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Dabangg director Abhinav Kashyap
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It's past 4:30pm and I am welcomed by a sleepy Abhinav Kashyap into his spacious Andheri home. "I haven't slept for five nights in a row," he explains.
Kashyap, who is helming one of the year's biggest films, has been routinely disturbed by producer Arbaaz Khan, who, too, has probably been spending sleepless nights on account of Dabangg.
The final post-production work of the Salman Khan starrer, slated for release next Friday, is in full swing and the director and producer are busy preparing for the premiere.
In a wide-ranging interview, Kashyap speaks about Dabangg, Hindi cinema, and his relationship with filmmaker brother Anurag. Excerpts:
Tell us about your television career.
I started in 1995 with a show called Trikaal, where both I and [elder brother] Anurag were dialogue writers. Thereafter we did one more fiction show called Kabhi Kabhi. Then he wrote Satya and moved on with films, while I continued writing for TV till 1999.
In 1999, I got my first opportunity to direct. I made a show called Darr which aired on Star Plus. Then I shifted base to Delhi for a year, where I wrote and directed a show called Rajdhani. Then I did a lot of episodic writing for Star Bestsellers, Shh... Koi Hai.
In 2003 I moved base to Chennai where I became an assistant to Mani Ratnam on Yuva. I came back to Mumbai in 2004 and made a show called Siddhant and a lot more I cannot recall.
How did films happen? How come the switch?
It’s only an extension of TV. I wrote my first film in 1998 called Jung, which was with Sanjay Gupta with actors like Sanjay Dutt, Raveena Tandon, Shilpa Shetty and Jackie Shroff. That film did not turn out very well and most of us ended up leaving the film just before completion. There was a controversy and a lot of differences cropped up. I was very disheartened and wanted to direct my own film.
In 2003, when the first phase of crossover cinema was taking place and a lot of small films were being made, I signed a film with a company, but it didn’t take off. Cinema is a natural extension for any TV guy, so I kept trying, met people, some responded, some didn’t. I wrote dialogues for Manorama Six Feet Under and 13B.
In 2008, I met Arbaaz Khan for a role in a film I had written and he responded very quickly.
Was it incidental that Arbaaz offered to produce your film?
I took my script to the actor Arbaaz for a role. He liked the script so much that he asked me who’s producing it and about the main lead. He offered to produce it. I said, ‘Great! I came here looking for an actor and I got an actor and a producer.'
Once Arbaaz joined in, with all his experience and access to people, the film gathered momentum. Things just fell in place. I think Arbaaz has been a great partner in this joyride.
Was it given that once Arbaaz had come on board, he would rope in brother Salman Khan?
No, it was never the deal. After Arbaaz agreed to produce the film, a lot of doors opened. The main door was Salman Khan. Arbaaz said he wanted to make a big film, with big stars. I knew what he was hinting at and I liked what he was hinting at.
Arbaaz said, ‘Salman would also love the script. But it’s important to make him love a script ‘cause if he doesn’t he’ll say find another script. He’ll ensure I become a producer but maybe not with this script. It is better if he evaluates the project on an individual basis.'
So he suggested areas where Salman might not like the script and I reworked those parts in the script. I had to tone down the dark moments and abusive language in the script. The reworked script suited Salman’s taste in many ways, especially the dialoguebaazi. Once he said yes, all the doors opened.
How did you get the idea for Dabangg?
I got it from my friend Dilip Shukla, who wrote Ghayal, Damini, Mohra and some Rajkumar Santoshi-era films. He brought a script to me in which I liked the character, but the story was not in place. I wanted him to rework the script. Being a senior writer, he was busy with a lot of projects, so he asked me to take it forward. I bought it from him and gave it a proper structure. Over two years, I wrote about 12-13 drafts till everyone got convinced about every aspect of the script.
Who everyone?
Everyone is predominantly me, Salman, Arbaaz and Salim saab [Salman and Arbaaz’s father].
What about your other scripts? What inspires you to write?
I have written a lot of scripts. I’ll start pitching them once I’m through with Dabangg. Coming to influences and inspiration, I never analysed why something is more interesting than the other. It’s more internal, hard to put into words. You get inspired by things you see, or read about. I read a lot of scripts by a lot of writers, sometimes there’s a semblance of a good plot hidden somewhere, sometimes not. There is no scientific method or formula for inspiration.
It took you almost 15 years to direct your first feature film. Haven’t you taken too long to get here?
I’m in my 16th year now. It’s been a nice, wonderful journey. Bombay has given me everything, from my wife here, to my job, my children, my house. It’s been slow and steady, but in the 16 years I have done a lot of things. Anurag had a far harder journey initially, but he got success quicker. He came in 1993 and was the top writer in 1997 with Satya. It took me time, but I fulfilled my other dreams. And now I have my opportunity.
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