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Nonika Singh
Once upon a time he was the lesser known cousin of television’s soap queen Ekta Kapoor. Today, great expectations are pinned upon him as he gets ready to release the cinematic adaptation of Charles Dickens classic, Great Expectations. Abhishek Kapoor, the director of Fitoor, is not buoyed by the success of his last outing Kai Po Che, which too was based on Chetan Bhagat’s The 3 Mistakes of My Life. No, he doesn’t have a thing for books. Rather than he chasing books, he believes, “books chose me.”
The biggest challenge of adapting a book as big as Great Expectations is that everyone has read the book and everyone has a take on it.” Incidentally, his heroine, Katrina Kaif, too had one. So, when at a party, they met and got talking, things just fell in place. Today as the film is creating more of a buzz for the exorbitant cost of Katrina’s red-coloured hair, he can only smile, neither confirming nor denying rumours.
Filmy duniya and its filmy ways are not new to him. Growing up as the nephew of famous film star Jeetendra, life was all hunky dory and glamorous. Acting seemed to be the natural choice till his films flopped miserably. But with Rock On, Kapoor began to rock as a director. Of course, today the same film’s sequel has led to a bad taste in the mouth. Since dear friend Farhan Akhtar refused to give him credit for his original story he locked horns with him. Legal battle ensued and the verdict has him vindicated. But rather than gloating over it, all he has to say is, “One does get upset. But, I have moved on.”
And we move on… rather focus once again on Fitoor which he sees as a great love story, of heartbreak and interpersonal relationships. That the film is set in Kashmir is only incidental. He qualifies, “Make no mistake, this is not a political film. I am not interested in the political reality.” Yes, his last film Kai Po Che too had Gujarat’s volatile situation as an underlying thread. But he says, “I did not take any sides. India is such a vast country. Who can say who is right and who is wrong?”
Actually his reasons for choosing Kashmir as the backdrop are very poetic and romantic. “I grew up watching the greatest cinematic love stories set in Kashmir and more recently there were none. So, I felt compelled to make one in this paradise on earth.” Of course, he has chosen a rather unusual lead pair Aditya Roy Kapur and Katrina to scorch the screen but swears by their onscreen chemistry. Stars fit into his casting picture only when they are suited for the part. “I am a slave only to my script.”
No wonder when he writes, he puts his heart and soul into them. Simultaneously he also ensures that “I don’t repeat myself.” So, even when one of his future projects involves the epic Mahabharata, script is the king and not the budget.
With Mahabharata has he bitten more than he can chew? Well, when he was down and out, it was the Bhagwad Gita that kept him going. Today he feels, “Even if I can project one per cent of what I have learnt, my film would serve a purpose.” As the extravaganza will be in two parts… does he think Indian audiences are ready for such experiments? Of course, Bahubali’s success has proved that they are. He quips, “Audiences are always ready. It’s time we makers stop using them as an excuse to make bad films.” With Kai Po Che, that was one sleeper hit, he proved many a trade pundit wrong. But he doesn’t see himself as a trendsetter or a pioneer. “Success makes you vulnerable and is a humbling experience.”
Moreover, between success and failure, it’s the downside of life that he believes teaches you more. After all it’s the Fitoor that matters not where it leads you to…as Nicholas Sparks said, “The emotion that can break your heart is sometimes the very one that heals it...”
nonikasingh@tribunemail.com
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