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I remember interacting with Reema Kagti years ago during the release of Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. What had immensely impressed me back then was the kind of self assurance that the young lady came with. Circa 2012 and absolutely nothing has changed about her. She was confident back then, she is confident even today. In the middle of this all, she has always made sure that this confidence never took the shape of ‘over confidence’. With three superstars working with her, backing coming from a production house which is known for classy products and content that speaks of quality, Reema is back with Talaash.
An ensemble quirky affair like ‘Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd’ and now a superstar suspense drama like ‘Talaash’ – It has been quite a journey, isn’t it?
I will tell you what, my association with Talaash has it’s origin in me being a complete film buff. I have enjoyed a variety of films while being exposed to distinct genres and settings. Therefore as a filmmaker too I aspire to be versatile. I don’t want to be stuck with just one kind of film. Yes, Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd was quirky whereas this is a suspense drama. The difference between the two subjects and the kind of treatment meted to them has been organic. Story of ‘Honeymoon….’ demanded certain kind of treatment and now Talaash has been completely different. So yes, it has been one fantabulous journey for sure.
However, while ‘Honeymoon…’ was a lot of fun with laughter all around, this one doesn’t even have any of it’s actors smiling, leave aside indulging in a light hearted moment. While it is understandable that you wanted to tell a different tale and in that there was no scope of fun and smiles, as a filmmaker did you find yourself suffocated by a barrage of emotions that ‘Talaash’ came with?
When you see the film, you would realise that it is not really dark. The unusual thing about Talaash is the kind of emotions that are on display. Normally in a commercial Hindi cinema, you see a light hearted feel good world around you. On the contrary Talaash deals with sadness and loss that the characters are suffering from. Now that was a challenge for me too as a director and a writer to make the proceedings entertaining and engrossing despite such a theme. Still, I can say with my head high that with the kind of subject that Talaash has, it is as engaging as a comedy or an action film.
That must have been the endeavour of Aamir Khan as well, isn’t it? After all, he too would have wanted the film to reach out to the widest range of audience.
Well, I would say that each one of my three key protagonists has been able to get under the skin of the character. Aamir Khan, Rani Mukerji and Kareena Kapoor have been working for so long and they totally seeped themselves into the storyline. Whether it is Aamir or others, each one of them was able to make the film that personal with their performance. They made it way better than what was written on paper.
Joginder Tuteja tweets @tutejajoginder
