Kiran Rao in Bangalore to promote 'Dhobi Ghat'

In Bangalore to promote her film Dhobi Ghat, which releases next week, Kiran Rao talks about everything that gets her going and what she’s really all about.

There’s something quite not obvious about director Kiran Rao. In fact, on meeting her, one would be left trying to figure her out. We discovered that the mysteriousness about her comes from her sheer sense of confidence. However, there is nothing pretentious about the lady, who keeps her hair short, her image subtle and her words — honest. Here are the excerpts of the interview…
 
Growing up…
Life was quite amazing. I was born in Bangalore, but grew up in Kolkata. I have spent many summers in Bangalore in my grandmother’s house. Bangalore, to me, was about summer days with blue skies spent out in the open. Coming to this city was always about the green trees, the parks, good coffee and food.

Raised by the nuns…
I think the way I am today is because of what we learnt in school. I went to Loreto House in Kolkata, which was a convent school, and the nuns were always trying to make us into ‘well-turned-out’ ladies. However, what I got in return was a set of values I will never forget. I learnt to stay rooted and it is how I am in life. Even after marrying Aamir (Khan), I have not changed as a person.

First day on the sets…
I was on the sets of Lagaan even before the shooting began. And I was amazed with what they had done to a piece of barren land. They had built everything from scratch — a small village — and I was taken aback. From sourcing the most authentic props like bullock carts and pots — some of which we still have — it was a very fulfilling exercise. I think I have been very fortunate to be able to work with that team.

It’s commercial time…
Everything that I know about the technical aspect of filmmaking, I learnt through shooting for commercials. Ideologically, I don’t like commercials and remember saying I’d never work on them. But, that’s the first thing I did! Some of the country’s best talent is in that field and they have the highest level of craft. I worked with Prasoon Pandey who taught me so much. But it is soul sapping. However, after Lagaan I went straight back to shooting commercials because there is no comparison in the way you get paid there.

Writing Dhobi Ghat…
I find the entire process of writing very interesting because you can never quite know if there is another way to do it. I didn’t start Dhobi Ghat with one idea — it was more like a cluster of various ideas. But I know you can’t start off without a seed. The first idea that came to my head was the dhobi, and his chameleon like character who is able to merge into the current scenario, is upwardly mobile and actually wants to be somewhere else and because he has access to other people’s lives, and he sort of imbibes those traits in them.

Finishing it…
I know I had to develop a kind of system if I had to put this together. When Aamir was shooting in Punjab for Rang De Basanti, I went along and when the team would leave at 6am to shoot, I’d start writing. There were no phone calls or doorbells to attend to. So I just stayed focussed and wrote. Even in Delhi, I was in the hotel room, writing. But I’ve always been bad at finishing stuff and even with this, I didn’t write continuously all the time. But somewhere around 2005, I finished writing it.

Handling fame…
I don’t mind the attention if it’s of the right kind. There are some sorts of questions that do bother me and I simply ignore them. Like when people ask questions that I can’t relate to — like “what’s your style statement?” — I don’t quite know what to do. And sometimes when I can’t deal with it at all — I act!

If Dhobi Ghat fails…
It might sound pessimistic, but I can’t imagine the film doing well — by which I mean that it can’t be a blockbuster. The film isn’t everyone’s kettle of fish. Even with Aamir in it — he’s just one of the actors in the film. Even his fans, who expect a certain kind of role from him, aren’t used to what they will get to see. So, I won’t be shocked, but I would be disappointed. Then again, I can’t imagine the film not recovering the Rs5 crore we’ve invested in it.

I am…
I like being up in the morning… I love the sunlight. In fact, all my friends keep joking that at a party I’d be sleepy by 10pm! But I live with a man who’s probably up in the morning and night, so it does get difficult. I am also quite lazy a person and I am not a romantic but yes, I am optimistic.