Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra | Best known for writing and directing Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and Rang De Basanti, Mehra’s Toofan was aired on Zee Cinema and he speaks with Supriya Ramesh about why he chose boxing as a backdrop, his chemistry with Farhan Akhtar, his upcoming projects among other things
What is Toofan about?
It is a story of a person who has been marginalised by society and at the same time, he is also a victim of not being accepted socially because of his religion as such. There is a very strong girl protagonist on the other side.
How did the idea come up for Toofan?
When the idea of toofan came around and we discussed it for 20 mins. That’s about it. I told Farhan that it is like, the film is speaking to me and I think with the story, we can speak to the audiences at large. Let’s do it. The idea was to raise the bar and we tried to do that.
Why pick boxing as a backdrop?
It lent itself naturally in my head. Boxing is a sport about the last man standing and like the metaphor of life you will be delivered many blows below the chin and even get knocked out but you have to get up and fight again.
Toofan is your second sports/drama movie. Do these genres have a special place in your heart?
Not just my heart I think sports is something which is a way of life. It is not something like only that is selective. The first thing we learn as kids is to play. Go out and play with friends, whatever the game is.
As we grow we all experience a sport in one way or the other. It is definitely close to my heart but I’m not special, it’s close to everyone’s heart.
Farhan Akhtar had a lead role in your movie Bhag Milkha Bhag too. How has your chemistry been with him?
Both I and Farhan collaborated for Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. I enjoyed the process, the journey and at the end of the day, there was a lot of love and appreciation from the critics and the audiences.
The film performed well at the box office. It was a super hit and the songs did well. All in all there was this thing of getting together again these days and creating something more which we can all be proud of.
How tough is it to pick a subject/theme and make it into a film?
For me it’s not tough at all. In fact, if you are in touch with your instincts, hear the voice from inside you, the choice is natural. You don’t have to think too much about it.
What brought you to directing?
I was not destined to be a director, It wasn’t my dream. I just followed my heart and one thing led to another, one dot connected with another and I found myself in a director’s chair.
Your instagram bio says, still searching. Does that have something to tell?
It says life is a journey and there is no destination. It’s a process and you keep finding your purpose. So I’m still searching my purpose. Hopefully we will achieve 10% of it.
Upcoming projects?
As a director I’m working on three scripts right now. Two of them are ready and I have promised myself to finish the third one by diwali. Post Diwali we will decide which one we will go for. As a producer, four are under production with some amazing directors, Vijay Maurya, Irshad Kamil and Atul Manjrekar.