The 70s are back again, says Anurag Basu in a one-on-one with Khushbu Kirti
Anurag Basu, director, screenwriter, actor and producer, began his career in direction with the television serial Tara in 1996, followed by a line of popular shows like Saturday Suspense, Koshish.. Ek Aasha, Miit, and so on. He also directed Stories by Rabindranath Tagore which recently hit Netflix. Soon, he glided to feature films and the showbiz industry saw some of the greatest cinema, encompassing Kucch Toh Hai, Murder, Gangster, Life In A... Metro, Kites, and the critically acclaimed Barfi!.
However, what we wanted to know more about was his recent success story - Ludo, a dark comedy anthology that features intertwined stories of brilliant actors like Abhishek Bachchan, Aditya Roy Kapur, Rajkummar Rao, Sanya Malhotra, Rohit Saraf, Fatima Sana Shaikh, among others. The filmmaker garnered the award for the best director for the same, at Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM), 2021. Talking about IFFM, Basu expressed, “It was a great festival. All my friends were present and it was a great get-together. Melbourne had given a platform to not just Hindi cinema but all Indian cinema, from Assam to Bengal. They’ve been doing an amazing job since 2012.”
Firstly, many congratulations on winning the best director for Ludo!
I would like to know your conjectures about using O Beta Ji in the film. Does it ironically reflect the life of Bhagwan Dada?
The song, I believe, is also a perfect summation of the year 2020. What are your thoughts on that?
Thank you. And that’s an interesting perception. I’m glad it fits in well with the current situation. When we initially thought of the song, I never realised it would take off like it did. It came as a surprise to us as to how much the audience appreciated the irony. You have certain thoughts stored in the hard-drive of your brain, and sometimes it randomly strikes you. I was lucky that O Beta Ji came to me then. As a child, I would listen to the cassette of Albela repeatedly and sometimes, things don’t come to you at the right time. I’m glad it did. But yes, I had never anticipated it would become so iconic.
From passionate movies like Life in a... Metro, Murder and Gangster to sweet comedies like Barfi! to a crime film like Ludo... You’ve experimented with vast genres. How has the journey been?
A) It has been great, yaar. I’m happy I have made these kinds of films incorporating different genres, different kinds and styles. I hope I keep doing that as long as I can. Although, in hindsight I feel I don’t have my own voice and style which is why I keep changing styles. I’m still looking for my voice, I think.
So, do you feel this change is due to your personal life changes projecting onto what you are creating?
Of course, the personal life you lead also reflects onto what thoughts are being created from the mind. But I also think I make a very conscious effort to not repeat styles. I constantly have the question ‘what next?’ hovering over me. It’s the first thing I want to answer when I’m writing a script. I should enjoy doing a movie, the uniqueness of the subject is what allows that. Perhaps, that is the second reason.
Do you think dark comedies, so much appreciated by the current generation, reflect the existential crisis, and perhaps, our privileged discomforts?
A) That is dark and funny. Yes, I do not know how, otherwise, things would transpire. It is what we are feeling universally. Covid happened and we suffered the consequences together.
You like a twist in the tale, beginning with Tara. That’s something we find in Ludo, too. Is it a format you enjoy?
Yeah, I think you’re right. It’s a fashion in OTT shows, too. Every episode ends on a cliffhanger. We don’t need cliffhangers as much in films because you know the audience will not leave in between. In OTTs, they want to watch the next episode. So, this can be seen more in television that films.
Talk to us about the end of the star system, and rise of actors like Pankaj Tripathi, and rise of popularity of OTT platforms.
OTT has given rise to new actors, too, who otherwise would have taken four-five years to find the right platform and get known but these platforms have given them the opportunity.
However, I do not think the star system is going to fade. This is very temporary. People are still waiting for theatres to open and cla0 era is back again.
What will be the future of OTT platforms once the covid situation eases up? is OTT here to stay?
It is going to grow, yes. It is here to stay, too. But since OTT is also ruled by data, like television, it might not remain so pure. When the creators have free hands to produce something, they keep creating content. But I believe, when theatres will open, theatres will strive, too. So, this debate of theatres v/s OTT is redundant. With OTTs, diversification has taken place. The audience is becoming more cinema-literate. There are viewers for all kind of stories right now, which has given a lot of freedom to us filmmakers, too, on trying our hands at various subjects.
What is something you expect from the actors who work with you? And subsequently the audience that receives your films?
I expect only one thing from my actors and that is trust. Perhaps, friendship will be an added bonus. From my audience, I only expect them to pick and choose right. They shouldn’t be surprised on finding a lot of songs in a film that belongs to the category of musicals. They should watch the movie of genres they enjoy.