“It’s a Zoya Akhtar film,” is now the constant refrain of people referring to this week’s major Bollywood release Dil Dhadakne Do (Let the heart beat). It’s been used as a qualification, a description. Like everyone’s supposed to know what it means.
Just two features in, and a short in an anthology film called Bombay Talkies, the 42-year-old is one of India’s most-wanted directors.
“When you sign up for a Zoya Akhtar film, you know what you’re getting into,” says DDD star Anushka Sharma. “You know it’s not about the length of role, or the screen time you have. You just know your role will make an impact because it’s a Zoya Akhtar film.”
Sharma, who shares screen space with Priyanka Chopra, Ranveer Singh, Anil Kapoor, Shefali Shah and Farhan Akhtar, says she knew she was in good hands when she signed up for the family drama.
“Zoya’s always done ensemble casts and every character has a place, has a relevance in the film. That’s why no actor can ever feel insecure in her films.”
I asked Zoya (Farhan is her brother), if she’s ever felt the pressure to deliver. Her last feature, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, starring Hrithik Roshan, Abhay Deol, Katrina Kaif, Kalki Koechlin and Farhan, was a massive hit in 2011.
“I find it funny when people say I’ve delivered many hits. My first film, Luck By Chance, was a commercial failure [although it was praised by critics], then came Zindagi… after which I was part of Bombay Talkies in 2013 with a lot of other directors,” she says.
“Do I feel pressured by the attention DDD is getting? No. Do I hope that it will succeed? Of course. So many people have put so much into it. Of course you want people to like it.”
She says she lucked out with her casting.
“I can’t even begin to tell you how thrilled I am to have this cast. I know people say that about all their cast members, but you will know what I’m saying once you see it. It’s just brilliant to have these people and I can’t imagine doing the film with anybody else.”
In DDD, the Mehras take a group of friends on a luxury cruise across Europe only to come face-to-face with their own devils out at sea.
Zoya reunites with her Zindagi… writing partner, Reema Katgi, for DDD.
“I wanted to do a family film with a sibling duo at the heart of the story. And I wanted it to be very Indian and modern,” she says of her inspiration for the story.
Chopra and Singh, who play siblings, bear no resemblance to her and brother Farhan, she’s quick to point out.
“The family is completely different from mine. There are some dynamics we share, yes, but that’s about it,” she says. “Farhan and I are very tight. We can kind of communicate without saying things. We have that kind of connection and you will see those elements in the film. But that’s about it.”
The Mehras in DDD are Punjabis, a community often stereotyped in Bollywood. Zoya says she was careful not to fall into that trap.
“I love Punjabis,” she says. “I have a lot of Punjabi friends. They have the most vibrant culture, they love to party, entertain and live large. But at the same time, they can very conservative about certain things.
“And for the story we had, basing it on a Punjabi family made perfect sense. I mean, think about it, only Pujabis will take off on a cruise and take a huge group of friends.”
Working with costume designer Arjun Bhasin, who also created the looks for Zindagi…, achieving the right aesthetic was very important in portraying the wealthy Mehras, she says.
“I wanted it to be a little over the top but still very classy and modern. We researched a lot about what people wear on cruises and inserted many nautical themes. I think Arjun achieved an amazing look for the film.”
From the story about an aspiring actor who rises to fame at a heavy cost in Luck By Chance, to a group of friends who find themselves on a trip to Spain in Zindagi Milegi Na Dobara, Zoya has often been accused of making elitist films.
She doesn’t like that reference.
“I find it funny people say these things,” she says, defiantly. “Luck By Chance was not about rich people and Zindagi… was about working-class people who went to Spain. They are never about rich people.
“I don’t think the economic strata of characters should matter. A story is a story. If I like one, I will work with it.”
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Dil Dhadakne Do releases in the UAE on June 4.