R Balki on ‘PadMan’: Amitabh Bachchan has played a cameo in this film and it’s an important part
| Jan 10, 2018, 16:40 IST
Balki is all set for his next ‘PadMan’ starring Akshay Kumar, spoke about the clash of his film with Sanjay Leela Bhansali's ‘Padmavat’. The filmmaker admits that it’s not rational for films to clash. He feels it’s silly if there is a clash in this small industry. The filmmaker also spoke about the whole process of ‘PadMan’ and also made some revelations.
The filmmaker talks about working on unusual stories, “Tackling subjects that haven't been touched upon before has always been the biggest motivation for me. Filmmaking is a laborious process. If you have to spend one year on it, it better be something that has never been done before.”
Talking about ‘PadMan’ the filmmaker said, “The film doesn't preach, it's an entertainer that talks about beliefs and rituals that have been followed for years without much thought while menstrual hygiene has been ignored. We are creating awareness about that.”
He further added, “A film is made by a team of people. Twinkle was the one who first met Arunachalam Muruganantham (the real-life Pad Man) and thought it was a good idea to make a film on him. I had never done a biopic before but I like writing my own stories so I figured I could at least write a script based on the idea. Swanand Kirkire and I have co-written the script.”
The filmmaker said the story is not inspired by Twinkle Khanna’s short story, “No. Her story and the film are different adaptations of Muruganantham's life. The story and the script were worked on simultaneously.”
Recalling his first meeting with Mr. Muruganantham, “It was hilarious. I wish I could make a seven-hour movie to incorporate all his stories. He told us about his struggles and there were so many lateral thoughts. He's a very simple man. Akshay spent a lot of time with him too but he didn't ape Mr. Muruganantham's mannerisms, choosing to interpret his personality in his own way instead. That is Akshay's remarkable achievement - he's given it a new feel without losing the spirit of the character.”
Talking about the film he further added, “Nobody was willing to try his pads, so Mr. Muruganatham decided to do it himself. It's a part of his story and we had to dramatise it to capture it in its full glory. It's beautiful and wonderfully maintained, including the Ahilya Fort and Narmada river. It is a worthy role model for other Indian villages and small towns. We wrote the film there and have shot it in the interiors. I fictionalised it because it would be difficult to have a South Indian man speak pure Hindi. It would have been equivalent to mocking the language. Pad Man is not about South or North but about a person's achievements.”
Talking about his lead cast Sonam and Radhika, he said, “People see Sonam as a fashion diva but here she plays a character that is possibly the most difficult one in the film because it demanded tremendous sacrifice in terms of helping the protagonist. Radhika is already known as a great performer and in real life, she's the opposite of the conservative woman she plays. For her to get into the skin of the character was a revelation. Both Sonam and Akshay bagged National Awards while shooting for this film,. It was the second last day of our shoot and all of us ate a lot as part of the celebrations.”
He further added, “With these films, especially ‘Pad Man’, we are trying to do away with the shame attached to themes like menstruation. But at the same time, we are not trying to make it ultra-cool.”
Balki rubbishes rumours on making a film that stars Kangana Ranaut and Mr. Bachchan, “This is all fabricated news. I'm not making any such film.” He also spoke about producing a film for his wife Gauri Sinde and Sridevi being the lead in that film, “That's also a figment of someone's imagination. Why would we hide it if it was true? I'm really upset when I read all this.”
The filmmaker talks about working on unusual stories, “Tackling subjects that haven't been touched upon before has always been the biggest motivation for me. Filmmaking is a laborious process. If you have to spend one year on it, it better be something that has never been done before.”
Talking about ‘PadMan’ the filmmaker said, “The film doesn't preach, it's an entertainer that talks about beliefs and rituals that have been followed for years without much thought while menstrual hygiene has been ignored. We are creating awareness about that.”
He further added, “A film is made by a team of people. Twinkle was the one who first met Arunachalam Muruganantham (the real-life Pad Man) and thought it was a good idea to make a film on him. I had never done a biopic before but I like writing my own stories so I figured I could at least write a script based on the idea. Swanand Kirkire and I have co-written the script.”
The filmmaker said the story is not inspired by Twinkle Khanna’s short story, “No. Her story and the film are different adaptations of Muruganantham's life. The story and the script were worked on simultaneously.”
Recalling his first meeting with Mr. Muruganantham, “It was hilarious. I wish I could make a seven-hour movie to incorporate all his stories. He told us about his struggles and there were so many lateral thoughts. He's a very simple man. Akshay spent a lot of time with him too but he didn't ape Mr. Muruganantham's mannerisms, choosing to interpret his personality in his own way instead. That is Akshay's remarkable achievement - he's given it a new feel without losing the spirit of the character.”
Talking about the film he further added, “Nobody was willing to try his pads, so Mr. Muruganatham decided to do it himself. It's a part of his story and we had to dramatise it to capture it in its full glory. It's beautiful and wonderfully maintained, including the Ahilya Fort and Narmada river. It is a worthy role model for other Indian villages and small towns. We wrote the film there and have shot it in the interiors. I fictionalised it because it would be difficult to have a South Indian man speak pure Hindi. It would have been equivalent to mocking the language. Pad Man is not about South or North but about a person's achievements.”
Talking about his lead cast Sonam and Radhika, he said, “People see Sonam as a fashion diva but here she plays a character that is possibly the most difficult one in the film because it demanded tremendous sacrifice in terms of helping the protagonist. Radhika is already known as a great performer and in real life, she's the opposite of the conservative woman she plays. For her to get into the skin of the character was a revelation. Both Sonam and Akshay bagged National Awards while shooting for this film,. It was the second last day of our shoot and all of us ate a lot as part of the celebrations.”
He further added, “With these films, especially ‘Pad Man’, we are trying to do away with the shame attached to themes like menstruation. But at the same time, we are not trying to make it ultra-cool.”
Balki rubbishes rumours on making a film that stars Kangana Ranaut and Mr. Bachchan, “This is all fabricated news. I'm not making any such film.” He also spoke about producing a film for his wife Gauri Sinde and Sridevi being the lead in that film, “That's also a figment of someone's imagination. Why would we hide it if it was true? I'm really upset when I read all this.”