With the Amitabh Bachchan-starrer, Chehre, set to release in theatres today, Christy Varghese catches up with the director, Rumy Jafry
For the past week or so Chehre has been generating quite the buzz, and for all the right reasons. Originally scheduled to release in theatres in June 2020, before the pandemic hit, the team behind the Chehre, chose to not take the OTT route and instead bide its time. Earlier this year, in April, it was announced once again that the film is set to release in theatres. However, that was when the second wave struck, with the steadily increasing number of Covid positive cases. And here we are, today is August 27 and Chehre is finally being aired in theatres across the country.
Rumy Jafry, the director, credited the producer of Chehre, Anand Pandit, for being at his patient best and believing in the project. “I have to let you know that, as a director, this film was made keeping in mind the audience in theatres. I have the constant urge to keep doing things that I haven't done before. Part of the reason why I chose to work on a thriller is that the scope is limitless. I can play with the lighting, background music, and shots and so on. Keeping in mind the technology and tools that are available in these times, we brought in the best of the best, like Resul Pookutty, so that we had a fitting end product. I don’t have any qualms against OTT, it has opened so many interesting avenues for the audience as well as people in the industry. But Anand bhai agreed to wait for the situation to get better since the audience deserves to watch this incredible piece of cinema in the theatres for a wholesome experience. All credit to Anand bhai, for being at his patient best and recognising the value of Chehre,” he shared.
A visibly excited Jafry could not stop gushing about the film and how it turned out to be better than what he had expected. He expressed, “Honestly, I did not know what to expect. And when I say that, I do not mean that I was anxious about the audience’s response, though it is always nice to receive some positive feedback (laughs). When I first set foot in the industry, it took me three years to convince people to trust my ability as a director. And, well, here I am. But I have to admit, I was glad when people reached out to me with glowing reviews of the trailer. That made me think that I was on the right path and that I ought to believe in myself more often. I can’t wait for the film to be released.”
Elaborating on his experience of working with a stalwart such as Amitabh Bachchan, Jafry remarked, “I have worked with him in two projects in the past and it is always a delight to work with him. He is a thorough professional, through and through; so disciplined, dedicated and involved that there is absolutely no stress for the director on the set, in fact making my work on the sets easier. You will not feel that such a senior actor, a superstar is present on your set.”
He went on to reveal, “We shot a huge chunk of the film in Poland and Slovakia, that too in December. I was forewarned by a lot of my peers who were caught off guard when they learnt that I would be shooting in Poland with Bachchan ji. I remember this one time when it was -14o and despite some discomfort, he still completed the shoot without a fuss.”
As the conversation proceeded that part of the excitement was due to something Jafry had done for the first time in his career. “I feel like a newcomer all over again. I wrote a song for the first time in my life, and would you believe it if I say that it is the title track of the film, which was recited by Bachchan ji and composed by Vishal and Shekhar,” he shared with a wide smile.
When we asked him about his formula for work, he replied unabashedly, “I have decided that I will never repeat myself. I would hate to serve the same, boring stuff to viewers. I want to explore and come up with more incredible material for the audience. Truth be told, I have three projects ready, sab likh k rakha hai. But we all know how this industry works; I would like to take things one step at a time. I am sure that Chehre will make more people trust my vision. Dekh lena, Chehre ke baad aur achche film banaunga main.”