Meghna to keep it ‘real’ in next film
Meghna Gulzar’s latest film Raazi is about one of the unsung heroes of the 1971 India-Pakistan war. In her next film, she will tell the story of one of the tallest figures of the Indian armed forces, who led the Army during the same 1971 conflict. That’s the story of India’s first Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, affectionately known as Sam Bahadur, the name that his beloved Gorkha soldiers gave him.
“He is an iconic figure in the history of the Indian Army. He is someone about whom people, especially the younger generation, should know,” says the director. Her previous film Talvar (2015) was also in the real-life genre and worked at the box office. Talking about it, she says, “Authenticity is very important in the true-to-life genre. The guiding principle I keep in mind is to make it cinematic, but not a fairytale. You’ll use certain tools; but you need to stay rooted in the reality. That’s why I keep things minimally stated. You’re not manipulating the audience, because it’s a big responsibility.”
Meghna has projected strong female protagonists in her films, be it in Filhaal (2002) or in Raazi. About the changing role of women in the industry and if it’s important to project women in the right way, she says, “I don’t approach the subjects that I’m picking with any kind of agenda. Things are happening subconsciously, but it’s a good thing. The role of women, be it on-screen or off-screen, is yet to get there, but it’s a good start. It’s exciting.”
Meghna grew up watching a variety of films — from Mr India and Satte Pe Satta to Masoom and Silsila. “It’s the full spectrum,” she says, adding that she is not averse to any kind of cinema, including commercial entertainers. “It’s an art form to make a comedy,” says Meghna. “The best comedies are the ones where it’s not the characters laughing at each other, but viewers laughing at them. My father’s (filmmaker Gulzar) film Angoor is the one that comes to my mind when I think of a good comedy.”