The prolific and underrated Rajkumar Santoshi is very proud of his epic historical The Legend Of Bhagat Singh, which opened to great expectations on June 7, 2002, but did not do as well as expected.
“It doesn’t matter whether it made money or not—and by the way, it did make enough—what matters is the quality of the content. We set out to make a film on the life of Bhagat Singh. Ajay Devgan and I achieved what we wanted,” says Raj Kumar Santoshi, who is currently waiting for the release of his pseudo-historical Batwara 1945.
“That’s another film I am very proud of. Like The Legend Of Bhagat Singh, Batwara 1945 too recreates an important chunk of history. Like Ajay, Sunny Deol is one of my favourite actors.”
Ruminating on the Bhagat Singh experience, Santoshi says, “Sunny Deol came to me with the proposal to make Bhagat Singh. But he suggested his brother for the role. I think very highly of Bobby as an actor. I directed his debut film Barsaat for Sunny‘s production house. But I just couldn’t see the same brooding intensity in Bobby that I wanted in my Bhagat Singh.”
Santoshi reveals what he was looking for in his Bhagat Singh. “I was looking for the Amitabh Bachchan from Zanjeer. Someone who could smoulder in his silences. I found Bobby a little too flamboyant for the part. Shammi Kapoor is a fine actor. But he couldn’t play Bhagat Singh. Perhaps some other director could visualize Bobby as Bhagat Singh and may have done full justice to both the character and the actor. After all, Bobby is a very competent and sincere actor.”
Santoshi reveals that Sunny Deol suggested they pool their two Bhagat Singhs together. “I frankly told him that if his homework research and spadework matched mine, then I was willing to hand over all my material on Bhagat Singh to him and make something else. But when he suggested I make the film with Bobby, I demurred. Despite all my admiration for Bobby, I could see Ajay and not Bobby as Bhagat Singh.”
When Santoshi refused to consider Bobby Deol for Bhagat Singh, Sunny got very upset.
Santoshi was repentant but resolute. “See, I owe Sunny a lot. He helped me immensely at the beginning of my career. He stood by me when I made Ghayal, even though Dharamji wasn’t too sure about the film. Sunny showed full confidence in me, and I cannot forget or repay that. There are some mischief makers who are trying to poison Sunny’s mind against me. I get emotional just talking about him. If he calls me in the middle of the night, I’d be by his side. But as a director, I chose Ajay, and I stand by my decision. Even my producer, Ramesh Taurani, wanted a hero of maturity and stature like Aamir Khan in Lagaan. But that doesn’t mean I rate Bobby as a less competent actor than Ajay. There was nothing personal about this decision. Tomorrow, I may decide Bobby is the best person for a role, and I’d go to him. When I made my last film Lajja, I wanted Sunny for Ajay Devgan’s role, and I knocked on his door, although my relations with the Deols had already soured. Sunny agreed readily. Unfortunately, we had problems with his remuneration. That’s when Ajay stepped into the picture. I can’t forget the times I spent with Sunny. When I wasn’t shooting, I’d spend my time on Sunny’s sets, uncaring if people called me his chamcha.”
The Legend Of Bhagat Singh was completed in record time. “Everyone says I made the film very quickly. But that’s how it was planned. We never cut corners to beat a deadline. It took me 138 days to complete the entire film. I agree my other films have taken much longer. The Legend Of Bhagat Singh taught me a lot. My producer and I knew the other directors who were making films on Bhagat Singh moved ahead confidently, thinking I’d never complete my film quickly. They miscalculated.”
Santoshi remembers his fascination with Bhagat Singh. “When I was a child of 13 or 14, I remember asking my father (the late filmmaker P.L. Santoshi) about Bhagat Singh. As the evening fell in Lonavala, my father told me all the details about Bhagat Singh’s life. That evening’s conversation with my father remained in my mind. While working with Govindji (Nihalani), I picked up this fine habit of reading. Any city I’d go to, I’m sure to pick up books. That’s how I familiarized myself with Bhagat Singh’s life. Then, during the time I made my early films like Andaz Apna Apna, Ghayal, and Damini, I read a book by A.G. Noorani called The Trial Of Bhagat Singh. Then, during Pukar, I read another book by K.K. Khullar and also Kuldip Nayyar’s book. I decided I have to make my film on Bhagat Singh after Lajja. I announced the project in 1999 and signed A.R Rahman to do the music and Santosh Sivan for the cinematography. Eventually, Santosh couldn’t do the film. I came to know my screenplay writer, Anjum Rajabali, through Aamir Khan. We collaborated on China Gate and Pukar. He wrote my Bhagat Singh. Two-and-a-half years of hard research. When I decided to make my film, I came to a stumbling block. No one seemed to know much about Bhagat Singh. It was so shocking and saddening that a man of his importance and talent was a virtual unknown in our times. Even my screenwriter knew only the fact that Bhagat Singh had hurled a bomb in the assembly. But as we pieced together his life, we both became increasingly fascinated.”
