New Delhi: He created a stir with his very first film 'Aamir'. His second film 'No One Killed Jessica' unscathed old wounds with its realistic approach and now Rajkumar Gupta comes back with a quirky, situational comedy called 'Ghanchakkar'.
Having directed and written realistic films like Aamir and NOKJ, was it difficult to work on a mad cap comedy? "Every film is difficult. The film's genre doesn't really determine its difficulty level. The whole process of making a film, the script we choose - all are difficult things to do, "says Gupta.
But made him choose a quirky tale of a forgetful thief as his next film, that too after two films which were based on real life incidents? "While I was making NOKJ, UTV made me speak to Parvez Sheikh (co writer on Ghanchakkar) who had this idea. I loved the whole situational idea that Parvez had to offer and decided to co write the script with him. You see, as a filmmaker it is important to explore different genres," says Gupta.
Gupta worked with Rajeev Khandelwal in 'Aamir'. Khandelwal, who made his Bollywood debut with the film, was the principal character of the film. NOKJ had two women- Vidya Balan and Rani Mukerji playing the key characters. Was it a conscious decision to work with an established hero (Emran Hahsmi) in his third film? "Yes, I wanted to balance it out," laughs Gupta and ads on a serious note "'Ghanchakkar' is very character driven. Not really about stars. But yes it is an interesting way to put it that yes, I wanted to balance it out this time round.
The director admits that working with big, established stars has its advantage and they do manage to pull the crowd to the theatre. "But then if that was the only factor to make films work, documentaries would all work and feature big stars. Nowadays content, the director, the banner- all play a major role in making a film what it is," reasons Gupta.
Having assisted Anurag Kashyap early in his career, Gupta clearly feels that films are now content driven. "Audience is accepting all kinds of films. So, I feel the times are changing. In fact I think it is the best time to be working in the film industry."
Gupta who was among the 61 directors who met Hollywood filmmaker Steven Speilberg during the latter's visit to India earlier this year, admits that he is a Spielberg fan. "It was a humbling experience. He has inspired an entire generation of filmmakers and it was great to interact with him."
Born and brought up in Hazaribagh, Gupta's tryst in the film industry has been quite fruitful so far. He has made a name for himself and candidly admits that he wants to work with all the big stars in the industry. Gupta is also quick to add that he wouldn't mind casting character actors in leading roles. "They have played important roles in my films. They are immensely talented. So if the script demands it, I won't hesitate in casting a character actor in a key role."
As of now Gupta gets set to release his third film 'Ghanchkkkar' which he calls as a situational, quirky tale, "not over the top and no slapstick" adds Gupta.
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