Ghaywan’s formula: Dream big, work hard, win Cannes
From being the most junior member of the film industry to directing the FIPRESCI award winning film at Cannes, Neeraj Ghaywan talks to Payel Majumdar about his journey and cinematic vision.
Tell us about your experience at Cannes when Masaan won. A. I wish I had dreamt about this day; I didn’t, so I had no expectations. When Varun Grover and I started out, we wanted to make a real film, a film we would both like to watch. When the Un Certain Regard announcement came about, it was an affirmation of the amount of hard work and team effort put in that had given results. The first premiere happened to be the fifth anniversary of Udaan’s premiere, an emotional moment for me. There’s a story behind this: Five years ago, I used to listen to Udaan songs when I was going through a corporate burnout. I used to speak to Anurag Kashyap, and he convinced me to quit my job and try my hand at filmmaking, and I did. My parents were very unhappy, and they did not talk to me for a long time. I had basically turned my life upside down completely. I told Anurag, “Confidence ki toh dhajjiyan udd rakhi hai.” He took me for a cast and crew screening of Udaan, and I saw the film and felt like it was the best decision of my life. Five years later, my film released on the same day as the film that had inspired me, and Motwane (who is a producer on my film) was on the stage with me on the same day. When the end credits started rolling at the screening, I was nervous because I was apprehensive about whether or not the West would understand the nuances behind the film. However, the claps started after the screening, and turned to a thundering roar, and I blanked out. I stood up and looked up the team, and it was closure for me. That moment, I finally broke down.
After the film’s screening, I hung around to catch some of the other films that were being screened there. Suddenly, I got a call from my producers saying, “Neeraj, the organisers have called us for some ceremony. I don’t know what that means.” By then, the cast of Masaan was already on the way to the airport to leave for a holiday they’d planned around France. FIPRESCI was the first award that was announced — that was wonderful; I have been a film critic myself, so receiving the critics’ choice award meant a lot. I dedicated the award to India because I think we needed that award badly since we were winning at Cannes after 26 years. Then I went for the cocktail party, and my producers called again to ask me to come to the main event. Which is when we got the second award — the Promising Future award. My crew had reached Paris by then, and they were dancing under the Eiffel Tower. Q. Do you t hink i t has helped that you haven’t come from a film background? A. I think so, since I wasn’t fixated on making a film, even though I had assisted Anurag Kashyap before, of course. I had come from top to bottom. You’re usually an AD (Assistant Director) when you’re starting out, at 21. I started out at 29, at the bottom, but I had no inhibitions coming into this field — I had been a brand manager before this, and I was used to getting paid well but it meant nothing in the larger scheme of things. I would tell myself that I studied engineering because my parents decided that I should; I completed my MBA because of peer pressure. There was nothing before this point that I could say was solely my decision, and I had to stick to it. I did nothing for five years except work on my dream. At the end of five years, I had risen up to continuity supervisor on Gangs of Wasseypur. Q. Even so, not many people make the jump from being the first AD to making their own film... A. Gangs of Wasseypur was a stroke of luck for me. I came here at the right time. People get small films, or they get combinations of pre-production and shoot or shoot and post-production. Here were two films, Gangs of Wasseypur 1 and 2, and I got to work on pre-production and research, work on the floor, market the film and even work on the book. So Gangs of Wasseypur really helped me; it was like film school for me. Anurag [Kashyap] saw my short film Shor, and told me that it was one of the best shorts that he had seen. ‘ I thought you were this corporate guy trying to find your luck in here,” I remember him saying, “But you are really an artist.” There is this common notion in the industry that you need to assist in at least six-seven films before you direct your own. Jaydeep Verma told me once, “Passion is finite. Not many people know this feeling, but it will not stay forever.” Deeply moved by my short film, he advised me against continuing to assist, since inevitably one gets influenced by the director you’re assisting and it becomes difficult to retain your original voice. I took that seriously and excused myself from Bombay Velvet, which I had already committed to, to make my own film. Lucky for me, Anurag [Kashyap] was very encouraging of this. I was prepared to take the risk, and even to make mistakes, for I was ready to learn from them. Q. Have you thought about your next project? A. Well, I have a few ideas in mind, but nothing concrete. These five years have been crazy, and it is very difficult for a person to come from the bottom rung of the industry and make a feature film. I’m not bragging here, I’m saying how it is logistically difficult. It is difficult to get to that point and it meant no parties or relationships. There has been no spare time to pursue another script on the side. Q. Do you think the lines between parallel and commercial cinema are blurring? A. Of course they are. This year has been a signal for the times ahead. The big blockbusters with big budgets have not done well. Only script-driven films have really done well. Look at Dum Lagaa Ke Haishaa, Badlapur, Tanu Weds Manu Returns or Piku. All the hits have been backed by a great script and story. I am actually hopeful about capitalising on this trend. I am very positive that a lot of people will enjoy and engage with Masaan as well. Q. What are your opinions about star-driven cinema? A. I personally think all kinds of cinema needs to exist. There is an audience for it, and the revenue that comes from such cinema somewhere percolates down for smaller films like ours. It is a healthy ecosystem that one needs to value and understand. Q. Which directors in the industry do you admire? A. Shekhar Kapur, Vikramaditya Motwane, Anurag Kashyap and Dibakar Banerjee. Somewhere it comes down to the fact that when you come from an educated, middle class background, you have a very good understanding of reality, yet you are radical in your thoughts. These people have come from such educated background, and have a world view that I admire. It is inclusive, and they don’t believe in the fact that cinema is an escape from reality.
A couple of my favourite international filmmakers are these Belgian filmmakers called the Dardenne brothers. They talk about the working class in most of their films, but they don’t talk about their social condition. They always talk about their moral or existential crisis. That is what I really like — I enjoy interpersonal stories. I wouldn’t like to make films with a message; I like personal stories that allow people to draw their own conclusions. Talking about a person’s social condition becomes a vehicle for a political message. For me, the human behind the story is primary, and the political and social backdrop pushes the story forward.
I wouldn’t like to make films with a message; I like personal stories and people can draw their own conclusions. Talking about a person’s social condition becomes a vehicle for a political message. For me, the human behind the story is primary, and the political and social backdrop pushes the story forward.