It's the norm in Bollywood for directors to fawn over the lead actors. But last week was a revelatory experience as Bollywood's top profile couple, Abhishek and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, plus South Indian matinee idol Vikram declared award-winning director Mani Ratnam their creative saviour.
"Even if Mani asked us to jump off cliffs, we did it with a smile," was their unanimous opinion.
To Ratnam's credit, both Abhishek and Aishwarya have benefited hugely from working in his films. Case in point: Guru a film loosely based on the industrialist Dhirubhai Ambani is counted as the couple's finest performance so far.
Their tales from the Raavan shoot are equally thrilling. While Abhishek had a ball playing the evil Beera who abducts Ragini (Aishwarya), Dev (Vikram) had his share of fun playing the good guy. The trio regales us about their roles, their off-screen relations and the challenges they faced.
AISHWARYA RAI BACHCHAN
What's your role in Raavan and does it bear any resemblance to Indian epic Ramayana's central character, Sita?
My character is not Sita she goes by the name Ragini. The credit of developing the character Ragini goes to Mani Ratnam. Mani has created her and developed this feisty character. It was entirely his idea and it's a story from his perspective.
None of the names are directly from Ramayana. Now if the viewer chooses to draw parallels, that's another matter.
But let's face it, we have grown up on epics and most films are based on them. Epics are largely about family, relationships, conflict or interpersonal relationships.
What was the toughest part about filming Raavan?
By far the toughest stunt was to shoot for Raavan in both languages [Hindi and Tamil] simultaneously. Often I used to glance at Mani helplessly and he used to return the same look. But what helped us get through was the feeling that we were all in it together.
At the end of the day, it was huge adventure.
You have acted in several movies with Abhishek Bachchan. How do you rate yourself as an on-screen couple? Do you ever critique your own performances?
When you are working in a film, it's not about your personal equation with your co-star nor is it about the relationship that you share with your co-star. We are there as actors and we are committed to our craft.
We don't rate each other as actors. As far as I know, Abhishek is an actor who is not afraid to experiment and is willing to push artistic boundaries.
How would you describe your journey from your debut in Iruvar to Raavan?
It's been a wonderful journey and I am grateful for the work that I have been doing so far. I consider myself blessed to have made a debut with Mani. Had it not been for him, I would not have been in the world of films.
ABHISHEK BACHCHAN
Is Raavan a modern take on the Indian epic Ramayana?
People keep us asking us whether Raavan is Ramayana but our answer is, "No this is Raavayana."
Why do you think Mani Ratnam cast you as Beera?
He may say a few things to be nice. But don't believe a word of what he says: I think I was the only badly-behaved person whom he thought could do justice to the villain Beera.
I still remember when Mani signed me on for Yuva, all he wanted me to do before the shooting began was learn how to abuse. He thought I was a bit too proper for my own good. But now he knows better.
How was it executing the death-defying stunts?
Unlike the others, I wasn't apprehensive about doing the stunts because that meant I did not have to do the emotional scenes.
My mindset was clear: as long as I don't have to do a scene then sliding down slippery slopes was not a problem. But then again, I regretted the slide after four days because I couldn't sit or stand for a few days.
In fact, I was like a child during the shoot. Often after pack-up, I used to turn to my wife and ask: "Do you think it will rain so heavily tomorrow that the shoot will be cancelled."
I was so petrified of going to the sets. The last time that I felt like this was during Guru.
Who is the real hero of Raavan?
The film's hero is Mani Ratnam.
What did you learn from the experience?
What I learnt is very scientific. I learnt about reverse-osmosis and realised that fingers prune up after standing for hours in water.
Plus, I learnt there is no such thing as water retention. Snakes can swim and rat snakes can or will attack human beings. Of course, leeches have this habit of lodging themselves in uncomfortable places.
On a serious note, I learnt that when you have love and respect for your director, you are willing to do anything that he says. With Mani, no matter what he asked of us we did it with a smile.
How do you rate Aishwarya's performance?
Ragini is Aishwarya's best performance till date. Before this, I felt that her role in Guru was exceptional and that it didn't get its due. My character was author-backed, but she had to create something unique with her role.
But after seeing her work in Raavan, she has blown her Guru performance out of the way. Despite physical hardships, she has played Ragini with such grace and dignity. It's easy to be a whiner in such a scenario.
Did you compare notes with Vikram?
I am a team player and I have always admired Kenny sir [Abhi's nickname for Vikram] as an actor. I will also be foolish if I didn't consult him. And I am not the kind of actor who says: "It's all about me and I make the performance."
MANI RATNAM
How and when did you come up with the concept of Raavan?
I don't think I can tell you the time or how I came up with the concept. When I started to make films, I thought after making two movies I will be a cool cat at making films. But that was not the case. Even now, the process of filmmaking is as tough, if not tougher now. Raavan's script kept evolving.
Why did you cast Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan in the lead roles?
Casting is a huge decision while making a film. If you cast right, 50 per cent of your job is already done.
Abhishek had a few characteristics that made you feel that he was right for the part of Beera. What we have done in Raavan is that we have attempted to do something drastically different.
Looking back, when I had done my first film, Yuva, with Abhishek, I was very worried that he was a proper, straight-forward guy. I wanted him to learn a few bad words and I wanted him to let go. Little did I know there was a monster inside him.
You have taken actors to dense forests, jump off cliffs and suspend them from great heights. At any point, where you afraid of taking these risks and in turn were the actors worried too?
When you are making a film, you want to give it your best shot. But at the same time, you consider the safety factors. You never cross that limit of safety.
This question should be addressed to the actors because we directors stay on the other side of the camera and give instructions.
How was it working with Oscar-winner A.R. Rahman for the music composition of Raavan?
Our working relationship has not changed since the Roja days. He is brilliant at what he does and I admire him tremendously.
VIKRAM
Tell us about the stunts.
I am still reeling from it. I think people look at the stunts and wonder whether it has been done by a body double or by us. But the scariest stunt I pulled off was dubbing in Hindi!
How was the experience of shooting your first Bollywood film?
It was lovely. I felt like I was in an acting workshop, absorbing everything I could.
At one point, I knew I was not even worried about the viability of the film. Love it or hate it, you can't ignore Raavan.
Raavan releases in cinemas across the UAE on Thursday.
