The aftermath of 26/11 is like RDB: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra

Bollywood hasn`t seen many risk takers in terms of filmmaking, except for a handful and right on top of these ‘different’ directors is Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra - the man responsible for India`s very own cult flick `Rang De Basanti` (RDB). One would really want to get into the psyche of someone, who took five long years to produce something as humungous as ‘RDB’ after his not so great debut in `Aks`, wherein he was written off as yet another ad-filmmaker turned director. In an exclusive interview to Ankita Shukla of Spicezee.com, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra opens up on importance of vote, films, today`s youth, Mumbai terror attacks and his upcoming flick ‘Delhi 6’. Ankita: You came down to Delhi to urge the youth to vote. Do you think a part of the youth which doesn’t exercise their right to vote can undergo a change of heart? Rakeysh: I just want to request the youth to spearhead the much required change in our country, whether it is in politics or other fields that call for it badly. Each individual has the right to select what they want to do and if they don’t use this right then it is an utter waste. I know we can’t expect the youth to have a change of mind in one go, they will take some time. Whatever time goes into the process of awakening, it just has to happen and that is the only concern. Ankita: Do these youngsters have to yank out of their casual lives, the ‘RDB’ style? Rakeysh: (Grins) I wonder how many of them have it in them to go for the ‘RDB’ style. I just want all of them realise what power they have and exercise it. Ankita: Talking of films, you must`ve had immense expectations riding on your shoulders when you switched from ad filmmaking to mainstream cinema. How difficult was the transformation? Rakeysh: It is all about making up your mind. What has to be done has to be done. Both ads and movies have a common basis, both are creative and I believe an ad filmmaker turns into a full fledged movie director the day he realises that he wants to go beyond that thirty seconds slot and go out and tell a longer story. Like every new thing this wasn`t easy too, but then one has to be sure of what one is doing. I was sure hence, I survived. Ankita: With ‘RDB’ people forgot ‘Aks’, it proved to be a revolution. Did you ever expect such a tremendous response? Rakeysh: I am glad they let me move on. We always knew that RDB wasn’t a regular flick, it could`ve worked, it couldn’t have too. It is nicer not to think of the end result or else that hinders the entire process of actualisation. It wasn’t a deliberate attempt to create a revolution; we were just looking at creating an impact. Ankita: ‘RDB’ came five years after ‘Aks’ and your next one ‘Delhi 6’ will release in 2009, which makes it three years after ‘RDB’. Why such long breaks in between? Rakeysh: Because I like to work at my own pace. I am into the movie business but making movies for me is not business, it is pure art. Ankita: People drew comparisons between the public reactions to the 26/11 attacks with ‘RDB’ climax. Comment. Rakeysh: The public reaction these attacks stirred were to come out in this way some day or the other, even if ‘RDB’ hadn’t happened. People are bound to lose patience after such episodes. But 26/11 was surely a chain reaction to the past episodes. These tragic events can be curtailed only by better governance. This is what we had reinforced in ‘RDB’ too, so that way the national awakening was definitely like the one shown in ‘RDB’. The aftermath of 26/11 was like ‘RDB’ indeed. Ankita: `Delhi 6` is garnering a lot of interest. What is it all about? Rakeysh: `Delhi 6` is about the journey of a man (Abhishek Bachchan), who comes back to his city (Delhi) in search of his roots. It stars Sonam (Kapoor), Waheeda ji (Rehman), Om Puri, Atul Kulkarni and Divya Dutta. Ankita: Reports suggest it is autobiographical. Comment. Rakeysh: It is not autobiographical. I have just drawn inspiration from some real-life episodes, one can call them anecdotes. Ankita: Why is it called `Delhi 6`? Rakeysh: That`s because the ancient walled city (Old Delhi) forms the backdrop of the film. You can call it a character in itself. Old Delhi (Dilli) represents the mix and match of cultures, commotion and most importantly the religion and values of the Indian people. I have just tried to draw a few things from all those aspects. Since the pin code of that part of Delhi is six, we have incorporated it in the film to add to its spirit. ‘Delhi 6’ is an attempt to shrink India into the old walled city. Ankita: Does this also have a social message like ‘RDB’? Rakeysh: I am not sure if every movie of mine can have a hidden message for the society, but yes, cinema does have a larger than life impact on people and I would definitely want to make complete utilisation of this platform for as long as I can.