Right On Q

Ever the dissenting provocateur, Q (Qaushiq Mukherjee) has done what few other directors have had the audacity to—criticise Satyajit Ray. Abhijaan now casts him in the role of his bête noire

Q.You have expressed your dislike for Ray before. How was the experience of playing him? It was great. I approached it as a regular actor, not as a director. There is something of a physical resemblance, so I was cast for it. It was quite the out-of-body experience.

Q. How do you get into the skin of someone you dislike?

I revelled in it. It is the ultimate challenge for an actor. To play someone you despise is an advantage because then your positioning is clear. You negate yourself completely.

Q. But there must have been something you liked about Ray?

Of course, I did. His eye for design, the typography he used. Growing up under a Communist influence, we all loved his stories, but I outgrew him by the time I turned 14. I couldn’t see what was the big deal about him anymore. Be it Tagore or Ray, we tend to draw a line under them that cannot be breached— I find that problematic.

Q. You and your co-actors come from completely different spaces in terms of filmmaking. Was that a problem?

No, it was an interesting observational exercise. I was an actor, totally cut off from real production aspects. You feel like you are more in an elevated position looking down… in a purely observational role of a documentary filmmaker.

Q. How do you make Q the director take a back seat while acting?

It is pretty much a pre-requisite for being a good actor. Most artists often practise in multiple disciplines. ■