I think I posted the same under 'How Rahman cracked the BGM', by IndiaFM! Anyways, I read it again! :)
--- In [email protected], Vithur <vith...@...> wrote: > > Abhishek barely speaks in Delhi-6" - Rakeysh Mehra Thursday, February 19, > 2009, 11:13 [IST] > > [image: RSS SMS Gadgets] Subscribe to > Newsletter<http://entertainment.oneindia.in/newsletter- subscription.html> > By: Devansh Patel,Bollywoodhungama <http://bollywoodhungama.com/> > > *Top Stories* <http://entertainment.oneindia.in/bollywood/news/> * > Movies* <http://entertainment.oneindia.in/movies/bollywood> > *Chat*<http://entertainment.oneindia.in/bollywood/chat/> > *Gupshup* <http://entertainment.oneindia.in/bollywood/gupshup/> > *Previews*<http://entertainment.oneindia.in/bollywood/previews/> > *Reviews* <http://entertainment.oneindia.in/bollywood/reviews/> > *Features*<http://entertainment.oneindia.in/bollywood/features/> > *Box-Office* <http://entertainment.oneindia.in/bollywood/box- office/> * > Interviews* <http://entertainment.oneindia.in/bollywood/interviews/> *Release > Dates*<http://entertainment.oneindia.in/movies/upcoming/hindi/movie- details.html> > <http://wallpapers.oneindia.in/v/album18-Bollywood- Movies/2009/delhi-6/> > Delhi > 6 <http://wallpapers.oneindia.in/v/album18-Bollywood- Movies/2009/delhi-6/> > | Hot Stills <http://moviesgallery.oneindia.in/main.php? g2_itemId=886477> > | Abhishek Bachchan > <http://moviesgallery.oneindia.in/main.php?g2_itemId=246287> | Sonam > Kapoor<http://wallpapers.oneindia.in/v/album07-bollywood-actresses- wallpapers/sonam-kapoor/> > | Delhi 6 Trailer<http://videos.oneindia.in/watch/8237/dialogue- promo-1-delhi-6.html> > > "*Delhi 6*<http://wallpapers.oneindia.in/v/album18-Bollywood- Movies/2009/delhi-6/>has > been a sort of uniquely joyous experience from beginning to end. It > was > hard work, but it was just sort of blessed right down the line. I almost > like to think that it's the karma of *Rang De Basanti*", said the busy > Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra who was juggling time for his interviews in between > his tea breaks, then going in the mixing studio, then heading back to the > garden for a smoke, then ordering his tea again, then giving an interview > and then back to where it all began. > > If you allow him to do so, Rakeysh can cut an imposing figure. Towering > somewhere above 6 feet, sporting a neatly trimmed grey beard, dark blue > shirt and jeans, he looks like the type of person who won't put up with a > whole lot of bull****. Hell, we've long heard rumours that he's nothing > short of a taskmaster when on the set. But get Mehra talking about his work > (filmmaking) and one of his major passions (filmmaking again) and you > quickly learn that he's downright mellow and what's more, that all of those > rumours are probably nothing but a bunch of lies. We could run through > Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's credits, but you don't need that. His career has > been an exercise in the advancement of the motion picture standard. His > first film Aks was made way ahead of its time for it to have worked well > theatrically. And just after that, his second film, *Rang De Basanti*, went > on to get nominated at the BAFTA's. How about that? His meticulous attention > to the detailing and designing the story fetched him an international > recognition. And with *Delhi 6* he says, "I have now reached the first > standard after passing out from nursery and senior kg". > > Our correspondent met the BAFTA nominee film, *Rang De Basanti*'s director > at Anand Studios in Pali Hill at ten in the night, where he takes us out for > a stroll in the garden at half past eleven and just seconds before we start > the interview he said, "If the mosquitoes start biting just run inside". > Over his 'god-knows-how-many' cups of tea he had during our two hour trip at > the studio, he still recalled the last time we met him in 2007 at the > Grosvenor Hotel in London's Hyde Park just hours before he put his feet on > the BAFTA red carpet. Unaware of the fact that the clock struck twelve and > yet another day nears the big release, under the beautiful moonlight, > Rakeysh once again relights talking about *Delhi 6*, A.R. Rahman, his love > for films, the doves and of course...some mosquitoes. > > *Does Delhi 6 capture the real essence of India?* > *Delhi 6* is a journey to discover this country. When I started this film, I > didn't know why I was making it, but through this journey, I found out the > reason for doing this. You can say that *Delhi 6* is about the people of our > country, the place, the beliefs, the disbeliefs, their contrast in religion, > how they live in harmony, how they live in conflict, the whole Hindu - > Muslim thing, the caste system in our country, the marriages, the dowry, > etc. and yet *Delhi 6* works. Bureaucracy prevails but yet there is > something great about it. > > *Why do you think such things are still prevalent? * > This change has triggered with the turn of the century and I always wanted > to know why such things are happening. It's a funny place, this country is. > Schools will have no books, if there are books, there are no teachers, if > there are teachers, there are no exams, no results, if you pass out from > your college, you won't get a job, you get married, find a house where there > is tap but no water. You are back where it all started from. How the hell > does the country work. Along the line we discovered that it's the people. I > didn't touch up on the writing process but as we were closing towards the > final draft, we realized that there are too many problems which a common man > himself brings up. > > *It sounds like the film works on various levels?* > You're bang on. The film works on various levels. *Delhi 6* is not a plot > oriented film. It's like a fabric you're trying to weave. Each thread is > like a person with different colours added to them. Somebody is as close as > cotton or as smooth as silk and they all come in various sizes and shapes > and yet they form a fabric and that's the society we live in. We see these > things from the second generation Indian played by Abhishek > Bachchan<http://moviesgallery.oneindia.in/main.php? g2_itemId=246287>. > > > *Was making Delhi 6 a tougher challenge than Rang De Basanti?* > No questions about that. Yes, I was very nervous attempting *Delhi 6*. > Cinematically, if Rang De was kinder garden then I am in first standard now. > I can feel the growth. I hope when I come out of this film (after a pause) > and I don't know when I'll come out. Maybe couple of years down the line > when I look at it again, it will all fall in place for me. As of now, there > is no objectivity in making *Delhi 6*. > > *Will Delhi 6 weave the magic like what RDB did?* > I don't know. There are no expectations. We haven't structured the film in a > way that it'll walk the red carpet across the world. Though it'll be > wonderful to get an international recognition and at the same time, our > Indian recognition. More importantly, if it can strike a chord with the > audience, that'll be great. I have departed totally from Rang De. There is > not a single thought process that'll echo. Somewhere subconsciously, I'll be > trying to tell the same story in a different way, even if try not to. > Something or the other will seep into it. The story of *Delhi 6* permitted > me not to repeat myself. > > *Why is there a mirror on the audio CD cover of Delhi 6? Is that giving away > an important message?* > It does. The film tells us to look at yourself and so the mirror. The > pre-climax gets triggered with the mirror. It's not just look at yourself > alone though. We look for so many things. We look for God in our own way. > Some look for Ram, some for Allah, some for Jesus, some for Krishna, etc. > Somewhere it's got that kind of a 'sufiana' flavour to it. > > *Abhishek has an accent in the film. How was the preparation process?* > It was Abhishek's process. He worked on the body language and the American > accent. Everybody worked on their individual accents. For Abhi, it came very > naturally. In fact, he barely speaks through the film. He hardly has ten > lines in the film. It's his voiceover which takes us through the film. > > *We've seen Rakeysh Mehra have a strong penchant for music. Is it Rahman, > Prasoon or all you three together?* > What an album, isn't it? Of course it is A.R. Rahman and Prasoon Joshi. I > don't have lip sync songs in *Delhi 6*. If you've noticed, in Rang De also, > I didn't have anyone singing songs. For me, the sound of the film, whether > it's the background or the songs, is the fourth dimension. It's never > upfront. It's like a soul in the film which you cannot see but can only feel > it. You can also see the energy of the soul. The songs interpret the film > and take it forward in their own way. Me, Rahman and Prasoon jam a lot. > Three years ago, while I was making *Rang De Basanti*, I was already > speaking *Delhi 6* with them. We keep talking, meeting and discussing as to > what's happening with the world, chat about music, watch a movie and in the > process, something starts happening. I keep telling them a story and every > time I tell them, it's a different story. I try very hard to confuse them > and they think I make some sense. > > *Aren't there more mosquitoes interested in our talk today? * > I'm sure they are. They must've been snubbed by the pigeon which I have > shown on the posters of *Delhi 6* (laughs) > > *The same time zone of Rang De before release and Delhi 6 before release. > Can you tell the difference?* > During Rang De, I was blank. Now I am blanker (laughs). If Rang De was a > political drama, *Delhi 6* is a social drama. In terms of expectations, Rang > De was a tough act to follow and sometime, your success becomes your biggest > enemy. Everywhere I go, people recognize me and talk about *Rang De Basanti*. > Now we did some test screenings of *Delhi 6* and I found out that this is > the first time I've sketched romance. That's a major difference. > > *Isn't A.R. Rahman making your job tough by not being there in the crucial > and a critical stage of the films release?* > Rahman called me half an hour after he received the award at the BAFTA's and > said, "I am feeling so guilty by not being there. Anything you feel > irritated about the background score, just change that". He just returned > last night from the U.S. He landed in Chennai, was talking to his engineers > and was so worried about the music of *Delhi 6*. In fact, the background > score is much better than the songs in *Delhi 6*. Background is the film. > What we tried for the background was that we didn't score for the shot. We > just sat and spent the whole month of December and not a single sound came > out. Everybody was getting worried. Then Rahman won the Golden Globe, came > back and he again sat and bits and bits happened. At one point, I and Rahman > were discussing to postpone the release date of *Delhi 6*. We still couldn't > crack the background. So we decided to crack theme on the subject of the > film. Not on some particular scene. Rahman went into a different world all > together after that. He played all the instruments that were available to > him and just went for it. He came up with ten themes and at one point we > were confused of what to use. He is a true magician. When we put the theme > with the scenes it would start and end perfectly. Can you believe it? > > *Do you think you are losing your creativity by making one film every three > years? I mean, if you made three films in three years, it could've been a > much creative process.* > I am happy to make one film in a lifetime. Filmmaking is neither a race nor > a number game. Though one thing (film) is stretching too much (laughs). I > write, I direct, I produce. If I had sealed and bound scripts and good > scripts, that will not quench my thirst! It has to be something cool which > we can experiment with. Visually, the director is the writer. Then I have to > produce because the kind of films I want to make, it's impossible to find a > producer. *Rang De Basanti* took three to four years to find a producer till > we roped in Aamir and in turn Aamir roped in Rahman. > > - > http://entertainment.oneindia.in/bollywood/interviews/2009/rakeysh- omprakashmehra-interview-190209.html- > regards, > Vithur >
