Sex, scandal, suspense, the works

Catching up with Ananth Narayan Mahadevan who has become hot property after the success of the whodunit Aksar. Quizzed by Rachana Dubey

At 48, he is finally happening. Softspoken and ever -smiling, he does not seem to be a misfit in Mumbai’s glitterville. But after juggling with various disciplines – journalism, acting and theatre – Anant Narayan Mahadevan has opted for filmmaking as his calling card. I meet him on a weekday evening at his cabin in the T-Series office situated in a hair-pin bend of Andheri.

Isn’t the credit for Aksar being largely given to the popularity of Himesh Reshammiya’s music?
I agree that the promos of Jhalak dikhla ja sold the film. But the the music of the film is not the only factor for the film’s success. We are close to celebrating its silver jubilee. The songs can be watched repeatedly on television promos. So why should anyone come to the cinema hall? Music can pull in the initial crowd but the film’s substance holds them to their seats. The appreciation for the substance is still to be given to me.

You claimed Aksar was an original screenplay. But it had strong shades of Hitchcock’s Dial M for Murder.
I don’t agree with that. Aksar didn’t even have a murder. To be honest, Aksar was inspired by a Bengali film in which a man, fed up of his wife, hires a photographer to become her lover. We added a thriller element to the plot and that’s it.

Isn’t the suspense-music-sex formula similar to that of the Mukesh and Mahesh Bhatt movies?
(Laughs) My plot required that. And I think Mukesh and Mahesh Bhatt have their formula right. If I am compared with the Bhatts, I take that as a compliment.

Weren’t you supposed to direct Kagaar before N Chandra?
I’d met Daya Nayak. I wanted to show what goes on inside an encounter specialist’s mind and not the usual bang bang stuff. I wanted to feel the mental trauma of a woman whose husband is a legal killer. Perhaps my line of thinking did not match the producers. So I dropped out.

Initially, Victoria No 203 which was supposed to be directed by Rahul Rawail. How come you’re doing the remake now?
Kamal Sadanah approached me to help him with certain details of the project. He liked my ideas and subsequently offered the film to me. The idea is to retain the characters and the original plot but with a contemporary touch to it .

You directed the play Mujhe Rang De with Ayesha Jhulka and Divya Dutta. Why did they have a major fall-out?
I feel the two seasoned actresses should not have fought over petty matters like costumes. The play was doing well. We would have done better if their fight hadn’t closed down the play.

Why have you added a middle name Narayan?
A numerologist suggested that so my name could add up to the numeral 6. I hope it works for me like it does for Julia Roberts.

Do you believe in the institution of marriage?
(Smiles) This is a little tricky. In my parents’ times the tolerance level was high. Couples did not walk out of marriages easily. Today, it is simple to walk out of a marriage or even a live-in relationship.

There was this scandal years ago about your relationship with actor-director Dinesh Thakur’s wife Meenakshi.
Whatever happened was between a man and his wife. It was their mutual decision to separate. As far as I am concerned, everyone in the industry knows that she is a dear friend. I supported her at a time when she wanted me to be there. If such a relationship is a scandal, so be it.

What next?
I have completed Staying Alive exclusively targeted at film festivals. Producer Shyam Bajaj and I intend to complete a trilogy – Aksar, Agar, Anjaam. Then there’s a situational comedy with T series which should be released around September, Victoria No.203 and Na Na Karte. I am also updating Rebecca into Anamika. My film unlike the Hitchcock version, will not have an open ending.