'Karisma fit the role to a T'

Shyam Benegal is perhaps one of the few 'art film directors' who has tasted commercial success with his power-packed Mandi, Junoon, Kalyug, and Manthan.

But his latest Zubeidaa, is generating more pre-release publicity than perhaps all his films.

It could be because it stars Karisma Kapoor, Manoj Bajpai and Rekha. Or even because it has been written by noted journalist, writer and director Khalid Mohamed, director of the Hrithik-Karisma starrer Fiza.

But the fact is Zubeidaa is slated to release in December and Benegal's hopes are sky high.

Here, he reveals some of them to Sharmila Taliculam:

How did Zubeidaa come about?

Khalid Mohamed had written the scripts for my films, Mammo and Sardari Begum.

He had told me that he had an idea for another script. I told him to go ahead and write it. That turned out to be Zubeidaa.

When I read it, I felt it had the potential for a good film. It had a marvellous central love story. Love stories, you know, are universal and have a general public appeal. It would also have been interesting to do a trilogy based on the three scripts of Khalid Mohamed.

That was about four or five years ago. Plus Channel was to produce the film.

But it fell through largely because the budget demands on the film were such that it didn't seem realistic to produce it then. We decided to put it on the back burner for some time. Then I found a new producer and we started working on it in right earnest.

How difficult was it to get the right cast for Zubeidaa?

Well, it was difficult. I had to get rid of some of my older ideas of casting, which I had thought of when Plus was to be making the film.

We decided to start afresh. We chanced upon Karisma Kapoor. She agreed; we had no problems!

The more difficult aspect was that of the male lead. I thought of many, but ultimately, it was Manoj largely because I liked the clean cut lines of his face and the athleticism of his body.

I needed someone who was slim and could play polo and ride a horse -- neither of which he could do at the time. He learnt all of it for the film.

You know, he was not very confident because the kind of films that made him popular were the ones where he played down-to-earth characters.

Here, he was supposed to play a well-bred, well-educated aristocrat. But I was very confident about him.

As it turned out, he has given a very fine performance. I was quite happy with the choice I had made.

Everything else just kind of fell into place.

Like?

Like the music. I wanted a period feel, yet give it a contemporary touch.

A R Rahman was very happy to do it. And it sounds different, not like the usual songs.

And I'm very pleased that the music is doing very well. It has just been released and is already second on the charts.

Did you at any point hesitate about casting Karisma Kapoor, who is not exactly known for off-mainstream roles?

No, not at all. I hadn't seen any of her films. Just seeing her in person was enough to assure me that she would be able to do it.

Karisma fit the character to a T. She is pretty, dazzlingly so, lots of energy and vivacity. But most of all, I was impressed with her professionalism.

What more could I ask for?

You see, most of my films are character driven. There is a certain inevitability in the way the story moves, because of the characters. They're not puppets who just move for the sake of moving. I don't make films like that.

The motivation of the characters is very important -- why do they behave the way they do? And if your actor understands all that, the better and more convincing the performance.

Would you consider this your first love story?

I have done love stories in the past. You have forgotten Junoon. That was a love story.

Trikaal was one. Mandi, too, though it had other elements in it.

The difference here is probably that the accent is on the love angle. That I have not attempted before.

People ask me what picturising the songs was like. That's not new to me! I have done them before; dances, too.

What was important to me here was that I get the character of the love story.

Love stories succeed because of the emotion that is generated and the way you identify with the character. Also because of the lingering quality of nostalgia. All of which are there in my story.

So it was very interesting for me.

Zubeidaa is said to be a biographical account by Khalid Mohamed...?

It's not so much a biography as it is a work of fiction. No, it is not Khalid's biography. I don't think so.

People say that your film is generating more interest because of the actors in it...

My film might be generating news for quite a few reasons. For one, it is a love story.

My last few films carried a certain message to them. All films have a message, but most of the time the filmmakers themselves are not aware of the message their films carry. So it is not very obvious.

The artistes in Zubeidaa are also very popular right now. Karisma is leading the pack at the moment among the female stars in India. Manoj has also been doing interesting films.

Not to mention Rekha who is already a star.

All this, I suppose, has been generating more than a normal amount of interest in the film.

I am very happy -- it is good for the film. The promotional material, too, is interesting. I hope it will sustain till the film is released.

Did you think that you will reach a wider audience with this film since it has commercial actors in it?

Oh, definitely. Even before I started the film, I was aware of the fact it would have a wider audience because of the nature of the story.

You see, the content itself is something that you can be sure of. Content determines the film. This form is more easily accessible to a larger audience, and we were aware of it.

The film should cut across all classes. I have had those before, like Junoon, Manthan, Kalyug, Ankur and Nishaant.

I don't think I have a niche audience.

And Zubeidaa will definitely be watched by many across the country.