"Shahid, Kareena powerful in Milenge Milenge” - Satish
"It's not an easy task being a serious man behind the camera after you've worked as a mad man in front of it", says Satish Kaushik when we meet him in his cozy little office cabin where he is seated with his mini Vaio. For a big man like Satish, everything he used looked miniature. We asked him, "Don't you think the laptop you're using is too small for you?" He answered, "I agree. My fingers are too big for these tiny buttons of my laptop. Let my two big films release and I'll buy myself a bigger one."
The humour does not stop here. Kaushik has this unrivalled gift for insightful comedy and a highly distinctive Indian sense of humour. We have never before seen Satish Kaushik with such an assured outlook on life, till we realize that he is on the verge of releasing his most ambitious project Teree Sang dealing with teenage pregnancy and his long lost film Milenge Milenge dealing with two estranged lovers who yearn to meet. Better known amongst his fans and media as 'Pappu Pager' and 'Calendar', his screen names have given him more popularity than his directorial films. Having said that, his Salman Khan starrer Tere Naam stood out as a musical classic.
"I leave everything to destiny. It is destiny which is going to decide the fate of my films", he comments, after asking him how his Shahid and Kareena starer will be received by the audiences. As talk of Milenge Milenge ends, the topic of Satish's involvement with a long-in-development film about Teree Sang comes up. "I'm now one of the producers. I did a lot of research on it, and thought about directing it." We met the versatile actor director at his Andheri office where he talks at length on his kidult story Teree Sang, Milenge Milenge which re-unites the ex-lovers, the issues dealing with teenage pregnancy, his fascination for Rajat Kapoor and his love to work in Mr. India 2.
You've
got
a
funny
little
byline
to
your
film
Teree
Sang
-
a
kidult
love
story.
Today's
kids
are
adults.
That
age
group
knows
much
more
things
about
life
and
everything
than
we
used
to
know
when
we
were
their
age.
India
and
its
kids
are
growing
fast.
But
the
word
'kidult'
is
actually
a
word
invented
by
the
same
person
who
invented
'adolescent'.
I'm
very
happy
that
you
noticed
the
byline
first
because
at
one
time
I
wanted
to
title
the
film
Kidult
with
a
K
rating.
Kya
Kehna,
a
film
almost
similar
to
yours
didn't
work
with
the
audiences.
Do
you
think
that
the
society
will
accept
a
film
like
this
dealing
with
teenage
pregnancy?
Why
not?
They
will.
This
is
my
first
film
where
I've
researched
a
lot
and
the
debate
created
in
the
film
is
mind
blowing.
I
wrote
Teree
Sang
in
London
while
I
was
shooting
Brick
Lane.
Long
time
ago
I
had
seen
some
Telugu
film
which
dealt
with
teenage
pregnancy.
The
same
thing
is
very
much
evident
in
the
UK
and
the
US.
Then
I
saw
one
website
called
standupgirl.com.
They've
got
so
many
different
angles
and
stories
which
deals
with
such
issues
and
many
others.
That's
where
I
got
my
story
from.
Which
means
that
Teree
Sang
will
be
tackling
issues?
Teree
Sang
is
an
issue
based
film.
If
there
is
a
film
with
any
issue
and
then
you
make
a
love
story
with
it,
it'll
always
work.
Be
it
Ram
Teri
Ganga
Meli,
Bobby,
Ek
Duje
Ke
Liye,
etc.
Teree
Sang
is
a
modern
day
Bobby
you
can
say
but
done
on
a
very
real
scale.
For
the
first
time
ever,
a
child
will
come
to
know
that
there
is
a
law
which
prohibits
them
to
have
sex
at
such
an
adolescent
age.
And
even
the
parents
will
come
to
know
the
same.
The
film
is
not
preachy.
I've
made
it
from
the
viewpoints
of
kids
and
parents
both.
And
how
did
you
manage
to
find
your
apt
kidult
girl?
That
was
a
tough
ask.
To
find
a
fifteen
year
old
girl
wasn't
easy.
I
have
gone
real
with
the
age.
I
finalized
Sheena
the
kidult
in
fifteen
days.
One
day
she
just
walked
into
my
office
and
I
decided
I
had
found
the
face
I
was
looking
for.
She
could
fit
the
role
of
a
girl
with
a
small
face
carrying
a
baby.
You
mentioned
about
the
research
bit.
How
was
it
then?
By
research
I
mean
that
I
took
a
path
of
academic
interest.
Teree
Sang
is
more
an
academic
film
because
I
was
feeling
the
characters
so
much
that
I
brought
my
own
values
and
atmosphere
in
Teree
Sang.
Just
like
Brick
Lane
was
a
learning
process,
Teree
Sang
is.
I
even
took
the
same
cameraman
with
whom
I
worked
in
Tere
Naam,
I
took
my
old
friends
like
Neena
Gupta
and
Sushmita
Mukherjee.
Even
Anupam
Kher
who
is
the
co-producer
of
the
film
did
a
guest
appearance.
I
landed
up
with
a
good
researched
team
in
the
end.
You
are
all
praise
for
Rajat
Kapoor
I
heard.
You
heard
it
right.
He
is
a
brilliant
actor.
My
schedule
started
off
with
Rajat's
scenes.
The
day
I
started
shooting
with
him,
I
realized
that
he
is
such
an
intense
actor.
I
was
surprised
how
he
did
Bheja
Fry.
So
I
suggested
all
my
other
actors
and
co-actors
that
the
whole
look
of
Teree
Sang
should
be
like
the
look
on
Rajat's
face.
He
is
so
real
that
you
cannot
make
out
whether
Rajat
is
acting
or
isn't
he.
After
Tere
Naam,
is
Teree
Sang
your
most
ambitious
project?
Yes.
I
have
a
lot
of
expectations
from
the
film
because
as
said
earlier
that
this
is
a
film
I've
made
from
my
heart
and
mind.
It
is
a
commercial
cinema
well
researched
and
yet
is
a
social
film.
Teree
Sang
is
the
most
realistic
film
I've
shot
from
all
my
previous
films.
The
film
is
entirely
shot
in
Delhi
and
Dalhousie.
It
is
one
of
my
best
films
because
it
caters
to
the
youth
from
the
age
group
of
fourteen
to
twenty.
So
how's
Sheena
in
the
film?
She
has
seen
the
film
and
because
I
come
from
NSD,
I
can
confidently
say
that
Sheena
is
going
to
go
far.
She
is
a
very
good
actress.
Her
funda
in
life
is
-
I
want
to
become
an
actress
and
I
will
become
one.
That's
the
thing
I
liked
about
her.
She
has
a
lot
of
attitude
and
aggression
and
yet
looks
innocent
and
cute.
She
is
going
to
carry
the
film
all
the
way
on
her
shoulders.
Milenge
Milenge
is
coming
at
a
point
when
Shahid
and
Kareena
have
called
it
quits.
Well,
blame
it
on
destiny.
But
as
I
tell
my
producer
Boney
Kapoor,
this
film
is
based
on
destiny
and
destiny
is
going
to
take
care
of
Milenge
Milenge.
Not
many
people
know
that
Milenge
Milenge
is
the
first
film
that
Shahid
and
Kareena
signed
together.
Actually,
I
was
the
first
director
to
convince
Kareena
to
work
with
Shahid.
I
called
Kareena
while
she
was
filming
for
Bewafaa
with
Akshay
Kumar.
Have
you
shot
some
of
the
scenes
again
with
Shahid
and
Kareena?
No,
I
haven't.
There
was
no
need
to.
People
keep
on
changing
their
look
in
each
scene
now
instead
of
each
film.
Yes,
both
Shahid
and
Kareena
are
looking
young
in
Milenge
Milenge
but
you
will
not
make
out
in
the
film
when
you
see
them.
Whatever
we've
shot
is
final.
After
their
successful
Jab
We
Met,
they
are
ready
to
meet
again.
There
isn't
anything
unusual
about
the
film.
I
mean,
it's
just
another
romantic
comedy.
Not
really.
Milenge
Milenge
has
a
very
powerful
story
line.
It's
about
lovers
yearning
for
each
other.
Even
if
they
have
parted
ways
and
are
busy
with
their
own
individual
lives,
they
both
want
to
meet
somehow.
That's
unusual,
isn't
it?
The
performances
from
both
Shahid
and
Kareena
are
so
powerful
that
the
people
who've
seen
the
film
are
raving
about
it.
Milenge
Milenge
is
an
emotional
film
in
all
aspects.
Is
the
word
chart
buster
written
all
over
the
music
of
Milenge
Milenge?
It
certainly
doesn't
have
a
'Mauja
Hi
Mauja'.
I
believe
in
emotional
tunes
a
lot.
For
me,
like
in
my
previous
film
Tere
Naam'
I
had
'Tumse
Milna
Baate
Karna
Bada
Accha
Lagta
Hai'
or
the
title
track
were
great
emotional
songs.
There
are
a
couple
of
soft
numbers
in
Milenge
Milenge
which
are
very
aggressive
too.
The
songs
are
very
captivating
and
will
touch
your
heart.
Do
you
think
Shahid
and
Kareena
will
promote
the
film
together
now
that
they're
no
more
together?
Well,
that's
a
call
which
the
producer
Boney
Kapoor
has
to
take.
I
am
sure
that
in
all
good
faith
they
both
will
come
together
to
promote
the
film
if
needed.
At
the
moment
I've
got
Teree
Sang
to
take
care
of
as
that's
going
to
release
first
in
the
theatres
after
the
strike.
You've
worked
with
Kareena
at
the
start
of
her
career
in
Mujhe
Kuch
Kehna
Hai
with
Tusshar
which
you
directed.
What's
Kareena
like
now?
We
all
know
that
Kareena
has
taken
a
leap
now.
A
big
one.
She
is
a
brilliant
actress.
Sometimes,
you
relate
to
an
actor
on
emotional
grounds.
That's
my
relationship
with
her.
Somehow,
I
and
Kareena
have
stuck
to
that
emotional
connect.
I
was
very
touched
by
one
of
the
recent
interviews
which
Kareena
gave
to
the
print
where
she
stated,
"Whatever
the
reason,
I
have
done
Milenge
Milenge
for
two
favourite
people
of
mine,
Boney
Kapoor
and
Satish
Kaushik,
who've
stood
by
me
from
the
beginning
of
my
career.
I
totally
stand
by
Milenge
Milenge." I
should
say
this
that
Kareena
apne
profession
ki
bhakti
karti
hain.
She
is
the
only
Kapoor
girl
who
has
so
much
passion
that
today
if
Raj
Kapoor
saab
was
alive,
he
would've
felt
that
the
show
is
still
going
on.
Kareena
is
completely
a
director's
girl.
Your
inputs
on
Shahid
Kapoor
please.
Shahid
is
touted
to
be
the
next
super
duper
hero
of
Bollywood.
He
is
into
his
own
world
of
acting
just
like
his
father
Pankaj
Kapur.
He
is
not
a
kind
of
person
who
will
speak
out
like
Kareena
about
how
the
film
is.
But
he
knows
in
his
heart
of
heart
that
he
has
done
a
good
film.
Milenge
Milenge
will
work
out
for
Shahid.
Have
you
been
approached
by
Shekhar
Kapur
for
Mr.
India
2?
I
have
no
idea
about
the
casting
of
Mr.
India
2.
So
far,
I'm
not
in.
But
I
know
for
the
fact
that
there
is
Calendar
in
the
film
because
Shekhar
told
a
few
months
back.
Would
you
love
to
enact
the
role
of
Calendar
again?
Why
not?
Mr.
India
is
a
cult
film.
Not
many
people
know
this
but
I
suggested
the
name
Calendar
to
Javed
Akhar
in
the
first
one
because
my
father's
old
friend
used
to
say
Calendar
as
a
takiakalam.
He
used
to
say,
"Aree
panditji
kya
hua.
Chaar
peti
bheji
calendar,
lekin
usme
teen
toh
kharab
nikli.
Agar
aise
hi
maal
bhejte
rahoge
calendar
toh
phir
kaise
chalega?"
Mr.
India
is
my
ancestral
property
and
I'd
love
to
be
a
part
of
it.
After
Pappu
Pager,
I
am
known
by
all
as
Calendar.