EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW! Rumy Jafry: I Still Can't Believe How A Huge Superstar Like Big B Can Be So Down To Earth

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Q. Chehre has two diverse actors, Amitabh Bachchan and Emraan Hashmi sharing screen space for the first time. Both the stars bring with them their own distinct style of acting. How did you come up with this interesting cast?

A. This turned out to be an interesting cast because their roles were written in that way. We chose Amitji (Amitabh Bachchan) because we felt he was apt for this role. I had never worked with Emraan Hashmi but was a fan of his work. He has a distinct attitude and body language which is just what was needed for this role. Many people from the industry told me that he is a disciplined actor like Amitji, is punctual and doesn't interfere much. Besides Amitabh Bachchan, Chehre also stars many veteran actors like Annu Kapoor, Dhritiman Chatterjee and Raghuvir Yadav. When I narrated the script to Emraan, he immediately said 'yes' to it. We did the casting of the film as per the characters. It's true that Amitabh and Emraan have never worked together and both have a different style of working. Only after we announced the film did we realize that this is such a good casting. So, it wasn't planned.

Q. R Balki who has teamed up with Big B several times, had once said in one of his interviews, "It's never easy to get Mr Bachchan on board for a project or a film. It never was and never will be." Do you echo a similar sentiment? Was it an instant yes from his end when you narrated the script of Chehre to him?

A. Everybody has a different experience. Even when I wrote Bade Miyan Chote Miyan for him (Rumi's first association with Big B), it never felt like I was working with India's biggest superstar. Back then too, it wasn't difficult to get him on board. It's his nobility that he never made him realise these things. Speaking about Chehre, it was an instant yes from him because he liked the subject. Secondly, I wanted to try something new and reinvent myself as a filmmaker. Many directors and actors advised me not to take up such an 'aada-teda' subject and instead stick to the safer ones like my previous successful films. But, Amitji supported me in this. He told me, "Theek hai tum yeh banana chahte ho toh banao, main tumhare saath hoon." That's why Chehre happened.

Q. Your association with Amitabh Bachchan dates back to the time when you first met him to narrate Bade Miyan Chote Miyan. You later directed him in God Tussi Great Ho. Over the years, how has your equation with him evolved? Which is that one quality that you would like to imbibe from him?

A. One quality that everyone in this world should imbibe from him is his humility. I still can't believe how a huge superstar like him can stay so down-to-earth. I have known him for more than 26 years now and he has always showered me with so much love. Whether I do a film with him or not, I always stay in touch with him. We meet each other for dinner or on Diwali parties. Be it in maintaining relationships or his punctuality at work, he is best at everything.

'There Will Be Whistles For Every Dialogue Of Amitji'

Q. If there's a voice that needs no introduction, it has to be Mr Bachchan's deep, majestic baritone. In the past, he had lent his voice to Sahir Ludhianvi and Javed Akhtar's poetry in Kabhi Kabhie and Silsila respectively, and now he will be seen reciting a poem in Chehre which is penned by you. Whose idea was this?

A. We wanted Amitji to do a song. We had locked down everything before the lockdown. But it wasn't decided that I will write the song. Javed Akhtar Saab was to do it. But then the pandemic happened. Soon, the theatres reopened once the lockdown was lifted and Chehre was to release in April. Amitji is renowned poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan's son. Right from his childhood, he has been in the company of some of the biggest literary figures of India. I hail from a family in which my father, grandfather were writers and wrote in various languages like Hindi, Farsi, Arabic. Me and Amitji often share good poems and sher with each other. In fact years ago, I had even written a nazm for him but that subject never got made. I had written a sher for a mushaira. Since we were running short of time, I was told to write a song for Chehre. We recorded the song in Amitji's voice and even picturised it.

Q. Coming to Emraan Hashmi, he had previously told me in an interview that in our film industry when something works, they really want to do it again and again, and that's one of the reasons why he was offered repetitive roles for a long period of time. He had further emphasized that he is now keen to focus on high-concept films. On the other hand, you had mentioned that you could only visualize Emraan when you wrote his character in Chehre. What was it about the actor which made you think that only he could pull off this role?

A. When you will watch Emraan's character in the film, you will realize why only he could have pulled off this role which is against his image. It's true that in our industry, people want to play safe and do the same things again and again if it's successful. Emraan has been picking up different subjects now and wants to do high-content films.

Q. You said that Amitabh Bachchan and Emraan Hashmi's chemistry is going to be the highlight and the audience already got a little glimpse of that in the trailer. Can we expect some high volatile intense scenes in the film?

A. Of course. To be honest, initially I was scared and nervous as to how people will react since I am attempting something new for the first time. But all that nervousness vanished when we received an extraordinary response from the media and public for the trailer. I bet you will enjoy Amitabh and Emraan's chemistry in the film. There will be whistles for every dialogue of Amitji.

'There's Nothing Wrong In Remaking A Film'

Q. Rumy, when you create characters which are morally compromised or flawed, what are the biggest challenges before you as a writer and then as a director?

A. Whether it's a morally compromised character or any other character, the biggest challenge is to create and justify it, fit it in the screenplay and hold it till the end. That's why you will see that we have very less screenplay writers in the industry. I have an experience of over 30 years in this industry and so I am able to do this. Then, there are fights between the director and writer. The writer loves every film of his. On the other hand, the director interferes by saying, "Why is this dialogue here?" He asks the writer to remove a scene and the latter refuses. So, it's a long tiring battle. But here I have to go through the same process both as a director and a writer. I have to keep a tab on the film's length and at the same time, make a note that the scenes are not repetitive.

Q. When you write scripts/screenplays for other filmmakers, is your creative process different?

A. The writing format is the same. But the discussion with the director is on the other level because he has his own vision. A film is a director's medium. Every person has his own thoughts and perspective. I have worked with many directors and we understood each other quite well. I did many films David Saab (David Dhawan). For every film of his, 90% of the dialogues were narrated by me to him in the morning while having tea. He and the cast of his films had trust in me. So, we never came across any problem and all those films were superhits. Be it directors like Rahul Rawail, Rishi Kapoor, Sachin Pilgaonkar or Raj Kanwar, I shared a great bond with them in personal life as well.

Q. You have penned down some of the most successful films in the 90s and some of them have been remade in recent times. What are your thoughts on the trend of remakes?

A. There's nothing wrong in remaking a film. For example, Mehboob Khan remade his own film Aurat as Mother India. The challenge becomes bigger when it is compared with the previous film. The risk is even more higher if the earlier flick is very good. There are chances that the remake might received more flak.

Q. In the past, Bollywood has churned out many mystery-thrillers. Some hit the bullseye; some didn't. According to you, which are the key ingredients when it comes to making a good, gripping thriller?

A. When it comes to thrillers, the scene should end with a question. The next scene should have the answer and once again throw a question. Only then, the audience will be glued to the seats because of this thrill.

'When I Look Back At My Journey, I Feel Like I Am Living A Long Dream'

Q. You have worked with some of the biggest names in the industry like Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar and others in your career. I recall you saying in one of your interviews that it was Big B and Aishwarya who suggested you to try your hand in direction. Today, when you look back at your diverse work both as a writer and a director, how do you view your journey?

A. Honestly when I look back at my journey, I feel like that I am living a long dream. Initially, people thought that I won't be able to accomplish this dream. I hail from Bhopal. Back then, I never owned a computer or assisted anybody. I didn't have any connections in the film industry. Even today, I am yet to figure out how everything fell in place for me. I got a chance to work with some of the biggest superstars like Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan and even earned respect. It's all because of God's grace otherwise there are many talented people in the industry.

Q. Chehre was supposed to release in April. However, the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic played a major spoilsport. Now we hear that the makers are planning to release the film in August. Considering the uncertain times we are in right now, many filmmakers are disheartened that they are not getting the chance to release their films the way they intended to. Some have opted for OTT release while others are still waiting for the pandemic to subside. As a filmmaker, how do you keep yourself and your team motivated considering there are so many things at stake?

A. Because of the OTT platforms, most of the producers have become financially secure. There's nothing wrong in it. But if a producer decides to opt for an OTT release, as a director I might feel little bad, but as a person, I would be happy that my producers' money have been saved. So, whoever opted for an OTT release for their film, they didn't do anything wrong. However, my producers waited to get a theatrical release for Chehre. OTT is a good medium but films which are meant for big screens, should release only in theatres. Tomorrow, I might also make some content on OTT but that story and concept would be different. There's no time limit. I can make content with a duration of 4 to 6 hours.

Speaking about Chehre, my entire team was very passionately involved in this project. Ever since they came to know that the film will release in theatres, they were very happy and motivated since the past one year. But when they heard reports about OTT release, they got nervous. However, whe I informed them that the film's producer (Anand Pandit) wants a theatrical release, my team never got depressed about the film's release after that. Even today, they are as passionate and motivated about the film as they were before.

Q. With so many successful films to your credit, what advice would you like to give to aspiring writers?

A. The entertainment industry has become very huge over the years but there's still a dearth of writers. You should write with conviction irrespective of the genre. It's rubbish when people say this works and this doesn't. If you knew everything then every film would have been successful. You should keep thinking about delivering quality work and be passionate about it. Only then you would be successful and nobody would be able to stop you.