Director Tejas Prabha Vijay Deoskar, talks with Subhash K Jha about the making of his new films, Ground Zero starring Emraan Hashmi and his Marathi drama Devmanus, both which released on Friday, April 25th.
What attracted you to the story of BSF officer Narendra Nath Dhar Dubey in Ground Zero?
What I found interesting in the story was actually the relevance of that story because there are so many stories of soldiers attempting an operation and fulfilling it, successfully completing it. But with this particular story, what I really liked about is that the impact after the operation was done, after Ghazi Baba was killed, the impact on the entire society was so huge.
You mean in terms of his heinous ambitions?
The person who he was, was such a dreaded criminal he was, so that once he was eliminated, a lot of people might have felt that, yes, actually, we could take our revenge. Because of the heinous crimes that he had done, the Parliament attack in 2001, the JNK assembly attack, and the Akshardham attack, so many people were killed. And the way, the brutality that he brought into the picture, I think it was satisfying for the entire nation to see him eliminated. So I thought that an unsang Hero’s story, yes, definitely, Dubeyji’s story, Dubeyji’s valour was definitely something which I was interested in. And on top of that, the satisfaction after that operation was the most important thing, which I thought that I should take out to the world.
You had another release Devmanus in Marathi on the same Friday as Ground Zero, which is a remake of the Hindi film Vadh?
When we talk about Devmanus, I have been very clear right from the beginning in my head that this is not going to be a remake. This will be an adaptation. And the difference between the two, as you correctly know, that we build a completely different world, a different story on the basic concept of the story. So yes, the concept of the story of Devmanus is based on Vadh. But the world, the characters, the motives, and the nuances are completely different. So if you see the film and if you compare, when you adapt a story from a book for a movie, it is the same thing that we have done in Vadh and Devmanus together. So, I don’t think one should consider this as a remake, but it is definitely an adaptation.
But the echoes of Vadh could not be avoided in Devmanus?
There are certain points which are common in both the films, but they are the strong points and they are the basic points of the story as well. So keeping them intact, I have interwoven them with a different world that I was building on for a Marathi film. I’m very happy that I could actually do that. The adaptation has given me a different film and a different story which I could tell. Luckily, the audience is also receiving it very nicely.
Two releases on the same Friday is rare for any director?
Two films releasing on the same day, it’s almost like a dream. So it is very difficult for me to say which film is more satisfying. Devmanus has its own charm. It has its own strengths, and it has its own satisfaction for me because to work with stalwarts like Mahesh Manjrekar, Renuka Shahani, and Subodh Bhave, it’s a different feeling. And in Marathi, they have been working for last so many years for me to find a collaboration with them. It’s again something that I was, I could only hope for and wish for. And today I can see that getting completed and fulfilled. So, definitely, it is a satisfying experience. On the other hand, Ground Zero has been there in my life for last four, five years. We’ve been working on it pre-COVID. And, of course, because of COVID, we lost a couple of years in that.
Your cast in Ground Zero is eclectic…
But the journey has been extraordinary. Also, to collaborate with Emraan Hashmi, Sai Tamhankar, Mukesh Tiwari, and Zoya, was actually a very, very thrilling experience. And at the foundation of that project, I had Excel backing this project and eventually me. So that is also a surreal experience. So Ground Zero gives me a huge satisfaction from the point of view of standing firm on the ground with the help of all these stalwarts behind me.
What made you cast Emraan Hashmi as Narendra Nath Dhar Dubey?
Emraan has a very different kind of an image. But on the flip side of it, it is also true that he is a fantastic actor and he has not done anything in a uniform character before. So, Emraan brings a certain level of novelty onto the table. So that is what I wanted to capture. Also, Emraan is such a sincere professional that he was readily available to discuss, to work on that, to collaborate on the film. And on the sets also, he was somebody who was genuinely involved in the entire process and he was completely, thoroughly well-versed with his own part. So, it was a breeze to work with. And I thought that eventually the decision to actually cast Emraan turned out very well at the end. And I was very happy, very satisfied with his performance. Apart from Emraan, all the other actors, if you see, it’s a very unusual combination. It’s not a regular set of people that you see in this film. So the whole idea was to capture some novelty, some freshness on screen. And all of them are fantastic actors. So, getting the performances on the screen wasn’t a problem at all. But mostly, the main point was to get the freshness and a star cast that people would actually not find old and boring.
What was it like shooting in Kashmir?
Kashmir has its own challenges. So, definitely, they were actually there. But they were not posing any threat to the shooting as a process. We could actually manoeuver through the challenges, we could get the permissions, we could get the locals to help us when we were shooting. And the entire process actually, yes, it was tough, but it was not impossible to shoot. So we had a very good time shooting in Kashmir. And because the administration was also with us, so all the security agencies, local administration, even the BSF, they were extremely helpful. And by and large, if I say that the shooting process was very nicely and smoothly finished, and so it won’t be a false statement, it will be a true statement.
Was it a conscious to keep the plot free of humbug?
It was a conscious decision. Because I thought that when you’re telling us a real-life incident, and if you start putting frivolous things in those real incidents and real anecdotes, the sanctity of the entire subject is completely lost. And I truly believe that whatever Dubeyji has gone through and his team, it cannot be hampered by cinematic liberty; I definitely wanted to make sure that we have a perfect, real kind of situation when we are telling this story. And that is the reason why I stayed away from any humbug.
How much research work did you undertake?
When it comes to a real-life story, I, as a filmmaker, always believe that I should go thoroughly into the subject matter and know most of the things that I can. So, I definitely started the research. The writers had already done a lot of research, but after that, I met Dubeyji, I spoke to him, and I understood the kind of psychological stress that he went through. Because I think this war thing or any sort of military operation is not merely about the power and strength and arsenal that you’re using, it is also about the mind that you’re using. So I wanted to know his attitude as a soldier, as an officer, and what went on inside his mind when he thought that I should go and attempt to eliminate this Ghazi Baba.
It wasn’t easy to find this dreaded terrorist?
Ghazi was anyway eluding for almost two years. They were searching for him, but nobody knew about him, and Dubeyji was furious. So I had to understand what prompted him to take that extreme risk on that particular day, where actually it was either his life or Ghazi’s. Luckily, we had Dubeyji with us still. I wanted to understand his psyche.
Between Ground Zero and Devmanus, which do you prefer?
I think it’s just like saying that two of my kids are on the same pedestal. It’s very difficult for a parent to decide which one is closer to their heart.
What is next?
I’m definitely working on 2-3 projects right now. And all of them, again, are different from the previous genres. I, as a director, like to explore new stories from new genres. And I want to pose challenges to myself as a director in telling the stories. So yes, there are stories that are exciting. Again, I try to find some novelty factor in the story, something which is like an X factor. So I’m working on a couple of projects, couple of scripts, which I think that will be interesting for me to make and for the audience to see. And very soon, I think I’ll be able to, you know, to uncover more details about that. But till then, I’m definitely enjoying the current situation where two of my films are in theatres, and people are loving it.
