Interview With Kuldip Patwal: I Didn’t Do It!’s Director: Remy Kohli

Tell us about Kuldip Patwal…
It’s the story of an educated ordinary man trying to make ends meet. But, he’s thwarted by the Chief Minister’s social decisions to better the lives of the less fortunate. Kuldip’s working life is affected directly by the executive decisions. And then the Chief Minister is assassinated. Kuldip Patwal is charged with the murder.

The response has been great in the UK.
Yes indeed. Some reactions were extraordinary.

Like?
There was a gentleman who said that he along with a few people in the theatre wouldn’t move after the film was long over. He said that he “wanted to think”!

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Is the film that complicated?
It’s a simple chained narrative. But one does take something back.

What do you think of Bollywood in general?
Hindi films are becoming a nice balance of gallery-pleasing movies and movies that are good soul food. The former instantly gratify and the latter stay with you a bit longer.

Which is better for an actor’s performance — confidence or hard work?
A sense of self-doubt always brings out something magical in an actor’s performance. However, a combination of a hare and a tortoise is quite invincible!

What do you mean?
People are primarily either talented and confident like the hare or they’re real hard workers like the tortoise. A mix of the two is a winning personality. Talent is not democratic, you know.

In Bollywood, who do you think is that ‘hare+tortoise’?
Mr. Bachchan has that quality —Namak Halal was a delightfully improvised performance. Deewar had a very zonal and controlled undercurrent throughout. To be brilliantly successful at both is a true phenom.

What’s your favorite performance of Amitabh Bachchan?
Away from the obvious ones — I’d say twenty minutes of him in and as Don, Saudagar, Khakee…

Ok, I’ll toss some interesting and hard ones now. Give an adjective and one scene you think the actors in ‘Kuldip Patwal…’ were a director’s delight.

Parvin Dabas – He’s the nucleus of the film. The straw that stirs the drink! His last shot resonates with the viewers.
Deepak Dobriyal – A true ‘hare’. Should be set free. As Kuldip, he’s done what he hasn’t done before.
Gulshan Devaiah – Versatile. There’s a scene where he erupts in court unanticipatedly.
Anurag Arora – Accurate. Exact. The economy of effort. There’s a scene in his office where he’s changing.
Raima Sen – Expressive. Conveys a lot with eyes.