PRAKRITI ROY catches up with the director and the cast of Waiting to tell you the thought behind this film and the equation the team shared
Naseeruddin Shah is known for his theatre prowess and his choice in selecting films. Waiting, co-written and directed by Anu Menon who has previously directed london Paris New York, is exactly the kind of film that Shah is known to excel in. It’s a story-driven film, where an old man Shiv (Shah) and a young woman Tara (Kalki Koechlin) are waiting at a hospital to know the fate of their respective spouses who are lying in a comatose state.
Menon tells you, “The film is about these two very different people who lead very different lives. They find themselves in the same situation and help each other deal with it.” It was a personal experience that gave her the idea for the story. Setting the action in Kochi was to show a place that was vastly different from Mumbai, where Koechlin’s character is from.
Koechlin was the first person that Menon considered. “I saw her in a video and just knew that she had to be Tara. I approached her with the script, she liked and she said yes,” says Menon. Subsequently, they felt that Shah would be best for playing Shiv. When he read the script, he also said yes in a jiffy.
Being stellar actors, Shah and Koechlin share a great on-screen relationship, something that is being appreciated by viewers and critics alike ever since the film hit the big screens last week. Menon attributes this wonderful chemistry to the trust they have in each other which enhances their performances.
At present, the entire team ofWaiting is revelling in the great reviews they have received. Menon is on cloud nine, having extracted some great performances from Shah, Koechlin and the supporting cast that includes actors like Rajat Kapoor.
Waiting. The name of the film doesn’t reveal anything about what it’s about. Neither does the poster. Shah says that it is precisely these kinds of films that attract him, films whose names make you curious about what the story is. Shah describes Waiting as a simple, honest film that has been made with a lot of heart. “There is no better formula for success than creating something from the heart because you can’t calculate these things,” he adds.
In the Capital for one of his plays, Rajat Kapoor also elaborates on his role: “I play a doctor treating two patients who are in coma; one is Naseeruddin Shah’s wife and the other is Kalki Koechlin’s husband. It is a film where the two people don’t know what to do about their situation and are waiting. Hence, the title of the film.”
It was an added advantage that the actors have worked together. While Koechlin and Shah previously appeared in That Girl In Yellow Boots, Kapoor tells you, “I have worked with both of them before. With Naseeruddin Shah, it has been a long association — 25 years. We have worked on many projects together in the past. He is definitely a great actor, as is Kalki. I have directed her in plays like Hamlet-The Clown Prince and What Is Done, Is Done, based on Shakespeare’s Macbeth.
About sharing screen space with Koechlin again and their experience while filming, Shah jokes, “It was the most horrifying experience working with Kalki. She is so bad, so unprofessional.”
Although this film is what will be categorised by many as an art film, or a non-commercial film, Shah feels, “I really dislike this distinction. There are good films and bad films. Period.” He adds that in terms of viewership, films likeWaiting are not for an audience who enjoy the big-budget superstar films. “I am well aware of this and I think young filmmakers today who are, fortunately, making these films should also accept that their films can’t be commercial successes,” Shah says.
Shah and Koechlin are both recipients of the prestigious National Award. But that, in no way, affects the way these two actors work says Menon. “I didn’t have trouble directing them because these are not egotistic actors who throw their weight around. They are just actors who are great at their work,” she reiterates.