'Confused state of mind makes Devdas relevant'

Playing with a safe concept and turning an already told story into an explosive version of love and sex in modern times, Anurag Kashyap has rewritten the rules of the game with his recent films Dev D and Gulaal.
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Vivek Sabnis and Debarati Palit spoke to the hotshot director, who was at FTII to participate in a seminar on adaptation of literature in cinema

How do you relate the 90-year-old novel Devdas to the modern sensibilities of the young generation?
I wanted to do a love story and Devdas was not a bad subject to explore. Devdas in the modern times also represents the confused state of mind. I tried to enter into his sensibilities and Dev's approach to the two girls Paro and Chandramukhi by discussing this with some modern young girls and also with my mother, who is orthodox by nature.



How did you portray Devdas in your film?
Mainly as being confused and distressed. I had cut down many of his dialogues and had presented him as an introvert. He speaks less and reacts more through his gestures. He is shown as one who is all consumed in drugs, and moving towards self-destruction. He also represents the random relationships that are rampant in the lifestyle of the youngsters today.

How did you interpret Paro in Dev D?
The modern Paro is not a platonic lover like Sharat Chandra's original novel. She is very bold, in-your-face and straightforward about sex and life. In Dev D, music plays an important role, to give proper expression to their love triangle and also to express Devdas' state of mind.

Your first film Black Friday was also based on a novel. Comment.
It's based on the 1993 bomb blasts, followed by the Babri Masjid episode. I had earlier planned to make it a TV serial as the book had many stories or episodes. While making the film I followed the police investigations through the protagonist.

Dev D and Gulaal are garnering good response. What do you plan next?
I am taking a long break and do not want to work on any film right away. I am producing some small budget films of various genres including horror and thriller. I might soon start working on a script but have not decided on it as yet.

Gulaal is getting good reviews but not exactly setting the cash registers ringing. What do you think is the reason?
In spite of getting good reviews, Gulaal is low in box-office collections. But, since last night, it has picked up and I have been getting calls that the collection is improving. I have no idea why the audience is not watching the film but I am confident that it will do well.

Your films are very youth-centric. What are your reasons for this focus?
I make films that really interest me and youths do interests me. Rather than the past, I like to concentrate on the times I am living in. You make a film just the way you like, keeping changing tastes in mind.

Your films are also very experimental.
My funda is clear and simple. If the subject does not interest me, I cannot make films on it. I do a lot of research before working on my movies, which actually helps me.
The reason for the failure of Yashraj Productions is that they do not experiment and keep making similar films. I am not saying that as all my films are hits but because of this, but at least I am satisfied.

You mostly work with newcomers and a select few experienced ones?
A newcomer has a hunger to learn and you can mould him or her in whichever way you want. They also tend to blindly trust your ideas. And on the other hand, experienced actors are stuck in their own images and they do not come out of that image. The kind of role they choose revolves around that image.

After Hanuman, are you planning any other animation film?
I don't know how many people liked my interpretation on Hanuman as a school-going kid and his adventures related to the present day child's sensibilities. I am still not sure about making another animation film but that option is always open for me.