‘MANOJ WAS INITIALLY DIFFIDENT TO PLAY A MAHARAJA’

Compelling narrative, realistic presentation and good performances, Zubeidaa (2001) had it all. As the film turns 20 today, director Shyam Benegal recalls how making it was an experience like no other. “I chanced upon this story by Khalid Mohamed (journalist, screenwriter) and liked it. Zubeidaa was his mother and he has written it as a fictional story. What got me thinking is that some people mentioned in the story, from the royal family of Jodhpur, were alive at that time,” he recalls. And Benegal, therefore, held a special screening for the royal family. “Fortunately, they were perfectly happy with the film,” he says. What caught the director’s “attention and imagination” was how this story had “no villains”, unlike most love stories. “Yet, things worked out well,” he chuckles, adding how the music, composed by AR Rahman, perfectly captured the mood. “People still tell me good things about the songs,” he reveals. Talking about the stellar performances by actors Rekha, Karisma Kapoor and Manoj Bajpayee, among others, Benegal adds, “Manoj was initially diffident on playing a Maharaja. But, he gave such a layered performance. He learnt horse riding and how to play polo.” And Kapoor, too, was “worried and nervous”. “She took help from her mother (Babita; actor) to play Shreya Mukherjee the part… She is a complete director’s actor,” he says. Moreover, shooting in real locations of Jaipur and Jodhpur, Benegal shares, helped in retaining the essence. “They have this sort of feudal atmosphere. They behave, talk to each other and conduct themselves in a certain way. Somehow, while filming in that setup, we all got used to those social graces and at the end of it, started talking and behaving similarly,” he says. While the film was appreciated, it didn’t work wonders at the box office. Does he feel things would’ve been different had it released now, in times of OTT? “OTT would’ve given it a wider audience. But, I don’t think that way. Every film is different, so is its fate at the box office. I’m happy with how people supported the story,” he concludes.

As Zubeidaa turns 20, Shyam Benegal says filming it was an experience like no other

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