Aishwarya: I'm Not Finicky About How I Look On Screen

With less than 48 hours to go before the release of Jazbaa, Aishwarya Rai and director Sanjay Gupta are mighty excited. The film marks Ash's return to the big screen after 5 years. The stakes are high but the duo is confident of their movie. SpotboyE pinned the two down for a chat. Excerpts:

Aishwarya, what made you choose Jazbaa?
The film has an excellent script. Besides, I got an opportunity of working with someone like Sanjay on a very intriguing subject. We all know Sanjay is very good at thriller genre and has always been ahead of his time in his screen narrative. We got all the actors we had wished for, on board. It has all come together perfectly.

Have you seen Sanjay's earlier films?
Yes, and we have been waiting to work together for long. Sanjay's cinema has always had a cutting edge. His cinematic narrative is different and as a director, he has an individual signature.

Sanjay, how did you persuade Aishwarya?
I persuaded her husband (Abhishek Bachchan). Once she knew the kind of film we were going to make, she agreed. I have always emphasised on the intention behind a film. If that is good, nothing else matters.

Sanjay, isn't Jazbaa a remake of the South Korean film, Seven Days?
It's the remake of a certain Korean film. And since we are bound by contract, I can't give you the name of the film.

Sanjay, why did you choose Aishwarya?
The protagonist of this film is a woman and you need very strong shoulders to carry it. That was my first criterion.

Aishwarya, how was it coming to the set after a gap of 5 years? How was Day 1?
I was very enthusiastic and eager as an artiste. That's how I am throughout the making of any of my films. Every day is exciting and like I have always said, I am lucky that my passion is my job. My attitude has always been consistent; irrespective of whether I have or haven't taken a break.

Aishwarya, are you particular about how you end up looking in every film? Beautiful heroines are usually finicky in this aspect...
No, and I hope my choice of work answers this question. Anyway, it's not my problem, it's the filmmaker's. If he/she want to focus on it, so be it. And if they don't, it doesn't matter. Having said that, I have worked with Mickey Contractor (make-up artiste) on Jazbaa. He is the best, he is like family to me. Also, he is connected to the movie as a team player. He is not someone who is just doing your face and your hair, and dressing you up. Mickey has kept Anuradha Varma (her character in the movie) very real. She has polish and finesse, but she is in a very real situation throughout the film. Also, the pace at which the narrative unfolds, it's not easy to maintain continuity. That's where Mickey's contribution comes in.
Sanjay: For me also, this is the first time I have worked with a make-up artiste who is more involved in a scene than the artiste. He was not there, looking at Aishwarya Rai. He was there, looking at Anuradha Varma.

Aishwarya, how did you prepare for the role?
The challenge was to keep it real and at the same time, keep it cinematic enough for the viewer to engage with the content we were sharing. I am playing a lawyer, but I didn't do any intense study on lawyers; it's all about addressing the character. There's a certain discipline with which you address the career of your choice. That's what you bring to the table in terms of body language and nuanced characterisation.
Sanjay: I'll make a confession about the court scenes. Generally, I find most courtroom scenes boring. I wanted it to hold the way action does. So, I went to the set and told my DoP Sameer Arya: We are going to shoot court sequences like action sequences. So, there will be random cuts. Let the cameras go everywhere. So, there is a cut after every line.
Aishwarya: Sanjay shot more to edit it the way he chooses to. As actors, it worked for us because we had to play it out like theatre.


Aishwarya, special arrangements were made in your vanity van for Aaradhya...
In our vocation, we are lucky that being working mothers, we can sometimes bring our children to our workplace. So, I have done that post Aaradhya's school hours. Fortunately, we were making this movie in Mumbai and most locations were easily accessible. So, there was no need for me to leave her at home. I must say that Sanjay was amazing. It was a pleasure working on this film, not only as an actor but also as a working mother.

Aishwarya, was it tough doing action scenes?
Every film has its exciting challenges.

Sanjay, were you scared that Aishwarya might be mobbed when you shoot with her on the streets?
Well, we did get scared while shooting in a place called Dongal. A crowd of about 7000 people had gathered and to reach the location, we had to walk half a kilometre from the base camp. It meant Aishwarya walking among so many people. Even if there are 50 guards, nothing could be done if that kind of crowd goes berserk. Luckily, nothing untoward happened. The other challenge there was how would Aishwarya go back to her van in between the shots. So she didn't move from the set until the day was over, and mind you, it was a very hot day.

Sanjay, was Aishwarya told about the rest of the cast at every stage?
Yes.
Aishwarya: He had already done the casting and interestingly, when he was reading the script to me, for every character, I would say, "This is who I see in such-and-such role" and he would answer "This is who we've got". We were on the same page.
Sanjay: We consulted her on almost everything as she is one of the producers of the film. It's a very important film for both of us. She is coming back after five years, I sat at home for one-and-a-half years; so there is a lot of hunger. That's what keeps us going. Even now, the last thing on my mind is this film's box-office performance. What I want is a certain amount of respect and appreciation.


Aishwarya, your co-star Irrfan is believed to be moody...
Not at all. He is a wonderful actor to work with. He is everything I believed he was, when I said I want to work with him. When you see the way the dialogues have been written, you see Irrfan. You see only him rendering these lines in his classic manner. He has his own charisma, which is very real for us in commercial cinema. His sense of realism and a sense of drama are so integral to the way his dialogues will be rendered, to the way his character Yohan has been portrayed. I can smile and say, "Irrfan, you are a bad habit, man, to work with." I am really happy that we have started working together. I say 'started' because I really wish to work with him again.

Aishwarya, how was it working with Shabana Azmi?
Oh, fab! We have worked together in the past. We have interacted a lot with each other over the years. Her eyes are amazing. She had told me at the beginning of my career: Baby, it's about being at the right place at the right time. Jazbaa is the kind of subject I would have imagined working with her on. The name of her character is Garima in this film and it's just perfect for her.

Sanjay, which is your favourite Aishwarya Rai film?
There are two. One is Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. And my personal favourite is Raincoat.
Aishwarya: See, how interesting his choices are? That's what makes it interesting to work with him.

Aishwarya, do you agree with Sanjay on Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Raincoat?
It's difficult for us, as actors, to pick favourites, but these two rank very, very high. Both characters are very dear, I've had a blast working with both the filmmakers (Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Rituparno Ghosh).

Sanjay, you had to step up security while shooting with Aishwarya...
She is loved and revered so much. There is no point getting angry or irritated about it. It's just people's love for her. We had also asked the bouncers on the set not to push people away too hard.

Aishwarya, tell us something about the characters in Jazbaa...
Besides Irrfan, Shabana and I, there's Atul (Kulkarni) who also plays a lawyer. I play defence and he plays prosecution. Atul and I discussed the court scenes quite a bit before enacting them out.

Aishwarya, tell us about your other forthcoming films...
Well, I am very excited to be back. Soon, I am headed to shoot Karan Johar's Ae Dil Hai Mushkil with Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma. Then, I hop across to Omung Kumar's biopic on Sarbjit Singh.


Image Source: Manav Manglani