That Prakash Jha had a good time making the Rs 50-crore Raajneeti is perhaps evident in the reaction to the film. The reviews have been good, the box office too, both domestic and overseas, seems to be smiling, after a long time, and Jha’s producers, UTV Motion Pictures, couldn’t be happier. The film, with an ensemble cast, including Ranbir Kapoor, Katrina Kaif and Manoj Bajpai, earned Rs 33-35 crore net on the opening weekend, having already sold the music and satellite rights for Rs 22 crore pre-release. It is doing well at both the multiplexes and single screens and with no big film slated for release this weekend either, Raajneeti will have a longer solo run at the theatres. As for Jha, he wanted to make a film on the ?nature of politics?, a modern-day Mahabharat set in the Hindi heartland. He has traced Bihar’s social and political history in many of his films (Damul, Mrityudand, Gangaajal, Apaharan), but in Raajneeti, he explores how individuals hungry for power behave, how they would do anything for power. But as a film-maker how far has he come away from the Prakash Jha of Damul (1984)? ?Purists will say I have made compromises, but I am at peace and happy being able to make the films I make,? Jha tells Sudipta Datta. Excerpts:
Raajneeti is your most expensive film to date, a far cry from Damul?
When I was making films like Damul, Parinati, I didn’t care whether they were released or not. After Mrityudand I needed to convince myself and the distributor that I could do commercial cinema. When you come to mainstream cinema, you must understand that it needs to be economically viable. If you call that adjustments, I have made those adjustments. Purists will say I have made compromises, but I am happy being able to make the films I make. To me, film making is not the be-all and end-all of one’s life. I am at peace. While making Raajneeti, I was enjoying making it. And yes, it is on a huge scale, the canvas is bigger than any of my films. It was not easy to manage such a huge cast and crew, but I enjoyed the process. Apaharan was a good exercise, but I don’t think I enjoyed the process of making it as much as Raajneeti.
In Damul, there?s that famous scene where the camera closes in on the villagers… how did you manage to get that effect so many years ago in the ?80s?
The idea was to create a feeling of being surrounded or throttled, of the world closing in on the villagers. My camera man and I used some deflated scooter tyres and took the camera round and round like a trolley. Things have changed in Bollywood, both technically and otherwise?people are getting into a system that is good. We no longer shoot four films on the same days, actors are giving more time to promotions, we start a film and finish it in 15-20 days, and the youngsters are really into their work. For Raajneeti, I have been able to get Ranbir, Katrina and the rest into their characters. I was surprised by their preparedness, the challenges they take to get ready for a film.
Have you ever found it difficult to get funds for your films?
If you have a project, it’s not a problem to find a distributor, but you also need money, and hence a producer, to publicise the film. It’s difficult to promote a small film and one must learn to keep costs down. Multiplexes are the main source of revenue for exhibitors and they often find it difficult to showcase small films.
You have chronicled Bihar in so many of your films? Is there a change in the state?
The most important thing that has happened in Bihar is that there is a sense of hope. The crime rate has gone down?it’s not like Apaharan anymore. But what is needed now is some processes of wealth generation. Agriculture has huge potential. Bihar also needs investment in schools, roads and healthcare.
Is your multiplex in Patna screening Raajneeti?
The fittings are going on at the Patna multiplex, but it will be ready only in July. Work on the Jamshedpur multiplex has just begun, we should finish construction in another 18 months.