‘Direction tougher job than acting’: Randeep Hooda

When narrating a true story staying authentic to the subject is one of the directorrsquos biggest responsibilities For firsttime director Balwinder Singh the responsibility was only compounded as he told the story of Punjab in the rsquo80s and rsquo90s that was threatened by insurgency and drugs Fortunately he found a likeminded artiste in Randeep Hooda As they present the Netflix series CAT the actordirector duo give us a lowdown on the challenges of tackling a reallife subjectEdited excerpts from the interviewWhat does CAT meanSingh CATS are undercover informants for the cops It was relevant back in the day and was used by cops in the US and Russia Hailing from Punjab I have witnessed these episodes firsthand and always felt that I must share this story I caught up with a few people who were CATs earlier My cowriters Jimmy Singh Rupinder Chahal Anil Rodhan and I created a story of two brothers and tried to showcase the problems of that era It is fictionalised but set against true eventsA still from CATAlso ReadRandeep Hooda profoundly calls lsquoSarson Ka Khetrsquo as THE TRUE ESSENCE of Punjab as it portrays hardworkConsidering the story is set in your land was that one of the reasons why you came aboardHooda I am from Haryana which used to be Punjab till 1964 I have a deep connection with my land that I never lost in spite of being in glitzy Mumbai for 22 years So that was part of the appeal Besides that it was an intriguing script that pans two timelines The two big problems faced by Punjab since the Partition have been insurgency and drugs To have these dramatic fictional characters against that backdrop was interestingAs a new director how does it feel to be in charge of translating your written material on screenSingh I think I am a born director This is my second film as a director If you are a writerdirector it becomes easier Even when you write you keep the direction in mind The thing I find fascinating as a director is the opportunity to set the tone of the show to create the same mood that I discovered during writing Then I will look at performances casting The challenges for me were to show Punjab of the rsquo80s and rsquo90s I had to find such locations that have the oldworld charm Back then cars were different people travelled by scooters or bicycles The villages had kachcha houses Hooda I believe writing is the most enriching experience the rest is executionBalwinder SinghHow do you view Balwinderrsquos directorial skills considering yoursquove turned director now with SwatantryaVeer SavarkarHooda I never felt even for a moment any sense of apprehension or conflict or that I was forced to do something that doesnrsquot suit the character As an actor that is a big deal He said earlier he was born to be a director I back that thought because he is undoubtedly a talented writerdirector but he is also a good manager I am telling you because I am attempting it myself Direction is a far tougher job than actingAlso ReadRandeep Hooda offered apologies to Guru Granth Sahib for not keeping his wordWhen Udta Punjab was released there was a huge furore about associating Punjab with drugs Were you wary about attempting the subjectSingh You are a journalist Tell me was there a drug problem or not The people we are trying to tell the story to are aware that drugs are an issue I am from Punjab and I have seen those broken families who were affected by it Some people have lost close to six sons to drugs leaving behind a grieving mother Most of our stories originate from the things that happen in society As a creatorwriter it is my job to connect with the story and tell it convincingly I cannot talk about people who create controversies or deny that Punjab is plagued with drugs Our story is backed by proper research We have tried to say it with as much honesty as possible