“Cities do fascinate me!”

The filmmaker on writing his first action-adventure novel for children

1 Lucknow is at the core of Bhrigu and the

Palace of Mirrors. You mentioned how the city’s Bhool Bhulaiya has always fascinated you. What draws you to it?

The very reason for its creation is fascinating. In 1785, when a devastating famine had hit Awadh, Nawab Asaf-Ud-Daula started its construction and the objective was to provide employment for people in the region for almost a decade while the famine lasted. What a noble thought it was and while the people were looked after, they ended up creating a masterpiece! Architecturally, the labyrinths are extraordinary. There are more than 1000 passages and about 500 identical doorways. One can get lost in seconds. And they have done some wonderful things with acoustics as well.

2 In Bhrigu… it’s Lucknow; you also illustrated a children’s picture book, Varsha’s Varanasi, in 2018. Do you consciously engage with cities?

Cities do fascinate me. Each city, town or even a hamlet has its own ethos, its own culture. And in India we are especially lucky to have such an enormous diversity. This is what makes us so unique. Imagine Ajmer and Madurai or Nashik and Itanagar! Even Mumbai and Pune are so vastly different. Within Mumbai, too, Mulund is so different from Malad. This blows my mind. I am continuing with the adventures of Bhrigu, and this time I am considering Jantar Mantar at Delhi as the backdrop.

3 Your films like Jajantaram Mamantaram are political films in their own right. Can you explore similar projects now, at a time when many believe artistic freedom is being curtailed?

I want the government to ban the 50mm lens for example. No outdoor shootings. No surround sound. No actors from a certain religion; no crew members from a certain caste. I want this to go on and on and on… till one is left only with a room and chair, and perhaps a window for the light to come in. Then what will we, as artists, do? Will we still have the courage to tell our stories? Some will definitely find a way. I certainly will.

Artistic freedom is a myth. No filmmaker has ever had any freedom. If not political, it’s been financial. And financial is also political in a sense. Today, every single shot that I take in my film costs me lakhs of rupees. What freedom can you expect from the director?