film if I have a non linear approach. It is always the content that decides the form when I set out to make a film.

What goads you to make a film?

I believe in making a film which I feel I should set out to make. When I set out to make 'Madholal Keep Walking', I did what I felt was right for the film. Being a producer, who was also the director helped me a lot because I did not want to depend on any one for any decision that we had to take. We have used whatever we had shot and there was absolutely no need for any patchwork

Did you conduct any workshop for your actors before you went on the floors?

I conducted a workshop for ten days after Neela Gokhale was cast in the film. It definitely helped me when I embarked on my 27 days shooting schedule of the film. I shot my film on 35 mm, because I feel that the results of 35 mm are better than that on Red or High Definition. The highlight of my film is that all the train shots are one take shots.

What message do you set out to drive home though your film?

I set out to drive home a contemporary message in these tumultuous modern times through my film that if you face any grave problem in life, you should keep walking, come hail or storm and emerge out of it as early as possible. You should not let a misfortune stop you though it may cripple you.

Considering the fact that your film does not boast of any well known star, do you think your film will click at the box office?

Luckily for me, though I thought that it will help a lot that films like 'Peepli Live', 'Udaan' and 'Tere Bin Laden' have made a big dent at the box office and I was confident that the audience is today ready to accept a film if it touches the chords of their hearts, my film did not exactly set the box office on fire. Yet I am happy that I have won accolades from critics' who matter. To tell you the truth, recovery is still not in my mind, because the recovery factor will hold you up and force you to compromise on quality

What next?

I am now all set to launch my next film which has been tentatively titled 'PACT'. It is the abbreviation of 'Police And Citizen's Together'. It will be a realistic film with a certain kind of message to the audiences that both the cops as well as the public should improve as far as their relationship is concerned. Since I intend to make the film as a hard hitting drama, I intend casting lesser known actors in the film instead of running after big stars

--Jyothi Venkatesh / Sampurn Wire