Himanshu Malik, the actor who left a mark in films like Tum Bin (2001) and Khwahish (2003), has now turned a director. His slice-of-life film, Chitrakut (2022) released in cinemas last year. But after premiering on Jio Cinema on May 27, it got a new lease of life. Starring Vibhore Mayank, Aurtira Ghosh, Naina Trivedi, Kiran Srinivas and Shruti Bapna, the film is a refreshing take on love and relationships and makes for a breezy watch. There are times when one anticipates that the film will become dark but it doesn’t. And that adds to its appeal.
Auritra Ghosh, who played Saloni, told Bollywood Hungama, “Himanshu didn’t want it to be too dark. At the same time, he also ensured it didn’t come across as a fairy tale. It’s a realistic take. Life is in between, in the grey area, right?”
She also revealed how she bagged the part and how she contributed to the film’s dance element saying, “I was asked by the casting director to audition for Kim’s role (which was eventually played by Shruti Bapna). During my conversation with Himanshu, he discovered that I am a dancer. His understanding was that I do regular Bollywood dance, with thumkas and all! I explained to him that I am trained in ballet, contemporary and jazz. This is when he pitched Saloni’s character to me. He was hoping that whoever plays the part is able to catch the smaller nuances associated with the character. That’s how I got the part. He did not have too much of a dance aspect initially. He then realized that contemporary dance is not structured and that he can show the mood of the character and the film in a better way, so he decided to integrate my dance into the script. Hence, I am also credited for choreography.”
Vibhore Mayank, meanwhile, stated, “It’s my first film as a lead. It was amazing as I got to play a character with so many shades and goes through a proper character arc. It was difficult to make him look convincing. He shouldn’t have come across a crazy guy. The audiences would have not related to him then. Himanshu is an actor himself. So he made it really simple for all of us. In the scene where Debu picks up the gun for the first time, Himanshu explained the scene and allowed Akash Dhar, Shruti Bapna and me to do whatever we wanted to do. It was the most important scene. We nailed it in the first take and took 2 more takes from different angles. That was it!”
Bollywood Hungama also spoke exclusively to Himanshu Malik not just about Chitrakut but also about his career and a lot more.
How has been the feedback for Chitrakut, especially after it was out on Jio Cinema?
It’s been tremendous. A lot of people are messaging me on social media to tell me how they felt about it. A lot of people from the industry are also watching it. I am glad the film is getting its due attention.
Can you tell us who from the industry has seen the film?
A lot of actors, directors and producers who are friends reached out. Strangely, none of the established filmmakers really support new talent. There’s a hierarchy in the system. It’s difficult to get even your famous director friends to watch the film. Some of the directors themselves struggled for many years to be where they are. You expect a little bit of empathy or encouragement, even if they don’t watch the film. But that’s fine. I am not complaining.
Does it help that Jio Cinema is free? Does it help increase the viewership?
Most definitely. Within a matter of weeks, Jio has become one of the top apps in terms of downloads and subscriptions. It’s a huge advantage to a lot of filmmakers. Also, it’s possibly in every phone. Hence, people have easy access to your film. It’s just a click away. Hence, in terms of visibility, we couldn’t have asked for a better platform, even better than the other mainstream OTT giants.
Chitrakut was released in cinemas on May 20, 2022, and thereby clashed with the blockbuster Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2. Do you think the film could have been released a week later?
Yes, I also feel the same. But that is the advantage of hindsight. This is my first film as a producer. Not just the release date, but there were so many things that I had to learn about the business, how things roll, and how do you get good theatres and shows.
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Where and how did you show the film to acclaimed Iranian filmmaker, Majid Majidi?
The producer partner on the film, Akbar Arabiyan, is from Iran and is well-connected with the Iranian film industry. Mr Majidi was in India as he was the chairman of the jury at the Kerala International Film Festival. Akbar established contact with him. We were told that Mr Majidi will be happy to meet me but he can’t commit to seeing the film. One day, at 11 am, I got a call from Akbar saying that Majidi will have coffee with me that day though it’s not sure whether he’ll see the film. It was on me to convice him. Mr Majidi is known to be a hard-nosed filmmaker. Yet, I decided to go for it. Within a couple of hours, I was on a flight to Trivandrum. That day, it rained a lot. The flight got delayed. I was supposed to meet him at 6:30 pm but I arrived only at 8:30 pm. He was having dinner and he stepped out to meet me for five minutes. It was a brief but very memorable meeting. There was a translator. Mr Majidi would ask in Persian. The translator would translate and ask me in English. I would reply in English. Before I could finish my answer, he would ask the next question! This happened repeatedly. I feared ki yahaan kuch nahin hone waala! And he kept looking at me. Finally, he told the interpreter that he’ll watch my film the next morning at 10:30 am. He called the organizer to book a theatre.
The next day, he arrived. There was me, him and the translator in the auditorium. He saw the whole film while the translator translated every line to him! After the film finished, he clapped and said that he loved it. He then called me as he wanted to share his immediate reaction. He spoke about the scenes which he felt were not right, adding that he’ll give detailed feedback in the evening. For a debutant filmmaker, it’s an absolute joy to have an experience like this. The feedback he gave me, no one has given such a feedback. He spoke about edit cut-rate, camera angle etc. And I agreed with his observations. It’s phenomenal to have someone like him watch your film and discuss it with you.
You feature in a funny cameo, as the angry chef. How did you come on board as an actor?
There was this one shot which needed an ‘anger-violence’ moment from a character. We tried shooting it with a couple of actors but none of them could deliver as expected. While doing the rehearsal and showing them what I want, my DOP suggested that I should do the role. That’s how I did the cameo. It was great fun!
Could you tell us why you shaved your head off?
I did it because I was losing hair. In such a situation, you either go for a hair transplant or wear a wig. I didn’t want to do either of them. So, it was best to knock it off. It’s as simple as that. I just can’t deal with a hairpiece or transplant. You need a certain amount of vanity to be an actor, especially in Bollywood. I don’t think I have that much vanity - to look good all the time, to have my hair in place, to be well-dressed all the time etc.
You started as an actor and in the initial days of your career, you worked in Tum Bin and Khwahish. Did your life change after these two commercially successful films?
Yes. I got a lot of work after these two films. Tum Bin has been one of those evergreen, memorable films. Even now, whenever I travel to US, UK or Canada, it’s shocking how many people know about the film and how many free drinks and dinners I have got thanks to Tum Bin! You always succeed when an emotional piece of art clicks well. There’s a whole generation that has grown up on Tum Bin and it is a part of their life.
The music of the film is remembered even today…
It was Bhushan Kumar’s first film. It was a true passion project. Also, you can anticipate early on how a film is going to shape up. When you see everybody is so charged up, you know the film will be special. Moreover, Bhushan used to come for every song sitting. They used to enjoy the whole process. It was a joyous, collaborative journey.
What next? Do you plan to make another film?
Yes, definitely. Once a director, always a director. I am scripting my next film. I’ll begin casting soon. It’s very exciting to make films though it can blow your brains and ruin you. But I guess some people like that! Surprisingly, I am also getting a lot of acting offers. I am enjoying my resurgence as an actor. It’s fun to be back on a set just as an actor and not as a freaked out and stressed-out producer-director.
Could you tell us about working on Janhvi Kapoor-starrer Ulajh and R Madhavan-starrer Hisaab Barabar?
Hisaab Barabar is a big film, backed by Jio Studios. R Madhavan is an old friend. I have known him since the times when he used to do TV shows like Banegi Apni Baat and Ghar Jamai. I have known him since then and it was good to meet him again. He has also become a filmmaker. We spent a lot of time talking about our journey. It was exciting.
As for Ulajh, I am yet to shoot for it. I’ll shoot for it next month. I am also doing a web series for Applause. It stars Sumeet Vyas, Aaditi Pohankar and Hussain Kuwajerwala. It is directed by Ken Ghosh.
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