20 Years of Chameli: Swanand Kirkire speaks about Anand Bilani’s vision and Kareena Kapoor Khan’s courage; discusses film’s underwhelming box office performance, says, “It was not a social media era”

Writer Swanand Kirkire reflects on the journey of Chameli, the late filmmaker Anand Bilani's vision, struggles of shooting and more.

By Jiya Chulet -

January 9, 2024 - 12:38 PM IST

In a nostalgic rendezvous, Bollywood Hungama exclusively caught up with writer Swanand Kirkire to mark the 20th anniversary of Kareena Kapoor's film Chameli. The film, which saw Kapoor take a daring step into parallel cinema, faced numerous challenges. Kirkire shared insights into the movie's turbulent journey, shedding light on the late filmmaker Anand Bilani's dream and the unconventional subplots that added depth to the narrative.

20 Years of Chameli: Swanand Kirkire speaks about Anand Bilani’s vision and Kareena Kapoor Khan’s courage; discusses film’s underwhelming box office performance, says, “It was not a social media era”

From Ameesha Patel’s rejection to Anand Bilani’s untimely demise

Chameli's inception was marked by hurdles, with Ameesha Patel initially declining the lead role. Tragedy struck again when Anand Bilani, the director, passed away just weeks into the shoot. Swanand Kirkire reminisced about the challenging times, stating, "It happened in a very, very small start time."

He continued, “Very rarely does this happen that you have actors’ dates, a set standing and you have to make a film. Balani dreamed that he wanted to make this film but there were a lot of unwritten things. It was there in his mind. So, (after his demise) we wrote the whole thing again. We wrote the whole screenplay, dialogue everything again retaining what he had shot. When it got released the response was great. It was my first project where I got my credit as a dialogue writer. Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi was made before but it came later.”

Kirkire acknowledged the differing visions of Bilani and Sudhir Mishra, who took over the directorial reins. Reflecting on the changes made to the script, he explained, "Every personality approaches a piece of art differently. Chameli became a great film." He also recognized Shiv Kumar Subramaniam's contribution to the writing team.

Kareena Kapoor's courageous performance

Commending Kareena Kapoor's bold portrayal of the street-smart sex worker, Kirkire expressed admiration for the actress's courage. He noted, "She was a courageous girl who wanted to play that role, which was a great thing. Her performance was amazing. She was present all the time."

Unconventional subplots and Bombay streets

Discussing the film's unconventional subplots, including a love story featuring a trans-woman, Kirkire highlighted the authenticity of Bombay streets. He quoted Kareena's line from the film, "Jo bhi hai, jaisa bhi hai, bas pyaar hona chahiye.”

A look beyond box office numbers

Addressing the film's modest box office performance, Kirkire stated that "those were not the days of caring about numbers." He said, “It was not a social media time kind of era where everybody talks just about numbers. They talked about what they felt and we're very very proud of it.”

Rain-soaked memories of shooting Chameli

In a concluding note, Swanand Kirkire reminisced about the challenging shooting conditions, revealing, "90% of the film is shot in the backdrop of rain. We were wearing raincoats, but the whole crew was constantly wet."

Also Read: REVEALED: Onir was offered to direct Chameli; says, “Things didn’t work out, possibly because Kareena Kapoor Khan was not keen on working with a new director”