Mahesh Bhatt is easily one of the prominent and controversial filmmakers in Bollywood, thanks to the subjects he chooses for his films.
His directorial career took off with his autobiographical hit Arth followed by critically acclaimed Saraansh, Naam and Daddy.
He then launched his own production, Vishesh Films in association with his brother Mukesh Bhatt, and consistently delivered hits with small- budget flicks such as, Aashiqui, Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin, Sadak, Kasoor, Raaz, Murder and Gangster.
After Mahesh quit direction with Zakhm he became a peace activist and encouraged the exchange of talent in the field of art, music and cinema between India and Pakistan. In fact, Mahesh even released his previous film Awarappan in Pakistan, which received a positive response.
Now Mahesh has returned with his latest offering, Jannat, a film based on the match-fixing and illegal betting business in cricket. In addition, Jannat happens to be the first Indian film to be premiered in Pakistan before India.
Mahesh spoke to tabloid! about Jannat and the reasons behind his choice of his subjects, stars and music.
Your latest film Jannat is the first Indian film to premiere in Pakistan before India and is also having a simultaneous Pakistan release. How does it feel to be the pioneer in transporting Bollywood films to Pakistan?
Let me be candid enough to admit that Bollywood was in Pakistan much before anyone of our filmmakers thought of taking our films over there. Bollywood films are widely watched across Pakistan on cable television and VCDs, which may not be legal and approved channels but nevertheless it has popularised Bollywod film.
Five years ago, we had a dream of releasing our films in Pakistan and that we achieved with Awarappan. But I had fantasised to see a film having the world premiere in Pakistan and release a film simultaneously in all Pakistani cinemas. It is satisfying to realise this dream with Jannat and the response in Pakistan has been heartening.
What made you opt for the subject of cricket match-fixing and betting?
Actually, it was Kunal Deshmukh (director of Jannat) who came up with the idea of making a love story against the wallpaper of cricket match-fixing and betting. Considering that cricket is equivalent to a religion in India I thought it was a topical subject. Jannat is basically a love story of 21st century girl (Sonal Chauhan) and boy (Emraan Hashmi) where the boy wants to make quick money and gets sucked in the world of crime. I thought it was very exciting to portray such a love story against the backdrop of the murkiness in the game of cricket.
Why do you always make films with controversial subjects?
I have to admit making films on controversial subject is part of our film making design where we look for attention-grabbing subjects. In this age when there is deficit of audience attention and everyone is clamouring for space and eyeballs, it is important to make films on subjects that would stand out.
Our films do not have big stars that attract media attention and therefore we look out for subjects that could be a sensation in itself.
Did you choose to cast Emran Hashmi in your films purely on his acting skills or simply because he is your nephew?
I am sure that if Emraan did not have the necessary acting skills, I wouldn't even touch him with a barge pole. I wouldn't invest in anyone if I don't have the belief that I will get a return on the investment irrespective of the fact whether he or she is my relative.
I can tell you with all my authority in filmmaking that there has been a quantum leap in his performances recently. In fact, his performance in Jannat is simply mind-blowing.
But why do you stick to the same set of actors or newcomers and don't opt for working with bigger stars and established names?
I have always worked with small stars in all my productions as it easier to extract the best from these stars and wrap the films quickly. When I was successful director, I was offered good money by producers and that's why I directed big stars to satisfy the needs of these producers.
When I have fresh set of talents always at my doorstep, why do I need to go to these pricey big stars? I don't need to piggy ride on their success. I believe in backing newcomers and if they succeed it's purely our success and vice versa.
Finally how do your films always manage to have great music?
With all humility, I think I have an ear for good music. Considering that we don't have big stars, we put extra efforts in our music so that its popularity helps the overall film. As we work harder than average Bollywood filmmaker, our music tends to always stand out.
