'After Rang De, my next is a comedy'

Director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra is on top of the world, with his Rang De Basanti turning into a massive multiplex sensation.

Rang De Basanti: Special Section

Rediff readers, who have their own opinions about the film, chatted up the director on Friday. For those who weren't there, here's all you missed:

Rakeysh Mehra : Hi guys lets go for it

DJ : How long did it take to complete Rang De Basanthi
Rakeysh Mehra : 7 years of research-4years of writing-16 months in pre-production-4 months of shooting and 7 months of post production

Monalika : The movie was great but i just wished the end was not tragic but i guess thats the reality today...
Rakeysh Mehra : dear mmy next is a comedy so i guess i will not disapoint you next time

Shrikant : Hi,everybodyI have no words to congrats u,sir
Rakeysh Mehra : hi syour support for RDB is more than any congragulations or rewards i can get

DEEJAY : SIRHOW DO CAME WITH THE IDEA OF THISSUCH AN AWSOME MOVIE
Rakeysh Mehra : i wanted to do a movie on the armed revolution of india but then no one identified with the the revolutionaries so we decided to juxtapose the periods and make it more relevent for the youth of today

icool : hi mr mehra how difficult was it for you to convince the producers about rang de after aks
Rakeysh Mehra : ronnie screwwala who is my co-producer was extremely supportive from day one, he believed in the script aswell

karnik2 : both ur films have been equal to 200 films
Rakeysh Mehra : hi K. sau sonar ki ek lohar ki

anoop : Hi Rakeysh, 2 questions from my friend in South Africa who thinks you are the best director. And 1 from me.1.) What is the status of the movie you have planned with Amitabh.2.) What happened to the edited DVD version of the "Aks" movie you had planned to release.3.) What do you think went wrong with "Aks" if you indeed think something went wrong?Thank you.
Rakeysh Mehra : hi anoop. 1.in writing 2.i will do a directors cut soon say another 6 months 3.the heart was in the right place but not the script

Monalika : Rakesh Ji was it very difficult to convice Aamir knowing how choosy he is about movies
Rakeysh Mehra : no once i narrated the script he decided in 5 mins

AshPat : HI..this is from Singapore:personal opin: Fabulous first half; Downhill second half - almost a bit over the top. Almost making one wonder how can an intelligent team who made the first half make an unrealistic second half? Surely the defense minister wont go for walks with skeletal security ?
Rakeysh Mehra : but he does

Manpreet : RAKEYSHJI! Is it true you want AMITABH ... ABHISHEK ... JAYA in ur next film?? Which ACTRESS do u want with them??? RAKEYSHJI! Is it true you want AMITABH ... ABHISHEK ... JAYA in ur next film?? Which ACTRESS do u want with them??? RAKEYSHJI! Is it true you want AMITABH ... ABHISHEK ... JAYA in ur next film?? Which ACTRESS do u want with them???
Rakeysh Mehra : dear Mits not true

krish : RDB=Dil Chahtha Hai + The Legend of Bhagat Singh
Rakeysh Mehra : k, RDB=RDB

sachin : u didnt answer my question.is movie a copy of JESUS OF MONTREAL?
Rakeysh Mehra : dear si hav,nt even heard of a film by this name

ammasan : HI RAKEYSH,CONGRATS FOR GIVING THE FIRST HIT OF THE YEAR.THOUGH A WELL MADE FILM WITH GREAT TECHNICAL BACKING I FEEL THE CLIMAX WAS A BIT OF A LET DOWN.DONT U FEEL THE SAME
Rakeysh Mehra : dear aon the contrary its uplifting for a bold and strong message to go thru one cannot be subtle

Chetna : Mr Rakeysh Mehra !! I haven't yet watched your film Rang De Basanti but have heard of the horse riding scene controversy . I don't understand the controversy created by animal rights activists over the scene. There is a rural sports festival held in Mullanpur in Punjab where animals are used extensively in various races. Did you have to edit that scene or not ? Do such trivial issues bother you brfore the release of the film ?
Rakeysh Mehra : dear chetnait was a shame that we had to do away with the nihangs riding the horses, i was quite sad

sapangoyal : Congrats Mr.Mehra, your film Rocks. Its a big Hit. I hope you and aamir make more films together. Its a flawless film. though the end was a bit unusual but it was good. Are you making your new film with the bachhan's and also you are leaving to USA for some script writing course? Thanks for making such a nice film
Rakeysh Mehra : yes i am giong to take a refreshers course in scripting, my next film is not casted yet

heavybison : don't you think sharman was a revelation in rdb?
Rakeysh Mehra : sharman has always been a very respected theatre actor we were so lucky to have him

niruppama : hi rakeshji how did u actually choose the other guys in the movie like(kunal,siddharth,madhavan,sharma joshi)
Rakeysh Mehra : dear nonce the script was done we went about casting it i had my wish list and i must say that we got most of them

anoop : Thank you for answering. I have not seen RDB but only because I am unable to get any tickets here in Hyderabad. But all my colleagues have found it brillian. Congratulations you have a winner on your hands. Now the next question, as a writer, what was the craziest / most creative idea/script you had thought of? Could you work it out? Thanks
Rakeysh Mehra : dear ayet to think of that one

sapangoyal : YOU ARE ALSO A GREAT CRICKETER,is it ??????
Rakeysh Mehra : use to play for my club in delhi and at times for the school team, actualy use to swim at national level

cooldude : sir i know that u are making paanch kaurav or delhi 6 which one is comedy
Rakeysh Mehra : delhi-6 is a comedy

Manpreet : Karan Johar - Aditya Chopra - Sanjay Leela Bhansali :: which do you admire most & why?
Rakeysh Mehra : bimal roy- guru dutt-v shantaram

sapangoyal : Do you think all Indians are contributing well to this society or do you feel that there is a large room for improvement
Rakeysh Mehra : dear si think their is a massive room for improvement, if all of us decide to go straight then in one day not only India but the entire world will change

bhavesh : Sir, thanks for giving one of the best movie. It is after a long time that i credied freely in the theatre on death of Madhavan. forget commercial sucess sir, you will be rememberd as a great filmmaker
Rakeysh Mehra : dear Bthanx for making RDB a success

aamir_vicky : hello rakesh sir how are you
Rakeysh Mehra : i am fine , whats up

ylawande : hey
Rakeysh Mehra : hey

abhi : Hello Rakesh i saw yr film it was awesome fantastic. Issue raised by you was something that ever indian should atleast think about it atleast once. What you next venture or next plan all about. I like Acting of Siddhart and Kunal Kappoor and specially like Alice acting she was excellent in this film. Amir was usually brilant so not to mention his name. Looking forward to see yr next film. What is the project all about and wht makes you think to make film like this
Rakeysh Mehra : dear amy next film is a toss between a comedy or a caper will take a call soon.i believe that our audience have come off age which encourages me to raise the bar

vishalchopra : hi rakeysh congrats to u for making such a sensible movie.ur cast for the movie was exelent any spl reasons for it????
Rakeysh Mehra : cause all were sincere towards their art and respected the script which in turn showed in their work

viru : Hi rakesh, Great movie. u have made movie about the characters and not stars with great message. hats off to you. we expect nothing but better than this next time :)
Rakeysh Mehra : dear vwill give it my best shot

Anurag : Sir..film buffs from across the world would love to hear a Director's Commentary track on the DVD whenever it's out. Any plans for the same?
Rakeysh Mehra : i plan do release dvd with the directors commentry after a while

Shivaprasad : Hi rakeysh.. how big was an achievment for you to convince Aamir for RDB
Rakeysh Mehra : dear sthat aamir agreed to work on RDB was a great compliment for the screenplay not for me

rohit : u always talk highly of aamir in all ur interviews how come u hav not casted him in bhairavi or delhi-6,any problems?plz reply
Rakeysh Mehra : love to work with aamir in my future projects but the role/story must suite him first

KKK : SIR I WANT TO BE A FILMMAKER AND I M JUST SEVENTEEN!!COULD U TELL ME HOW SHUD I GO ABT IT?ALSO COULD U TELL ME THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A SCRIPT AND A SCREENPLAY
Rakeysh Mehra : kkkif you are based out of india then you can start with one of the film courses in the US. if in india then you can join/assisty a film maker and learn on the job

amarendra : Hi Rakeysh, do you have any plans to remake old classics like Mughal e Azam, Umrao Jaan etc.
Rakeysh Mehra : no plans at the moment their are loads of orignal ideas waiting to be made in the first place

irshad : MR MEERA PLEASE REPLY ME
Rakeysh Mehra : dear I whats your Q

Manpreet : RAKEYSH JI kitte gaye tussi kuch bol hi nahin rahe ab!
Rakeysh Mehra : ji bolo ji

rediff : I think Range de basanti is the best of 2006...bcoz lasy year all films were based on sex like zeher,ashiq banaya...We all were waiting for a film like range de basanti and rahman rocks again with his brilliant music
Rakeysh Mehra : yeah AR was so kool

anuj : sir,i hv liked ur movie a lot especially the concept..just wanted to know abt ur next movie which i think is Bhairavi...are you planning to take Mr.A.R.Rahman as he has done a phenomenal job in RDB?
Rakeysh Mehra : my next is not bhairavi but Delhi 6 or 5k

sapangoyal : You didn't take any well known female actor in RDB, none interest you or are there any particule ones you'd like to work with in the future ... IF SO, whom?
Rakeysh Mehra : love to work with rani,tabu,

Prasad : Dear Mr Mehra what made you to decide to go for a UK actress rather than an Indian actress
Rakeysh Mehra : sue mclinly is a Brithisher in the story

greatMovieRDB : Rakeysh: Should one call u a pessimist or an optimist after watching RDB
Rakeysh Mehra : what do ya think

jazzu : if not aamir then who wld have done the same job in RDB
Rakeysh Mehra : can,t think of another DJ

rocky123 : Just wanted to know how much will u take between films ....because can't wait so long for good movies ..... and don't make Karan johar kind of crap ..... please
Rakeysh Mehra : once all is correct in trms of all departments then i will go on the floors it can take me a month or ten years

ll : hi, i want to aks you one thing. can we see independent film makers revolution in India, if not started yet with guys like you
Rakeysh Mehra : thanx for aksing the Q, i think india is a haven for indi film makers

sapangoyal : rakyesh, you haven't been fair to me....please answer any of these two questions: 1. do you think your movie has any chance of oscar nomination given the portrayal of corrupt system? we always send movies which have tourism value (colours of rajasthan in paheli ahead of real society life in page 3)? 2. do you want to become an institution in the industry which makes stylish films delving on human psychology?
Rakeysh Mehra : as for the oscars the committe will decide what to enter from india i on my part will surely enter the race.still discovering my stlye too early to comment

WuFFy : Congrats on the well-desrved success of your movie. Besides the upcoming movies you mentioned, are there any plans to make another 'awakening' movie? Because these are much-needed!
Rakeysh Mehra : would love to do a socialy relevent story but as of now i don,t have a story

cooldude : Mr mehra dont u think one of the keys of this film were the dialogue riters who gave such xleent dailogues apart from aamir arr and u
Rakeysh Mehra : cooldudethe D-writting was of very natrual quality, they sounded like spoken words rather than heavy lines, both Renzil and Prasoon have excelled themselves

sapangoyal : THROW SOME LIGHT ON HOW U SKETCHED CHARECTER OF SIDHDHARTH...MOST OF THE TIME HE WAS INDIFFERENT WITH THE HAPPENINGS IN SURROUNDINGS AND AT THE END REALISES...
Rakeysh Mehra : karan singhania was the introvert in the group, in his back story his mother had commited suicide and he shared an estranged relationship with his father.it is in the group of friends that he finds his peace and looks up to Ajay as an elder brother and Ajays mom as his mom.

lovey : one of the best movie
Rakeysh Mehra : dear lovelyglad you liked it your supprt has made RDB a success today

Shivaprasada : To what extent did aamirs presence in ur movie help u find a producer for such an offbeat film
Rakeysh Mehra : too a great extent it was aamirs presence which made it all possible

santu : segment on a news channel showed that u'r film was based on a pilot ajay and the mother was sayin she didnt get her due for the story she narrated.. pls comment. She was not even invited to the premier
Rakeysh Mehra : the story is dedicated to all the air bourne warriors who have lost their lives in the service of this nation and not on one particular pilot. i did meet Ms, Kavita gadgil in the course of research but the story is not based on her as you can see it in the movie.

sapangoyal : wat inspired u to make this movie?
Rakeysh Mehra : vietnam-tinaman sq- berlin wall- mandal commission

lovey : why only aamir?
Rakeysh Mehra : DJ and Aamir were made for each other

Manpreet : how was it shooting in the Golden Temple, how did u get permission?
Rakeysh Mehra : the sgpc gave us the permission after reading the script.to put the experience in words is not possible all i can say it was our first day of shooting and we were blessed

DeepakSankhla : Hi Rakeysh, how abt Rana Pratap in a new Light?
Rakeysh Mehra : Rana Pratap will make a great historical though. two years back i had gone to haldi ghati to get a feel of things

neilesh : Mr. Rakeysh..just watched your movie on 1st Feb here in UK..your movie was great..i must admit. only one thing..i dont think that indian army or Commandos are that bad as u'd shown are they? i m sure about police!!
Rakeysh Mehra : nthe commando,s are not shown in any bad light they are just following orders

Manpreet : Sir, I am planning on coming to India..how do I find a director willing to take me on as an assistant? anyway i must go, ill hopefuly see ur answer tomorrow @ rediff.com thanx a lot for this rendevouz haha byebye take care and make lots of fabulous movies!
Rakeysh Mehra : welcome to india

Yogesh : Rakesh,what exactly did u drink while scripting the movie? Indeed the screenplay and the execution are almost flawless..
Rakeysh Mehra : thats the remark Mr. Bachachan once made when he got the best actor award for aks.

ameya karve : Raykesh, what next on the agenda?
Rakeysh Mehra : Aa sunday off

abhishekkala : Do u really think that the only of ending the corruption is what Amir did?
Rakeysh Mehra : no we can all contribute in our own way, by beeing honest and sincere to what we are doing in our respective fields

ajaybohras : Hi Rakeysh, I watched this movie in Melbourne, and to add to my excitement all the GOREY aussie were the one who were dancing, singing, crying and saying that this is the one of the best movie they have ever seen. I infact cried twice in the movie.. congrats for making history Rakeysh... hats off to you
Rakeysh Mehra : i am so lucky that RDB has trancended language/economic/geographical barriers.their is only one language...CINEAMA

aarti : hi sir, how r u. nice to be on Rediff at live chat.
Rakeysh Mehra : hey aarti

hritik : Hi rakesh, Would you plan to give some collection of the movie to the earthquake vicitms
Rakeysh Mehra : deaR hHAVE NOT PLANNED FOR IT BUT WILL SURLY PAY ALL OUR TAXES PROMTLY AND HONESTLY

celia : are you there
Rakeysh Mehra : yups

jai : hi, i liked the way you interpreted the current situation in india/world by saying " you can jump off to the world, so that some one will take care of you or you will learn how to survive any way"
Rakeysh Mehra : yeah once you leap of the edge only two things can happen. either you learn to fly or the one up there will take care of you

rocks : does the script of delhi 6 suit aamir khan
Rakeysh Mehra : no D-6 does not suite AK

abhishekmcool : KHALBALI HAI KHALBALI!!!!
Rakeysh Mehra : AR rocks

tony : hello sir.. do u support young new comers in the industry.. whats the first step to get into bollywood..
Rakeysh Mehra : ti love to work with fresh talent. 

Photographs: Jewella C Miranda