10
years
after
his
second
directorial
venture
Split
Wide
Open,
internationally
acclaimed
filmmaker
Dev
Benegal
is
ready
with
his
next
film
Road,
Movie.
The
film
starring
Abhay
Deol,
Tanishtha
Chatterjee
and
Satish
Kaushik
in
lead
roles
talks
about
the
concept
of
showing
movies
on
the
go,
a
tradition
still
very
prevalent
in
the
interiors
and
heartlands
of
India.
Says
Dev,
"Shocking
as
it
may
sound,
70%
of
the
Indian
population
still
watches
movie
outdoors.
The
first
time
I
went
to
a
small
village
on
the
outskirts
of
Maharashtra,
nearly
3000
people
had
gathered
to
watch
a
film.
The
next
time
somewhere
in
Rajasthan
nearly
4.5
lakh
people
had
come
together
to
watch
a
film.
These
are
places
where
there
is
none
of
the
basic
amenities
of
life
like
water,
electricity
and
yet
the
enthusiasm
of
these
folks
to
watch
a
film
is
something
out
of
this
world.
It's
like
a
carnival
atmosphere.
This
is
an
extraordinary
Indian
phenomenon
and
when
I
saw
the
diaspora
of
people
who
had
gathered
together
to
watch
the
film,
I
was
taken
aback.
There
were
small
children,
young
couples,
families
and
the
elderly
crowd
all
of
them
geared
for
their
dose
of
entertainment
at
a
meager
price
of
just
Rs.10
per
ticket.
I
thought
of
it
as
a
kind
of
social
networking
ala
Facebook
in
flesh
and
blood
and
it
increased
my
belief
in
the
making
of
Road,
Movie."
After
casting
Rahul
Bose
in
his
first
two
films,
Dev
Benegal
has
opted
for
yet
another
unconventional
actor-Abhay
Deol
this
time
around.
Commenting
on
his
choice
of
actors,
Dev
says,
"I
was
looking
for
somebody
who
was
young
and
embodies
the
character
of
Vishnu.
I
didn't
really
have
anybody
in
mind
while
writing
the
film.
I
happened
to
meet
Abhay
at
a
dinner
in
New
York
and
the
minute
I
met
him
it
was
like
one
of
those
'Aaahaa'
moments.
I
knew
I
had
found
my
guy.
He's
extremely
talented,
has
a
tremendous
on-screen
presence
and
we
got
along
really
well.
As
for
Tanishtha,
I
have
known
her
for
a
while
right
from
the
time
when
she
was
part
of
a
girl
band
called
Teer.
She
maybe
new
in
Bollywood
but
is
a
big
star
in
international
cinema
and
was
perfect
for
the
part.
I
have
been
wanting
to
work
with
Satish
Kaushik
since
the
last
20
years
ever
since
I
met
him
on
the
sets
of
Mandi
where
I
was
an
assistant
director.
When
I
finished
writing
the
script
I
immediately
called
him
up
from
New
York
and
told
him
that
I
would
love
to
have
him
in
the
film.
He
read
the
script
and
agreed
to
be
a
part
of
Road,
Movie."
After
having
made
the
rounds
of
various
film
festivals
at
Toronto,
Doha,
Tokyo
and
Berlin,
the
film
finally
opens
in
India
this
Friday
and
Dev
is
obviously
excited
to
gauge
the
Indian
audiences'
response
to
the
film.
"We've
got
tremendous
response
wherever
we
have
shown
the
film
be
it
Toronto,
Doha,
Tokyo
or
Berlin.
After
the
Toronto
premiere
all
our
actors
were
mobbed
by
eager
fans
and
there
was
this
whole
street
full
of
ladies
who
were
screaming
Abhay's
name.
The
incredible
part
is
that
here
is
a
film
which
is
entirely
in
Hindi
(there
is
not
a
word
of
English
in
it)
and
yet
found
a
connect
with
people
from
different
parts
of
the
world.
It
reiterates
the
fact
that
if
we
make
stories
from
the
heart,
audiences
will
discover
them."
Story first published: Thursday, March 4, 2010, 11:30 [IST]