Talking with Subhash K Jha, director Anubhav Sinha talks about the making of his hard-hitting drama, Assi, starring Taapsee Pannu.
Anubhav, how important is it for you to make films that address relevant issues?
I don’t look at my films like socially relevant or whatever brackets that they are placed in. I get driven by, personally, emotionally, driven by certain subject matters, and I ended up making films about them. So, it’s not that I am choosing films, it’s the stories, the matters that stay with me and bother me is what I end up making.
If you had to do Tum Bin or Ra One today would you be game?
I would love to make a love story, I would love to make Ra One, but you know, like I said, it has to happen from inside. The day that happens from the inside, I will do it.
What was the genesis of the film?
The genesis of the film is not really a news report, or a headline, or an event. It is the cumulative impact of a whole lot of such. I unfortunately happen to be that guy who gets very affected by everything that is wrong around us. I look at them more passionately than I look at what is right. I tend to celebrate internally. And even I get very happy when India wins a match, but you will not see me screaming in passion. You will never find that close-up of mine in a stadium. So, that’s who I am. We have grown up with Mr. Bachchan’s movies, that character, intense, brooding character. We celebrate internally, and that generation is like that. So, there is no one headline. It’s a cumulative impact of a whole lot of things. And I think we need to sit down and talk about it. And the frustration, I felt very passionately frustrated that I can’t do anything about it. What can I do about it? And then the idea that you make films, you can make a film about it. So, I did that.
Were these actors your first choices?
Yes, the supporting cast, though I hate to call them supporting cast, the other actors, all the other actors were the first choices. I am blessed, and I am lucky that these are people who choose to stand by me. And it’s not only about standing by you, it’s also about stepping out and doing something for you. And you know, a lot of times actors are very scared of doing such cameos, which are not even guest appearances, like Supriya Pathakji and Seema Pahwaji and Naseer sahib, those are not even cameos, those are purely guest appearances. And I didn’t even need to convince them to do it, I asked for it, and I had it.
When did you zero in on Taapsee as the lead?
I don’t know when, I think quite early in the process of writing Taapsee became the character, that’s what happens with me. I start casting when I am writing, because then I start seeing a face for that character. I also have a look for the character in my mind. I repeatedly cast Manoj Bawa and Kumud Mishra, and I am aware that it might look repetitive, so I try to cast them in more diverse parts. So Taapsee happened then and very early in the writing, my writer Gaurav Solanki and I both decided that let’s write it for Taapsee.
And the amazing Kani Kusruti?
Kani took a bit of time. The character Parima’s part took a bit of time. And I always had a face in mind, which I was not able to look at any of the actors around me. And then this was Mukesh Chhabra’s idea, who brought up Kani, and I had tremendously liked her in All That We Imagine As Light. And I immediately said yes, and I am so happy that all the other logistics of her dates and schedules, etc., worked out.
Where do you place Assi in your repertoire?
I don’t look at it as a repertoire; it’s a very French, exotic expression. I don’t think I have a repertoire. I make films, and just by virtue of that, there is a shelf on which these films rest. And the films are meant for the audience, and yeah, they can place it wherever they want. Right now, Assi is the most recent one, so it is very special, and I think it’s very special. But no, I don’t look at my work as repertoire.
Are you happy with the response?
The film started very slow on Friday, as we all saw. It grew on Saturday, it grew even more on Sunday, despite the big match between India and South Africa. So, the film is holding and growing. So, right now, the entire attention is on that. I wouldn’t deny that the next is playing on my mind, and there are 3-4 things that I have been working on. I don’t necessarily decide these things absolutely individually. I have a set of friends and family, and it’s not in one meeting and one sit-down. I just keep talking to them, and a clear choice emerges. And then a lot of times, there is also a logistical consideration that decides that. But there are at least 3 or 4 films that I have right now on my table that I am equally passionate about. But I wouldn’t know for a month. Sorry about such a delay, it has been such a ride.
Do you feel the process of justice in rape cases needs fast-tracking?
The process, the justice process, that’s beyond my bandwidth. That is for the people sitting in the parliament and the legislatures. I don’t know. You know, the one thing that one expects is for the process to become faster. But I’m sure the responsible elected people sitting in those houses have a better understanding of the road ahead for it. I wouldn’t like to comment on that. But this film, largely, if you notice, is not about them. It is about us. We need to do so much more than what the judiciary or the police.
The reminder of rape incidents every 20 minutes, how did that happen?
Reminder, every 20 minutes was triggered by Ewan Mulligan, who, of course, is my DOP. And when we started figuring out how to shoot it, he kept saying, how can we do something every 20 minutes? And then we failed during the shoot. We couldn’t find a way. Because, you know, every 20 minutes there was a scene going. And then one day, much after that, the shooting got over, the editing got over. And Ewan sent me the first fade-in. So, normally movies fade in with a black. But he faded it in with a red. And he sent me, he shot it on his phone, and he sent me as a WhatsApp message. And I loved it. And then, I think it was him who said, I don’t know, it doesn’t matter who, I would love to believe Ewan said this, I think he did, that we should do this every 20 minutes. So we did that. We just faded it, bleached it to red, and came back to life. But a whole lot of people did not get it. They liked it, but they were not getting that, what is it that we are punctuating? And then, by risking being on the nose, I think some things have to be on the nose in life, because we have ignored them far too long. So obviously, we have a proclivity to bear it. And I wanted it to be unbearable.
