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He comes across as a guy who is on the roll, literally. Between wrapping up the promotions of Soundtrack and tending to his 3-year-old daughter, debut-making director Neerav Ghosh talks to Koimoi.com about his entry in tinseltown and why his first film is a remake of a Hollywood film.
Ghosh started out early at the age of 23 years, when he shifted from Delhi to Bombay. However, Ghosh soon realized that making a full-length feature was a different ball game altogether. He spent the next few years learning the ropes of filmmaking and even earned a few credits in writing, editing and sound design. He also learnt the sad fact that some films never get made. “I signed up for three films but none of them even got to the production stage.”
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So how did Soundtrack happen? “I had this idea of a musician who goes deaf. I even wrote a first draft of the script.” But then, Ghosh came across a Hollywood film, It’s All Gone Pete Tong, which was based on a similar premise. He ended up adapting the foreign film for the Indian audience, which is now releasing as Soundtrack. Was getting the remake rights difficult? “Not at all,” Ghosh says. “I just made a quick call to James Richardson (the producer of the Hollywood film) and he, equally quickly, agreed to part with the rights for a Bollywood remake of his film. Of course, the legal process took a lot of time.” Ask him if he has any issues with the fact that his first film as a director is a remake, and he replies nonchalantly, “I had written an original story, a better version of which I found in It’s All Gone Pete Tong. So what’s wrong in making a better movie, especially when I’m doing it legally?
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“It is Rajeev’s Khandelwal’s film all the way,” Ghosh explains, “with Mrinalini Sharma playing the fun, hip and crazy girlfriend, and Soha Ali Khan essaying the role of the heartwarming, sweet and inspirational companion.” Ghosh recalls how Soha had come on board without creating any fuss when his first choice for Soha’s role in the film, Konkona Sen Sharma, opted out because of her pregnancy.
But why make a film with so much sex and drugs, as is evident from the film’s trailer? “That’s the milieu my characters live in. In fact, Rajeev’s rise in the film is, in a way, fuelled by alcohol, sex and drugs. Of course, he meets with disaster when he loses his sense of hearing. From here, the movie takes a more serious turn and ends on an inspirational note. Because it is a film about a DJ, the music had to be peppy and cool. Plus, my background as a member of a rock band forced me to push the envelope when it came to the score.” Ghosh chose Midival Punditz and Karsh Kale as the music composers of the film because they are known for their unconventional music sense.
“My level of emotion is zero right now as all of it has been drained during the making. I am functioning at a purely cerebral level. But I am sure I will be very nervous as the release date (October 7) nears. After all, it’s not just my labour of three years, it’s my first movie… it’s a dream come true!”
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