'Now, I need to make a film better than Uri': Aditya Dhar

If there’s one question that everyone’s been asking director Aditya Dhar post the success of Uri: The Surgical Strike, it’s this — How’s the josh? And naturally, the debutant filmmaker’s response is, ‘Really, really high!’ “And it’s going to remain high for the rest of my life,” he adds, when we speak to him over the phone. 

For the 35-year-old Delhiite, it’s been a surreal experience — of seeing what was supposed to be his first movie get shelved, and then to receive so much love for what eventually became his debut film. “More than anything, I’m enjoying seeing the happiness on my parents’ faces, because they really backed me and believed in me,” says Aditya. 

Between him and producer Ronnie Screwvala, they have a saying that goes, ‘all glory is fleeting’. So even as he basks in the success of the Vicky Kaushal-starrer, he’s also keeping his head down and focussing on what to do next. Excerpts from a chat with Aditya...

The war drama has been lauded by critics and masses alike. How does the validation feel? 

It feels incredible and truly overwhelming. The best validation that I got was firstly from the army officers and their families. They told us that they loved the movie and how we have represented the sacrifices made by the army men and what the families go through. Secondly, after the film, we’ve had 15 and 16-year-olds coming up to say that they want to join the army. That’s huge! We never thought this would happen but when it’s happening, it makes you feel ki kuch toh sahi kiya hai. 

In a recent interview, Vicky Kaushal worded it beautifully when he said that the reason your first film didn’t get made, became your actual first film. Do you believe it’s destiny at play?

Absolutely. It’s completely surreal. In cinema as well as in life, you have to keep at it. My previous movie Raat Baaki with Fawad Khan and Katrina Kaif didn’t happen because the terrorist attacks took place and within the next few days, the surgical strike happened. Now, as filmmakers and in life, you have to turn all the disappointments into opportunities. You have to make the best of what you have in hand. While we were trying to figure out who to recast (since Pakistani actors were banned from India post the attacks), I wanted to know more about the surgical strike because suddenly that sounded like a great story. But it meant talking to a lot of journalists, retired army officers, etc. as most of it was classified information. It was almost like investigative journalism and took me six months to piece together everything, bit by bit. Then one of my colleagues called me and said somebody else is also trying to get permission from the Indian Army to make a film on the surgical strike. I panicked because pehle hi meri ek film bante bante atak gayi thi and I thought yeh bhi atak jayegi. The only way a first-time filmmaker could have convinced or can convince a producer is if he has a fantastic script. I wrote mine within 12 days and pitched it to the producers. Ronnie Screwvala was boarding a flight to Vizag and he read it on the flight. The moment he landed, he called and said we’re doing this film. So, where it was taking me years to make one movie, when it was meant to happen, it was commissioned within a few hours. That’s destiny at play. 

You wanted to join the army at one point. Is the success of the film more special because of that connection?

Yes, for sure. This film was an honest tribute to our army. It’s also a tribute to their families and what they go through. As a filmmaker, this was the closest I could come to it. I could create characters that would be remembered and loved for the rest of my life.

So, what’s next? Are you taking a break or have you started work on the next project?

I’m taking a breather but the fun part begins now because everyone is asking what’s next. That’s the challenge and I’m enjoying it. The pressure keeps me on my toes. Now, I need to think of something that is better than even Uri, and that is going to be really difficult to do. I have to push myself in the right direction to create something that’s memorable and which we can all be proud of.