Being Cyrus (2006) completed 20 glorious years on March 24. It was a rare Bollywood film to be made in English. Despite the experimental nature, it starred popular names like Saif Ali Khan, Dimple Kapadia, Naseeruddin Shah, Boman Irani, Manoj Pahwa and Simone Singh. It marked the directorial debut of Homi Adajania, who later went on to make memorable films and shows like Cocktail (2012), Angrezi Medium (2020), Saas Bahu Aur Flamingo (2023) etc. In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, Homi Adajania spoke about the film’s memories, casting and a lot more. Homi is a one-of-a-kind person who freely speaks his mind and hence, it made for an interesting conversation.
Did you realize that Being Cyrus and your journey as a director would complete 20 years on March 24?
Well, I was minding my own business until you told me so! As soon as you told me, I called up Dinoo (Dinesh Vijan, Producer Maddock Films) and told him that we’ve been making films for 20 years. He laughed, “No… I’ve been making films for 20 years and you’ve been doing whatever the f@#k you wanted to in between, which you’d make a film!”
It’s been quite a ride, though. We both started together and were clueless – He was a 21-year-old banker and I was a 31-year-old scuba diving instructor bullshitting each other that we knew how to make a film!
Did you always intend to have Saif Ali Khan, Dimple Kapadia, Naseeruddin Shah and Boman Irani in your film?
At first, I just intended to make a film. Boman was the first guy I met with my script. I had written it as a story and had no clue how to write a screenplay. It was 35 pages long and he asked me if it was a short film. I went back and learned the basics of writing a screenplay and a few months later, I took it back to him and he agreed!
As for the others, I think they all were under the impression that I was an ad filmmaker. No one asked me if I had made a film before. After the film was made, I remember asking Naseer why he had agreed to let a scuba diving instructor direct him in a film. He laughed and said he had no clue that I hadn’t made anything before that!
What I could do well was tell a story and I would nail the narration every single time. I would do all the characters with their mannerisms and voices. Dimple’s character of Katy Sethna was my favourite as I’d waddle around and behave like a lunatic.
I had just seen Saif in Dil Chahta Hai (2001). We shared a similar wacky sensibility and I thought he would fit the bill. The producers insisted that I meet Dimple, which was an experience in itself. I walked into her house and saw this woman backing me, screaming the choicest profanities at Twinkle Khanna’s dog who had shat on her treadmill and was hiding beneath it. At that moment, I knew I had found my character and a friend for life (smiles).
You need to understand that I wasn’t someone who had watched films much and I wasn’t from the industry. So, I really wasn’t well exposed to anyone’s work. In retrospect, the fact that these guys agreed to be in it was a big one.
As per IMDb, Manisha Koirala was offered Dimple Kapadia’s role. True?
I don’t remember this happening. That doesn’t mean it didn’t. It just means I don’t remember it.
How was it working with Saif? Also, how many takes happened for the bathtub scene?
Working with Saif was the best fun ever. We shared and still do share a similar, dark and irreverent sense of humour and considering we were younger then, it often reflected in our behaviour as well.
As for the bathtub scene, let’s just say it took fewer takes than you’d expect, though by the end of it, he could have become a scuba diving instructor!
More Pages: Being Cyrus Box Office Collection , Being Cyrus Movie Review
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