‘There’s something magical about Alia’
says Dear Zindagi director as she waxes eloquent about her leading lady
The very accomplished Gauri Shinde, whose debut film English Vinglish garnered positive reviews, is confident about her second directorial venture. The self-confessed nomadic traveller loves to take off for unknown destinations in different parts of the world. It was during one such vacation that she wrote Dear Zindagi. “The idea came to me in New York in 2014,” she says, adding, “I like to search for new destinations — sometimes on my own, with friends or with my husband (filmmaker R. Balki). I hope to cover at least 70 per cent of the world during my lifetime.”
So what’s Dear Zindagi about, we ask. Gauri takes a deep breath. “It’s about life, as seen through the eyes of a woman. It’s about a girl trying to get over her first heartbreak and the man who gives her gyan on life and love.” It was Alia’s performance in Highway that convinced Gauri to sign the young actress. She recalls, “For the role of my female protagonist I had a few options in mind until I met Alia Bhatt. And she was it. There’s something magical about Alia. I had decided I’d work with her when I saw her in Highway.”
Shah Rukh was the first and final option for the male lead. “For the role of the male protagonist Jahangir Khan it had to be none other than Shah Rukh Khan. I could close my eyes and just see him in that role. Jahangir is a wise and entertaining storyteller, just like Shah Rukh,” she says. Shah Rukh kept the two ladies regaled throughout the film. “He is so expressive and articulate. There is so much to know and learn from him. Alia and I would just listen in,” says Gauri appreciatively.
English Vinglish was based to a large extent on Gauri’s own experiences with her mother. Dear Zindagi, says Gauri, is also scattered with her own experiences. She asks, “Who hasn’t gone through the pain of heartbreak? We all need to be shown a way out of the darkness when the lights go out. I feel Dear Zindagi will connect with people of every age. English Vinglish had a strong statement to make. Dear Zindagi too has a strong takeaway for the English Vinglish audience.”
Was Gauri not tempted to cast Big B, who’s Balki’s favourite and also the surprise element in English Vinglish? “Oh yes. I was most certainly tempted to create a cameo for him and for Sridevi. But I felt it would be too gimmicky. I look forward to working with them again. When? I don’t know!” She continues, “I don’t know if I’ve any more stories to tell within me after Dear Zindagi. I felt the same when I directed English Vinglish. I felt that was the only story I had to tell. So I am under no pressure to find more stories to tell. If the stories find me, fine. If not, I’ll just keep travelling.”
She can’t help being happy for her husband R Balki’s support. “Although he was busy this time with his film Ki Aur Ka, he was always there. His support is invaluable. As a female director I do feel encumbered by gender discrimination. There are many things that male directors can do which female directors can’t. These differences used to bother me a lot during English Vinglish. I became more accustomed to them this time,” she concludes.
There is so much to learn from Shah Rukh Khan