Jagmohan Mundhra speaks on Provoked
Often tagged as a soft-porn filmmaker for the erotic content in his thrillers, Jagmohan Mundhra has often been misinterpreted in the film world. In a no-holds-barred interview with us, the filmmaker opens his heart about his film Provoked and how his so-called 'unsavoury' image in the industry had many so called well-wishers warn Aishwarya against signing the film. But with all the acclaim the film has received across the world, Mundhra comes out of the battle, unscathed.
At
many
instances,
you
have
been
wrongly
tagged
as
a
soft-porn
filmmaker
in
the
media.
How
do
you
react
to
it?
It
is
difficult
to
constantly
react
to
myths
which
are
wrongfully
perpetuated.
I
guess
it
makes
a
better
headline
to
an
article
if
it
is
salacious.
I
have
repeatedly
pointed
out
that
I
am
not
apologizing
for
the
films
I
have
made
in
the
US
belonging
to
a
very
legitimate
and
commercially
popular
genre
called
'Erotic
Thrillers'.
Most
respected
Hollywood
actors
from
Angelina
Jolie
to
Michael
Douglas
to
Sharon
Stone
to
Richard
Gere
to
Diane
Lane
to
Antonio
Banderas
to
Kim
Basinger
to
Glen
Close
to
Jeff
Bridges
and
many
other
A-listers
have
done
this
genre
of
films.
Respected
film-makers
such
as
Paul
Verhoven,
Adrian
Lyne,
Joel
Schumaker
and
many
others
have
directed
them.
Since
there
is
no
other
director
of
Indian
origin
who
has
done
this
genre
in
Hollywood
and
since
the
films
I
directed
had
smaller
budgets
and
lesser
known
actors;
the
tendency
of
us
Indians
to
pull
down
the
achievements
of
our
own
can
only
be
the
reason
I
can
think
of,
for
this
kind
of
condescending
attitude
of
Indian
media
towards
these
films
which
I
directed
for
famous
producers
such
as
Ashok
Amritraj
and
Roger
Corman.
Erotica
has
always
been
an
underlining
theme
of
your
films.
Why
such
a
fascination?
My
films
Suraag,
Kamla,
Bawandar
and
Provoked
have
no
erotic
theme.
Open
House
and
Death
Mask
were
horror
films.
,Eyewitness
to
Murder
and
Jigsaw
Murders
were
police
dramas.
It
was
the
unprecedented
success
of
Night
Eyes
(my
first
film
with
an
Erotic
theme)
which
got
me
brand
recognition
and
therefore
most
of
the
films
that
were
offered
to
me
after
that
had
those
elements
in
it
as
nobody
wanted
to
temper
with
a
successful
formula.
It
is
the
fascination
of
the
producer
with
the
box-office
and
their
belief
that
I
could
deliver
(e.g.
Night
Eyes)
was
the
reason
I
got
twenty
films
of
that
genre
without
ever
having
an
agent
in
Hollywood.
Having
said
that,
I
think
sex,
fame
and
greed
are
three
temptations
which
drive
human
behaviour
and
are
great
motivators
for
conflict
which
is
essential
to
good
drama.
As
story
tellers,
we
are
always
on
the
look
out
for
compelling
dramatic
stories
which
people
will
be
fascinated
to
watch.
It
is
their
fascination
which
we
cater
to,
not
our
own.
Also
your
films
from
Monsoon,
Bawandar,
Perfumed
Gardens
to
Provoked
have
been
woman-centric.
What
makes
you
choose
on
the
subject?
My
trilogy
of
strong
women
centric
films
are
Kamla,
Bawandar
and
Provoked.
Since
all
good
cinema
must
have
a
protagonist
the
audience
can
root
for,
and
since
more
the
hurdles
in
the
path
of
the
protagonist,
more
the
triumph
of
victory
in
the
end;
journey
of
a
woman
protagonist
in
a
male
dominated
society
often
makes
a
compelling
story.
Ideally,
I
would
like
my
films
to
be
fast
paced,
gripping,
heart
touching
and
with
a
message
for
social
reform.
I
want
to
dispel
the
notion
once
for
all
that
realistic
cinema
can't
be
entertaining.
Using
the
medium
of
cinema,
I
want
to
tell
stories
that
expose
the
hypocrisy
of
the
so
called
civilized
society.
Creating
an
awareness
is
the
beginning
of
initiating
change.
This
need
not
be
done
in
a
ponderous,
boring,
self-important
manner.
It
can
be
done
in
a
comedy
(e.g
Munna
Bhai),
drama
(e.g
Rang
De
Basanti)
and
it
can
even
be
done
in
a
song
and
dance
flick
(e.g.
Naya
Daur,
Guide).
I,
as
a
moviegoer
like
films
which
have
something
to
say.
Post
Vishkanya,
you
hardly
made
any
film
in
India
and
almost
shifted
your
base
to
US.
Did
you
think
your
kind
of
cinema
would
not
be
accepted
in
India?
There
were
other
considerations.
My
daughter's
education
was
most
important.
My
sensibilities
were
somewhat
different
than
prevailing
cinema
of
the
time
in
India.
When
I
tried
to
push
aside
my
sensibilities
to
accommodate
the
dictates
of
the
box-office,
I
made
bad
films
because
they
were
without
conviction.
I
was
still
trying
to
find
at
that
time
what
my
strength
as
a
filmmaker
was.
I
learned
my
craft
by
practicing
it
through
trial
and
error.
When
did
the
idea
of
making
Provoked
first
strike
you?
In
2001,
I
was
in
London
to
screen
my
film
Bawandar
(Sandstorm)
at
the
film
festival.
After
the
screening,
a
couple
of
women
came
to
see
me
and
presented
me
with
a
book
called
Circle
of
Light.
They
were
social
workers
from
Southall
Black
Sisters.
On
my
flight
back
to
Los
Angeles,
I
read
the
book.
Kiranjit's
life
story
gave
me
goose
bumps.
I
wanted
to
develop
a
screenplay
based
on
the
book
but
it
took
four
years
to
acquire
the
rights
as
it
was
already
optioned
to
some
other
filmmaker
who
couldn't
make
it
happen.
In
2004,
rights
were
offered
to
me,
but
I
couldn't
find
a
producer
to
put
money
in
it.
Once
Aishwarya
heard
the
story
and
gave
her
consent,
funding
came
through.
Did
you
meet
Kiranjit
Ahluwalia
personally,
on
whom
the
film
is
based?
Did
she
have
any
inputs
for
the
film?
Yes,
I
did
meet
her
personally.
The
film
is
based
on
her
book
as
she
narrated
her
story
to
co-author
Rahila
Gupta
while
she
was
in
prison.
That
was
all
the
input
I
needed.
Which
of
these
reasons
made
you
choose
Aishwarya
Rai
for
the
film?
-
because
she
was
a
perfect
fit
for
the
character
- to attract in the global audience since she is more popular internationally, or
-
because
Aishwarya
is
a
fabulous
actress.
All
of
the
above.
Initially,
she
was
chosen
because
her
globally
recognized
brand-name
made
the
project
financially
viable.
Her
desire
to
breakaway
from
the
image
of
her
iconic
beauty
and
play
a
real
character
was
very
important.
She
proved
herself
to
be
a
fabulous
actress
as
all
acclaimed
actors
need
the
right
vehicle,
right
director
and
right
role
to
show
their
talent
and
be
called
fabulous.
No
actor
can
rise
above
that.
When
your
beauty
which
is
your
boon
also
becomes
your
bane
as
no
one
can
see
beyond
that;
such
opportunities
don't
come
often
and
as
an
actor
you
have
to
be
smart
enough
to
grab
it
when
it
comes.
Aishwarya
grabbed
the
opportunity
and
did
full
justice
to
the
role
and
her
very
expressive
eyes
brought
out
the
pain,
the
love,
the
hurt,
the
anger,
the
fear,
the
gratitude,
the
joy
and
the
triumph
of
Kiranjit's
character.
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