‘Popular actors were unwilling to star in Kai Po Che’
Kavita Awaasthi
Making a film with three newcomers, on a tight budget and weaving the Gujarat earthquake (2001) and the Gujarat riots (2002) into the plot, was a huge challenge,” reminisces director Abhishek Kapoor, as he talks about his film Kai Po Che! which released seven years ago today.
The film told the story of three friends — Ishaan (Sushant Singh Rajput), Omi (Amit Sadh) and Govind (Rajkummar Rao) — their strong bond and how their lives took a tragic turn due to religious politics and communal hatred. Produced by Ronnie Screwvala and Siddharth Roy Kapur, the film was based on Chetan Bhagat’s novel The 3 Mistakes of My Life. Abhishek credits the entire “wonderful and talented” team of the film for the appreciation it received.
The filmmaker admits he had a tough time searching for actors to play the friends. “I remember there were a lot of problems during casting. At one point, I wanted to cast established names but no one wanted to star in a film about three friends. It was important that the movie be made the way it was, or else I don’t think it would have worked. There was a palpable energy on sets when the three would be working together. You wouldn’t know if the camera is on or off because of the bond they shared. They appreciated each other’s work,” he says.
Abhishek says he is glad that Chetan was open to certain portions of his book being changed for a better cinematic experience. “It took a while to write and rewrite the script. At times, when you cook food on low heat, you get better flavour,” he adds.
The director recalls that all his films are a challenge. Kai Po Che! was especially so as it came five years after his previous directorial, Rock On! (2008). He shares, “I didn’t have the fear of the unknown, though the cast was new. We recreated events on a tight budget. It was not just about production, but also finding a voice in the film as you don’t want to come across as opinionated.”
Abhishek adds he doesn’t view his films as hits or flops. “They are equally important to me. The fact that I tell the story the way I want to, complete a film and release it in theatres is a big achievement,” he shares.