Madhur on unexpected surprises in life
By:
M
R
Jain,
Glamsham
Tuesday,
January
09,
2007
Even
as
he
eagerly
awaits
the
release
of
his
forthcoming
film,
Traffic
Signal,
the
last
one
in
the
trilogy,
Madhur
Bhandarkar
has
just
finished
with
the
script
of
his
next
film,
based
on
the
fashion
industry.
It
will
be
a
different
film
from
all
my
earlier
films.
It
will
have
more
gloss,
glamour
and
will
explore
the
psyche
of
the
top-notch
people
in
the
fashion
industry,
Madhur
reveals.
The
common
feature
of
this
film
like
all
his
other
films
though
will
be
an
ensemble
cast,
which
has
become
a
characteristic
feature
of
all
his
films.
I
like
to
work
with
a
huge
cast.
In
Traffic
Signal,
I
worked
with
60
artistes
and
in
my
next
film,
I
may
be
working
with
an
even
bigger
cast,
he
points
out.
Talking of the cast of Traffic Signal, Madhur admits to being thoroughly satisfied with his decision to go for an unconventional cast. I always prefer to work with relatively new artistes and give them all the scope to prove their performances, he says. According to him, both Kunal Khemmu and Neetu Chandra have portrayed their characters to the hilt in the film. Kunal is a very good actor. The film will see him emerge as a very promising actor with a tremendous range, he says. The surprise element in the film however is director turned actor, Sudhir Mishra, who plays the role of a mafia kingpin. Sudhir was initially very reluctant to take up the role but for some reason I was convinced that he would be ideal for the role. I am sure hell be flooded with acting offers after this film, he says.
He points out that the unconventional casting has gone well with the realistic feel of the film. It is an honest, situational film with a dark undercurrent of humor. An established cast wouldnt have quite worked with the theme of the film. The film is very incisive and looks at the lives of people at traffic signals in a very different perspective, he says. He admits to having gone to great lengths to give the film a realistic film. I shot with real beggars on the streets and got them to participate in the whole shooting. Likewise, I also zeroed on real eunuchs for the film. It was a difficult task but the experience was an amazing one, he recalls, adding that he didnt want to make a caricature of a film. I have always stuck on to originality in all my films be it Chandni Bar, Page 3 or Corporate, he says.
Significantly, all his last three films raked up a social debate post their release, which hinted at the impact those films had on society. In the case of Chandni Bar, the post-release saw the closure of all dance bars in Maharashtra, Page 3, brought the spotlight on the double standards of people in the celebrity circuit and the post-release period of his last release, Corporate saw the pesticide issue coming to the fore. It is strange that each of my films has unintentionally opened a Pandoras box. On my part, I am glad that my films have at least elicited a debate on social issues, he says.
He remembers his earlier days as a video library owner, when he would ride a bicycle and deliver videocassettes down Pali hill in Bandra. The other day I drove my wife down in my Pajero at a place where I used to frequent as a video library guy. I showed her the place and there were tears in my eyes. Life is full of unexpected surprises. You never know what life has in store for you but I had been happy then and am also happy now with life, he smiles.
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