Good things take time. For filmmaker Rohit Arora and actor Sasha Aery, the wait for their debut film, The Pickup Artist, was an unending one due to the pandemic-induced lockdown. While for the director, it was difficult to extend the release after investing 10 years into its making, Aery had to hold back her excitement of being on the big screen. By Chahak Mittal
How often do we come across films which have been the creation of a single person’s mind? Well, filmmaker, actor and model Rohit Arora, for his first directorial, a neo-noir film, The Pickup Artist, donned several hats — of a writer, director, producer, film videographer and editor — to make the project finally come through. The reason behind this also finds similarity with the film’s underlying theme — trust. He says, “Going ahead with an absolutely no-compromise approach on my debut film, there was literally nothing I wouldn’t have done to make it a masterpiece in cinema. I ended up being a DOP to avoid any nuisance in the tone of the film because I knew it could take a long time to shoot. Since the film has been shot in Delhi, I did not know anyone here whom I could trust enough for being a long-term crew. Hence, I ended up being an editor for this very reason — lack of trusted talent around.”
The film revolves around a lecherous, maniac cop, Tiger Tiwari, who has been transferred to New Delhi and appointed for an “unsolvable” and a “curious” case of missing girls. The suspected culprit operates in daylight and does not leave a clue. With each new missing girl, Tiwari comes closer to solving the case. But the questions remain the same — Where are the girls going? What is the culprit’s purpose behind this? Will Tiwari be able to solve the case?
As Rohit calls the film “anything but boring, pretty much an edge-of-the-seat thriller,” out of an ensemble cast of 20 main characters, one of the lead actors and debutante Sasha Aery agrees and talks about how the narration itself had flattered her.
Well, we know, how on debutantes, 2020 hasn’t been very fair. The film, which was initially scheduled to release on April 3, faced the brunt of the pandemic-induced lockdown in the most unexpected ways. However, Rohit and Sasha are grateful that the film was featured at various international film festivals and won accolades at the oldest, 52nd Worldfest Houston — Remi Winner USA 2019. Well, the excitement can be sensed in their voice from the other end of the phone. Excerpts:
How difficult was it to extend the release due to the lockdown? Why didn’t you release the film online?
Rohit: In March, just 10 days before the lockdown was announced, we had finished all the marketing work as the release date was nearing. It was surely devastating to know that we had to extend the release for that time but now I think, it was for a reason. I made the film for the big screen and it deserved to have been showcased there. Of course, the thought killed me every now and then that when are the theatres going to open but I also knew that cinema is one thing Indian audience has loved and it will certainly be opened again once things settle down.
I held back on OTT. I had some small investors in the film who wanted it to be out during this time in lockdown. Even I thought for once to just go for OTT and get over with it. But it was my first film and it had to be special. The film has played at big festivals and grabbed good audiences. Also, it’s a different process through which you make content for the big screen or the small one or OTT. The cost goes high, the post-production and editing work is also done accordingly.
Sasha: Lockdown was like an unending wait. Given that it’s my first film, I was very excited about it. But it gradually demanded a lot of patience. However, I also think it’s kind of revolutionary now that this is one of the first films to be releasing after the reopening of the cinemas. And I am glad for this fact because cinema lovers have obviously waited long for this day to come in 2020.
How did you conceptualise the film?
Rohit: The idea occurred to me in 2010. However, I cannot tell you how it originated because otherwise I might end up revealing a lot about the script and the film’s very secret! (laughs)
I would say it’s a compilation of a lot of ideas that I had in my mind. I also referred to books — about mystery, thriller and cops. It was a very long process. I wanted my first film to be super amazing. I didn’t want the audience to get bored. I had set the bar very high for myself even in my very first project. I just wanted to bank on the originality of my thought that revolves around creating more mindful cinema in India. From the concept to the screen, it was a journey of 10 years. At the end of 2015, we started shooting and 2019 was the premiere. And now it’s releasing in the cinemas in India.
The trailer highlights a lot of things like questioning the government, society and old-age beliefs and the exploitation of women, of course. It says very less about what the film is exactly trying to say...
Rohit: Well, it’s the reason why I cut the trailer this way. I did not want to reveal anything. Trailers are usually cut by the producers’ marketing team. But here, I worked on it myself and it took my team about six months to cut the trailer. You will realise that at every step in the film.
What does the title signify?
Rohit: Who is a pickup artist? He is the one who belongs to the seduction or the pickup community and aims at picking up girls to lure them for sex. Our tagline — a curious case of missing girls investigated by a maniac cop — is actually the answer. This is the plot. But there’s a lot more to it!
There was a dialogue in the trailer that caught our attention — “Raavan agar Ramayan jeet jaata toh voh hero ban jaata, par haar gaya isliye villain ban gaya.” Where did that idea come from? How do you think modern dialogue-writing has become more thought-provoking?
Rohit: The idea came to me when I was going to shoot a Ramleela scene and I was in a cab. It just struck me out of nowhere. You never know where an idea might emerge from at times and that’s exactly what happened at the time. You just know that it’s a good idea and you should work upon it. I never sit down to think and write. I let it happen while on the go. I am in a constant conversation with myself. So, I never write my dialogues in a rush, I give them a lot of time. I usually have a structure ready, which I fill up with dialogues and story steadily. Until I am super happy and satisfied with my writing, I don’t go ahead with it. Dialogues is my USP as a writer.
Sasha: I agree. I think he has that flair of being perfect with the structure. He makes sure his script aligns with his idea. I think it also has a lot to do with the way he structured the idea itself, for which he needs those specific pieces to build it. That’s actually the beauty of this film!
Being a practising psychologist, how did you land the project?
Sasha: It’s actually a very funny story and that’s the most interesting part about it. One of my very good friends was going for the audition for this film and I just accompanied him. And it’s the funny how I landed a role and he did not. I just went casually and gave a try. Before this, I had only given auditions for theatre or stage shows or a street play but never for a feature film. I think it was just meant to happen.
Rohit: I’d say, she is very photogenic. She just held the audience. One of my friends complimented her that one can just hold the camera on her for as long as one wants, and the audience won’t move!
Sasha: (Laughs) It was flattering!
How did you get into the skin of your character, Akansha? Was the prep more mental?
Sasha: Yes, my target was always to understand the character from a psychological perspective because otherwise it would have got quite difficult for me to resonate with her and be in her skin. And Rohit always gave me that leeway. Even if he had his own process and professional ethics, he still let me get comfortable with the character myself and gave me enough time to settle.
How challenging was it?
Sasha: I would say it was slightly challenging because Akansha was quite opposite to how I am. She was quite naive. I am not trying to mean that being naive is a bad thing but if we look at Sasha, her senses would have been too alert rather than just going for what was being asked of her. So my most conversations about the character with Rohit were about this — How can she do that? I was constantly trying to understand her motives. But then, it automatically came to me when we started rehearsing and finally shooting. I also found a similarity that Akansha, just like me, also wanted to be somebody successful.
What should the audience expect from the film?
Rohit: It’s a mindful entertainment. The audience will find good music, definitely a story, performances by some amazing actors, humour, drama, suspense and above all, newness. It will certainly be a visual treat. It has not been made as a typical Bollywood film. I have worked very hard to fight the cliches and go beyond them both in my writing and my treatment. We even conducted various workshops to get better at learning the characters. We did not straight away begin with the shoot. Had I done it in a Bollywood system, it would have never worked out this way. A funny fact? A lot of my assistants left in the way (chuckles) because it took so long to complete!
What do you think is the relevance of the film?
Rohit: There’s no message as such. It’s just a thriller — a mindful one. The core of the film is “trust.” This term has fascinated me since childhood. As I grew-up, my sensitivity towards trust increased to a point where I started seeing my whole life as a binary pattern of presence or absence of trust, just like signals in a computer are represented by presence or absence of current. I am really glad this film turned out to be my debut as a director. The thought still fascinates me how the idea of a pickup artist and trust somehow amalgamated together in my head.
(The film released yesterday in theatres.)