By:
Joginder
Tuteja,
IndiaFM
Tuesday,
November
14,
2006
Exciting
times
continue
for
Bollywood.
With
newer
subjects
making
an
appearance
on
a
regular
note,
one
film
that
has
managed
to
catch
attention
is
Honeymoon
Travels
Pvt.Ltd.
Produced
by
Farhan
Akhtar
and
Ritesh
Sidhwani,
it
is
a
cool
looking
contemporary
film
that
promises
to
be
a
light
hearted
entertainer.
IndiaFM
gets
into
an
exclusive
conversation
with
the
debutant
director
Reema
Kagti
to
know
about
how
'different'
is
her
film
(that
is
made
of
numerous
love
stories)
and
how
was
the
experience
of
filming
a
true
multistarrer
like
this.
Reema
Kagti
is
a
fairly
unfamiliar
name
for
a
common
man.
Care
to
talk
a
little
about
your
background?
Of
course!
Before
going
independent
with
'Honeymoon...',
I
have
been
working
for
last
8-9
years
an
assistant
director
with
directors
like
Farhan
Akhtar
[Dil
Chahta
Hai,
Lakshya],
Ashutosh
Gowariker
[Lagaan],
Honey
Irani
[Armaan],
Kaizaad
Gustad
[Bombay
Boys]
and
others.
I
also
gained
a
lot
of
experience
in
film
production
in
the
process.
Not
many
are
aware
but
I
actually
started
my
career
with
Rajat
Kapoor
who
was
making
a
film
called
'Private
Detective'
then.
This
was
the
place
which
I
would
consider
as
a
film
school
because
apart
from
being
an
assistant
director,
I
was
working
a
lot
on
other
departments
of
film
making
too
which
helped
my
growth
immensely.
I
also
worked
on
a
few
music
videos
and
documentaries
and
today
I
can
say
that
I
have
earned
my
place
to
be
where
I
am!
And
how
fresh
and
appealing
could
a
love
story
be?
'Honeymoon...'
is
a
different
take
on
love
and
relationships
and
when
you
see
the
film
you
would
believe
me
then.
It
is
about
these
6
middle
class
couples
who
go
on
a
package
honeymoon
trip
to
Goa.
It
has
an
unconventional
narrative
but
still
doesn't
completely
deviate
to
make
it
sound
absurd.
It
says
in
the
end
that
"come
on,
life
is
hard
but
then
there
are
ways
to
find
solutions
to
make
it
fun"!
If
I
have
to
define
the
genre
of
the
film,
I
would
say
it
is
a
very
quirky
bit
of
comedy
that
you
are
going
to
witness
on
screen!
Why
do
you
say
that?
Because
my
sensibilities
as
a
director
are
different
here!
I
am
influenced
a
lot
by
world
cinema
and
am
a
viewer
of
films
from
places
as
diverse
as
Spain,
Iran,
South
East
Asia
etc.
I
have
observed
films
from
directors
who
started
off
with
alternate
cinema
and
moved
on
to
make
something
mainstream.
This
is
the
reason
why
I
have
made
a
film
that
balances
the
two
worlds
and
yet
gives
audience
something
entertaining.
Was
'Honeymoon....'
a
kind
of
subject
you
wanted
to
debut
with?
I
won't
say
that
this
was
a
kind
of
subject
I
'wanted'
to
debut
with
but
this
is
how
it
has
turned
out
to
be.
Initially
I
had
plans
to
make
a
dark
film;
in
fact
it
was
darker
than
an
average
film.
Then
I
was
told
by
many
that
why
not
start
with
a
lighter
subject,
something
which
could
be
a
love
story.
I
said
fine,
but
then
I
would
do
it
my
way.
Something
that
would
suit
my
style
of
film
making.
Result
is
that
I
have
made
a
very
accessible
film,
though
an
attempt
has
been
to
do
something
in
an
alternate
manner!
Coming
to
the
film,
why
don't
you
take
us
through
each
of
the
6
lead
couples
in
the
film?
Well,
let's
start
with
Boman
Irani
and
Shabana
Azmi.
They
are
a
middle
aged
couple
who
have
married
at
an
old
age.
People
around
them
make
fun
of
them
but
they
are
not
really
bothered
about
it.
In
fact
why
just
characters
in
the
film,
even
I
was
advised
against
putting
such
a
love
story
in
the
script.
And
my
question
to
them
was
"what's
a
problem
if
the
two
have
gone
out
on
a
honeymoon?" Why
is
enjoying
life
a
premium
that
comes
to
young
only?
Why
can't
we
look
beyond
age
when
it
comes
to
love?
In
the
end
you
realize
that
their
love
was
so
beautiful,
especially
due
to
the
fact
that
they
came
from
a
tough
background
and
had
faced
difficult
times
earlier.
And
now,
finally
they
are
keeping
their
past
behind
and
searching
for
a
future
with
each
other.
How
about
the
others
in
the
film?
KK
and
Raima
Sen
is
another
couple
which
comes
from
a
small
town
in
Bengal
and
have
different
sensibilities
than
the
rest.
Amisha
Patel
and
Karan
Khanna
are
form
Delhi
and
are
poles
apart.
While
Amisha
is
a
talkative
sort,
Karan
is
quieter.
Story
of
Vikram
Chatwal
and
Sandhya
Mridul
is
interesting
too
since
Vikram
plays
an
NRI
while
Sandhya
is
a
Mumbai
girl.
[Laughs]
I
don't
want
to
get
into
a
lot
of
details
for
these
characters
since
by
doing
this
I
may
be
giving
away
a
lot
of
surprises
that
are
in
store
in
the
script.
Abhay
and
Minissha
look
like
a
fresh
couple
too.
Yes,
in
fact
they
are
the
most
perfect
couple.
But
then
you
have
to
watch
their
story
unfold
since
there
is
a
big
twist
that
comes
in
the
end.
Ranveer
Shourey
and
Dia
Mirza
form
another
young
couple
from
Gujrat.
Their
story
raises
a
question
of
what
is
more
important
in
life
-
love
or
marriage.
It
challenges
the
social
norms
and
traditions.
Great
to
hear
about
the
couples
and
the
rest
of
the
cast.
Now
tell
us
honestly
which
is
your
favorite
story
in
the
film.
And
please
don't
be
diplomatic
by
saying
each
of
them
is
equal.
Each
of
them
is
equal
[laughs]!
Hey,
but
how
can
you
expect
me
to
pick
my
favorite?
I
have
made
a
true
ensemble
film
where
no
track
is
more
important
than
the
other
and
each
of
them
has
a
story
to
be
told.
It
also
takes
a
step
beyond
the
tracks
and
looks
at
individuals
by
focusing
on
each
of
the
characters.
I
am
seriously
being
honest
here.
In
fact
during
the
preview
shows
that
were
held
to
take
the
feedback
from
people
who
matter,
I
heard
different
people
reacting
to
different
stories.
That's
because
somewhere
you
find
a
chapter
from
your
own
life
unfolding
in
front
of
you.
While
filming
'Honeymoon...',
were
you
able
to
manage
it
all
by
yourself
in
spite
of
it
being
your
debut
film
or
did
you
feel
the
urge
of
some
help?
How
can
I
say
that
I
did
it
all
alone?
After
all
film
making
is
such
a
combined
effort.
No
one
can
really
stand
up
and
say
that
I
did
it
all
alone.
Yes,
I
was
alone
on
the
sets
while
shooting
the
film
but
then
Farhan
and
Ritesh
[producers
of
the
film]
were
always
there
for
support.
They
are
such
cool
guys
to
work
with
and
they
never
once
made
me
feel
the
pressure
in
spite
of
a
lot
of
it
building
up
from
so
many
ends.
They
provided
me
with
ton
loads
of
help
and
said
that
"Reema,
you
do
what
you
want
to
do
and
we
will
always
be
there
for
you".
There
was
feedback
from
people
around
us
when
the
film
was
on
but
their
[Farhan/Ritesh]
point
was
that
it
is
your
film
and
you
take
a
call
on
how
you
want
to
do
it.
That's
indeed
cool.
True,
and
this
makes
you
feel
so
good
since
you
know
that
you
are
working
with
a
set
of
people
with
progressive
mindset
who
belong
to
today.
I
had
been
in
so
much
of
pressure
earlier
on
when
I
was
trying
to
make
my
debut
as
a
film
maker.
It
was
hard
while
struggling
for
a
few
years
to
get
that
one
elusive
break
and
today
I
just
can't
help
but
thank
all
those
people
who
rejected
me!
Really?
[Laughs
uproariously]
Ya,
really!
Otherwise
I
would
have
ended
up
being
a
part
of
a
setup
that
may
not
have
been
to
my
liking
and
would
have
ended
up
making
comprises
at
some
places.
But
it
all
turned
out
to
be
a
blessing
in
disguise
since
I
am
associated
with
EXCEL
movies.