“John is one actor to watch out for!”- Soham Shah 
By IndiaFM News Bureau, March 16, 2005 - 08:07 IST
Karan Johar as producer, a sparkling starcast, SRK as an item boy! Stuff that dream debuts are made of… But none of these seems to have robbed the 'first timer' innocence about Soham. This young director has crafted a thriller tease for the Dharma powerhouse that has opulence & schmaltz as its calling card. Refreshingly unassuming, Soham Shah gives you a lowdown on the glib gamble at the ticket window…KAAL.
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"Karan gave me total creative license for KAAL"
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'Kaal' the title is curious. You don't have one of those seedy bylines?
(Smiles) I know what you are hinting at. But no, we don't have one of those taglines. Kaal is a neat, crisp, clean title. It didn't allow us the leisure of tampering around with the name. Besides the name does a good job of sending out meaning. In this context, Kaal means the 'time to die!'
Kaal is a multicast. How did you juggle the stars, dates and their tantrums?
If my memory serves me right, I didn't have to put up with a single tantrum. The entire starcast has been unbelievably co-operative with a first time director like me. We had a 54-day non-stop shooting schedule, and not once was there any discomfort in the entire cast and crew.
A wonder trip, almost…
Absolutely!
Kaal has been shot in Uttaranchal & Bangkok. What made you pick these locales?
I have personally been to Jim Corbett. And was simply awestruck by the sheer beauty of wildlife. That's when I thought that people deserved to know that such rich fauna existed in India. So we procured the requisite permission and shot in Jim Corbett. Since Indian law doesn't permit shooting wildlife, we went to Bangkok. Since it is Asia, Bangkok promised us geographical similarity. When you watch the promos, you won't be able to spot the difference.
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"Shahrukh has both worked in as well as produced my film. I am twice lucky!"
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You have assisted both Karan Johar & RGV. Do you think your film will carry patches of their influence?
I hope my film carries shadows of their films! Confused…? Let me explain better, if Kaal has the technical brilliance of a Varma product and the opulence of a Karan Johar, I will only be too happy! So in that sense, I am not complaining.
Give me the upside and flipside of having the best banner back your baby?
Upside, yes plenty, because you get the best that there is possibly. The only disadvantage that I see is that expectations rise sky high; you are no more looked up on as a newcomer. The pressure is enormous. But I wouldn't have liked it any other way.
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“There is nothing make belief about Esha's character”
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Lets talk about the producer duo who backed your project. Any creative input that Karan or SRK offered?
Lots! I approached Karan with a bound script ready. He went through it and threw in
suggestions to make the screenplay both interesting and crisp. Shahrukh has been fabulous too.
Karan is known to be actively involved with projects. What was your experience with Kaal? Did he 'ghost direct' your flick?
(Smiles) Let me clear this one. There was never any interference. Interested yes, he was. Karan is very interested in the wellness of a project.
But the active interest is always read as interference…
Too bad, if people decipher it that way. He offered me suggestion to better my film. I worked on the ones that could be incorporated. He has been extremely supportive of me and has trusted me completely. I am really lucky to have Karan as a producer.
What about the other half of the producer duo? SRK the actor or SRK the producer, who do you prefer?
Ah, tough one. Shahrukh is the biggest star India knows. Besides being a fab actor, he has the temperament of a producer. It is very heartening to see a superstar to juggle his schedule to play producer. I told you, I am just a very lucky lad, with SRK in the song, I had the best of both worlds.
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"The women have as much to do in the film, as the guys"
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What are the girls doing? Mere glam spots or do they have some meat to their role?
There is a strong premonition that a thriller doesn't offer much for the women, which is completely untrue in the case of Kaal. The women have as much to do as the guys, in the film.
Dhoom did an image summersault for Esha. How are you presenting her this time around?
Esha plays a Nat Geo photographer. So her looks have been designed in sync with her character. The clothes are stylish yet not over-the-top glamorous. Besides, her walk, talk and manner all stems from her character. There is nothing make belief about her.
Vivek has come in for a lot of flak lately. How do you rate him as an actor?
I guess everybody goes through a lean phase. Vivek too is facing rough weather. Personally, I think he is among the best in his bracket of actors. His understanding of filmmaking is particularly impressive. You should watch him work on his character; rarely does someone put in so much sweat.
Ajay's role interests us. What's he doing?
Without giving away much, I can tell you that he plays a very interesting character in the film. And his clothes and styling is what have caught people's fancy.
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“Don't try to fool people, they can easily smell a dated product”
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What about John?
He is a Nat Geo explorer. John has gone out of his way to design his look. Growing his hair was his idea for the character.
Plot, treatment or technology, what do you think scare fests in Bollywood lack?
I think scripts. Once you get your script right, there is not much that can go wrong. Besides, I think you shouldn't compromise on stylization. Don't try to fool people with a mediocrity; audiences can easily smell a dated product.
One thriller that you think was shoddily made?
I don't think I can play judge. But Bhoot is one film that I thought was very well crafted.
What lead you to Salim-Sulaiman for the background track?
I have worked with Salim-Sulaiman earlier on. And I quite like the sound that they give to films. If it is background sound, you don't have to look beyond the brothers. They are genius with sound design. With Kaal, I was sure that there was an entire new palette of sounds that could have been explored. That's when they came onboard.
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"Salim-Sulaiman are genius when it comes to music design"
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Place a finger on one promising newcomer
John is one actor to watch out for. Both in terms of the film he is picking and the hardwork that he is willing to invest, the guy is sure going to go places.
What would you tick as Dharma banner's strength?
Dharma's strength lies in the people who work for it.
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“Women from Dubai messaged me saying that they loved my tattooed chest!”
