'Commercial actresses interest me'

Kalpana Lajmi has been involved in theatre since a very early age and she has also assisted various directors.

Apart from her six Hindi films, she has also made documentaries. Tabloid spoke to her on her latest film Chingari, which is all set to release. Excerpts:

Why did you change your title from The Postman and The Prostitute to Chingari?

I had originally wanted The Postman And The Prostitute as the title of my film Chingari (spark) but decided against having a title like it because I was told I'd end up isolating the audience in the interiors and hence changed it to a more traditional one.

Who plays the title role - Sushmita, Mithun or Anuuj?

Chingari works on several layers. Mithun Chakraborthy who is playing the pandit (priest) of the village is construed as the moral guardian of the village. He is the first 'chingari'.

Anuuj Sawhney who plays Chandan Mishra, the new postman in the village who sparks a revolution, is the second 'chingari'. And Sushmita Sen who plays the scared, ravished prostitute Basanti whose life changes when she falls in love with the postman is the third 'chingari'.

You have cast Sushmita Sen in an entirely different role in her career. Comment.

I have always cast against the grain. Raveena was known as the Mast Mast girl before I cast her in Daman. Dimple was known as the Saagar girl before I cast her in Rudaali. I do not set out to deglamorise them. Instead I'd say that it is interesting to work with commercial actresses because it excites them also to don different hats.

Do you have a star in mind when you write a script?

It's the character I keep in mind when I write a script. I never put actors in the character for the simple reason that I find it difficult to replace them at the last minute when they hurt me, like Dimple did when I cast her in Darmiyaan and I had to replace her with Kirron Kher.

How tough or easy is it to get a star to do a film for you?

Today it has become next to impossible for a genuine filmmaker to get a good star cast. I think even a Dharmesh Darshan will find it difficult to get stars to work for him today. Whether you like it or not, the fact is that the pull of a star cannot be changed and among directors very few have achieved the status of being legendary, like say Yashji.

In Chingari, the characters of both the postman and the priest are equally good. If I had taken a male star, I couldn't have got my Basanti and hence I decided to go in for Sushmita for the role. As a regular filmmaker, I cannot afford to pay more than Rs2.5 million (Dh206,280) to a famous actress.

Was it difficult to make Sushmita accept the role?

It took me nine months to get a producer though Sush had agreed to work in my film without asking for any signing amount. I did offer her Rs200,000 (Dh16,524), but she refused when she came to know that I did not have a producer for the film. That was very sweet of her.

The more people discouraged me, the more determined I became about casting Sushmita in the role of Basanti.

What upsets you as a filmmaker these days?

It upsets me a lot that in this industry the trade pundits predict doom within three days of the release of the film, that too on television. I feel the pinch even if I have made a film within a budget of just Rs30 million (Dh2.48 million), what will a person feel who has spent almost Rs250 million (Dh20.6 million) on his film?

Your track record as far as quantity is concerned seems to be quite poor.

I have always laid great emphasis on quality over quantity. I have made just 6 films in nearly 20 years though there are others who've made 20 films in 6 years.

Why did you select a new actor like Anuuj to play the lead in Chingari?

Anuuj does not have the baggage of image with him and hence people will carry his character home.

Why did Bhupen Hazarika, your good friend and composer of all your films, opt out of Chingari?

Bhupenda is very close to me and is much more than just a good friend. He was depressed when his own people rejected him though he had done a lot for them.

When I asked him to compose for Chingari, Dada said he would not be able to do justice and asked me to take someone else. I was lucky to get Adesh Srivastava, who is a big fan of Bhupenda. He offered to work with me at practically no cost.

What's next?

After Chingari, I intend to make Singhasan (throne), a political thriller.