Director Abhinay Deo reminisces with Subhash K Jha about making the thriller 2011’s Game– a film he says is special and one he is very proud of.
How do you look back on this intriguing thriller?
Game has always been a special film for me. It was the second film I shot, but it was released first. Game was a disaster at the box office, while exactly three months later released Delhi Belly, my actual first film, which ended up being one of the most successful films of that year.
So would you have preferred Delhi Belly to be your first release?
It was an amazing experience and a humbling one to taste bitter failure and sweet success for a debutant in a span of three months. However, Game taught me more than Delhi Belly did, as failure always is a better teacher than success is.
Game was a watchable thriller; why do you think it didn’t work?
I think I put in the same amount of effort in both my films. Game had a stellar cast, a fabulous look, great locations, a thrilling script, and dynamic producers. I love what we made, but for some reason, it didn’t catch the audience’s fancy. I am very proud of the film and hold it as one of my milestone creations.
You had a very interesting cast.
I just went with who I felt worked best for the film. I introduced Sarah Jane Dias. Boman Irani, Shahana Goswami, and Jimmy Shergil were no-brainers; they were brilliant actors. Kangana had never been seen as an Interpol agent, and Abhishek was painted almost as an antihero.
Game was a very good-looking film.
I wanted a very stylish film. We shot in four foreign countries, plus India. Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani didn’t hold back on the production.
