Life has been an experiment to enjoy myself, not invest much energy into: Jake
ilmmaker Mahesh Bhatt (left), who is outspoken about his views on the country’s socio-political issues, says the view that the movie industry in India is divided, is bit too overemphasised.
“I think it’s an exaggerated view that film industry is divided. Take Anupam Kher as an example. He is our guy, but his political ideologies are completely different from me. But our bond is as it was and will remain as it is,” say the veteran filmmaker.
Bhatt’s next production is Bengali filmmaker Srijit Mukherji’s directorial debut in Bollywood, where actor Vidya Balan essays the role of a madam of a brothel. For the role, Vidya mouths expletives uninhibitedly. And at a time, when the censor board uses its scissors very often to snip out scenes, Bhatt says that he was ready to go to court. “But we were surprised with the path-breaking decision of the board. Our film was passed without any cuts. The film is trying to set a moral compass, and that’s why it is different from others,” he says.
Bhatt, who believes that storytellers address societal problems through their work, spoke of controversies that surround his films. “It’s a fact that with controversies, you get a lot of media attention and media space but it is not necessary that it converts into tickets. But, if the situation is of law and order, that can turn into a loss,” he adds.
Actor Jake Gyllenhaal (right), for whom Bollywood is mostly about musical numbers, says his upcoming movie, Life has been an experiment to enjoy himself, having fun during work, rather than investing energy into it.
The 36-year-old plays the role of David Jordan in the upcoming science fiction horror film. He said director Daniel Espinosa’s flick — a thriller about scientists trapped in space with a vicious alien — is a big scary movie. “Most of the roles I play and the movies I’ve been in, have sort of challenged me and taken a sort of energy from me. One of the decisions I had made out of this (Life) was to enjoy myself and make a big fun scary movie,” said Jake.
Asked if the actor, known for films like Brokeback Mountain and Nightcrawler, wanted to work beyond Hollywood in international cinema, particularly Bollywood, he said his choice of films always depends on the story line and the filmmaker. “I know there are many musical numbers in most Bollywood movies, which is probably a little intimidating for most of Hollywood, because Hollywood makes different type of films.” On the discussion of Hollywood actors working in Bollywood, he said, “It is a very, very interesting idea,” he said, without divulging more.
The movie Life also features actors Rebecca Ferguson, Ryan Reynolds and Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada.