With their upcoming film Madras Café nearing its release, actor-producer John Abraham along with director Shoojit Sircar of Vicky Donor fame, give us an overview of their experience in working on the subject of civil war, a territory that has remained untouched in Indian cinema so far.
"It's a complete u-turn from Vicky Donor. Vicky Donor was no doubt also a sensitive film. However, Madras Café is a story of a soldier, Captain Vikram Singh, played by John who has been appointed to conduct covert operations in Sri Lanka," says Shoojit Sircar in an exclusive conversation with Screen team.
Shoojit says tackling the subject of a civil war has been both challenging as well as a new genre for him. "People have not seen nor have I ever tried to shoot a film based on a civil war. We've seen war films but not civil war," he says. "We've seen James Bond films but not any spy thrillers in the real sense. I hope I'm successful in catering something new to my audience."
When asked if taking up this film has proved to be somewhat risky for John, he says, "Films are a lot like cricket. People forget the last innings or your last film, and only remember the new one."
Reportedly having claimed that Madras Café is in par with Hollywood films like Argo, John clarifies, "What I tried to imply is that a film like Madras Café has never been made in this country. We've made a commercial hindi film. But to give you a benchmark, we've given examples like Argo and Body of Lies. However, we've not made a Hollywood film," he stresses.
Talking about the techniques as well as the research, he's used as a director, Shoojit says, "Firstly, we have not tried to take any sides in the film – neither the rebels, nor the peace fighters or the Prime Minister."
"There is a voice-over element in the film, which connects the story. It's all from John's point of view. It took me six years to develop the script. When it comes to research, it was mainly books. I read a lot of articles and I did check some government records." However, the director says with information available on the Internet, he didn't meet or interview any army officers.
When asked about how he got into the skin of the character – playing a soldier, John shares a touching scene from the film. "There is one scene in the film, where my wife gets some photographs and she asks me, 'Do you kill people for a living?' And I had to look at her and tell her 'the country's security is in my hands'. To perform that scene I needed to feel those emotions and saying those words...I've never felt more Indian…it gave me goose bumps," he says.
Though 'Madras Café' is based on a real-life incident, the film is a work of fiction. "We've taken inspiration from real-life characters. But, my character is fictitious," says John.
Talking about the film's title, "Wherever there are Indians, there is a Madras Café. Be it in Singapore, Bangkok, Chennai or Delhi. In the film, Madras Café is the place where certain things are intercepted and conspiracies are hatched," explains Shoojit. "At this Madras Café, you don't get idli-sambhar, only gun-powder," jokes John.
Being an actor-turned-producer, John Abraham reveals that he agreed to do the film because it was something new. "I like different kinds of subjects. And as a producer I need to marry content with commerce, because at the end of the day, we all need to make money. But, I'm very honored to be a part of this film."
Rockstar actress Nargis Fakhri will be seen reprising the role of a war correspondent in the spy-thriller. "The first time I met Nargis and showed her the script, she seemed apprehensive about pulling it off. So I sent her a lot of links on war stories and war correspondents, and so the next time she came to meet me, she was more prepared and had fully understood the depth of her character," says Shoojit.
Watch:Watch: Madras Cafe Official Trailer - HD
"She faced a lot of criticism for Rockstar, so she wasn't confident. But, it's the job of the director to hold the actor's hand. She has done a wonderful job with this film and this will be her re-launch," Shoojit says confidently with a hint of pride.
Having an interesting cast such as Siddharth Basu, Piyush Pandey and Agnello Dias, Shoojit says he wanted faces, which are credible. "Casting is very important. 50% of a director's job is done by the look of the cast alone, the rest depends on the craftsmanship of the director," he says.
The Madras Café team has been facing certain opposition from a pro-Tamil group claiming that the film depicts the Lite in bad light. "Post the Tamil group having problems, we have dubbed the film in Tamil. I'm sure they will be happy after seeing the film", says John reassuringly.
John confesses that promoting the film was one of the most challenging parts of the project. "It's much easier to sing and dance, trust me," he says. "But when you've got something serious to say, that's when it gets difficult. We are so scared of going wild in our films, because only the NRI's will love them," he says jokingly. However on a more serious note, he added, "Entertainment is not just about song and dance. It should give you the ability to think."
Talking about his expectations from the film, Shoojit says, "When you're doing a film on a civil war, it's a huge task on the part of the director to transport his audience to that civil war zone. If I am able to do that, I know then I have achieved my task."
On his part, John says he feels every Indian must watch Madras Café at some point to know what happened and how it happened, a series of events that changed the history of our country.
Courtesy: Indian Express
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