"It was such a relief to have your producer be on the same creative wavelength that you are in terms of the way you see the film- Meghna Gulzar 
By IndiaFM News Bureau, January 22, 2007 - 09:14 IST
She is in every sense her father's daughter – sensitive, insightful and non-conformist. But Meghna Gulzar is quite her own
person too – independent and focused. She in a candid interview speaks to IndiaFM about her upcoming movie Just
Married and her future plans as a director
Your first film has come after a gap of four years what were you up to all this while?
Well I was writing scripts, making documentaries, music videos, writing a biography about my father .I was doing a lot.
Just married is your second film what is the story about?
Its basically taking a look at the first few days after an arrange marriage. It’s about the adjustments you have to make and
familiarizing yourself with someone who is almost a stranger o you.
| Just Married is about the adjustments you have
to make and familiarizing yourself with someone who is almost a stranger o you. |
How did you decide on the concept?
I think most of our films actually get over when the hero and the heroine come together. The whole unexplored territory after that is
what people are looking at now. But as I thought nobody had ever explored this area, especially because arrange marriages are so
rampant in India it would be interesting to talk about that.
| I think most of our films actually get over when
the hero and the heroine come together. |
How did you did you decide on casting Esha and Fardeen for the film?
My casting comes from the characters that I have written. I had seen Esha in Yuva before and she fitted perfectly well as
the newly wed, nervous, fidgety bride. The man in my film is an average contemporary 21st century man, Fardeen as an actor lends
himself beautifully to any character that he plays and does not have a rigid image as such. For me my actors needed to be the stars
they are.
The film is coming out at a stage when there are dozens of films with the underlying notion of marriage and its problems. How
different is your film going to be?
My film is not about marriage or marital problems. There have been films about what happens before marriage and after marriage,
my film is about the in between.
Initially the film was titled Honeymoon and then Baat Paaki. Why were the titles changed? Any similarities with the other film
coming up Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd since both films star multiple couples?
Honeymoon and Baat Pakki were working titles I think as the film develops scenes change, titles change .I am not
aware if there are any similarities between Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd and my film.
Tell us something about the music of the Just Married?
The music is very lively and peppy keeping in mind the mood of the film. I think we have a nice blend of folk and contemporary
songs. Even in my previous film my songs come out of the scene, they are actually musical scenes. And in the way the songs have
turned out in terms of melody and words they just take the situation and raise it up to another level. I have a song about the first
night, the first touch between the man and the woman. There is a song called Ram Milaye Jodi which is actually the theme of the
film. So the songs are very relevant and pertinent to the film and so deeply engraved .I just love the way they have turned out to be.
How difficult or easy do you think it is for a woman director to be recognized in a male dominated industry like ours?
I only realize I am a woman director when the media points it out to me. I generally try and keep all these gender differences aside,
as far as I am concerned I am a filmmaker. Fortunately for me when I am operating in my professional space I don’t get reminded
that I am a woman director. So I think if the media stops highlighting it the better it will be for us woman directors.
What are your views on arrange marriages?
If the concept has been going around for sometime then there has to be something right about it. With the amounts of increase in
divorce rates people at some level are realizing that love marriages as such always don’t work. I don’t have any particular stand on
it.
How was your experience working with Pritish Nandy Comunications?
My experience was absolutely wonderful. It was such a relief to have your producer be on the same creative wave length that you
are in terms of the way you see the film. That takes away 80% of your problems as a director. It was awesome to have my team
stand behind me rock solid with no interference with all the support and encouragement that I needed.
| It was such a relief to have your producer be
on the same creative wave length that you are in terms of the way you see the film. |
Aren’t you also directing a story in Sanjay Gupta’s Dus Kahaniyaan? Tell us about
your episode? Who stars in it?
The story is very interesting, it’s primarily a mother and daughter story. The cast hasn’t been finalized yet.
Finally tell us about Bread Butter and Cash? That sounds like a very interesting title. What is the film about? Who stars in it?
It’s a film with White Feather films and is right now in its casting stage. It’s really early to talk about it.
|
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