I blame myself for my father’s death: Anurag Basu

September 22, 2012
Anurag-BasuHis has been a chequered career. From the slash and burn Murder to the charming Life in a Metro and the disastrous Kites. But with Barfi, both his and his star Ranbir Kapoor's finest film to date, Anurag Basu has become the toast of Bollywood. In this interview, the 38-year-old cancer survivor talks about cheating death, his sheet anchor Mahesh Bhatt and why he will never again make a film which he has not written himself. Excerpts:

How did you get into films?

I am from a traditional middle-class, culturally inclined Bengali family from Bhilai. My mom and dad were amateur theatre artistes, due to which my childhood was spent in green rooms. In Bhilai, the only way to a future was to study engineering. I got admission in Jabalpur engineering college but did not join and instead came to Mumbai with the dream of being a part of the entertainment industry. I wanted to join FTII to become a cameraman but for that, I needed to study Physics. I got a chance during my second year of college in Mumbai when I was selected as a background dancer in Prakash Mehra's Dalal. After completing my graduation, I gave myself six months to start working in films.


I used to write my plays and would stand outside film sets asking for work to become an assistant director. Raman Kumar was making the serial Tara then. I was lucky that only a few months after assisting him I became the director of the serial. After Tara, I started getting work and went on to direct several television serials. Bhatt sahab saw some of my work and said I was cut out for movies. A few years later, I met him at the Delhi airport when he asked me to direct my first film for him, Saaya. After which, I did Murder for him.

You were diagnosed with leukaemia. Can you talk a little about those trying days? I had just finished Murder, got married to my girlfriend and we were expecting our first baby when I was diagnosed with leukaemia. It was like a filmy anticlimax where everything was going just right in my life when I was told this shocking news. Initially, I did not take it seriously but then I realised it was very bad. The cancer cells were multiplying fast and the doctors kept altering my chances of survival from 50:50 to two months to finally two weeks. Then I heard about Doctor Sripad Banawali at Tata Memorial whose medication was different from the rest and who said that there may be a chance. Sunil Dutt sahab was then alive and he got me a bed with great difficulty. I was taken in and straight away put on a ventilator. I did not feel much as I was unconscious but it was difficult for my family who sat outside the ICU for over two weeks. While the treatment played a large part in bringing me back to life, the one thing I wanted to live for was to see the face of my child. I did not think of living for long, but I did not want to die without seeing the face of my child. So I feel my daughter Ishana gave me strength to fight at that time. After my treatment, many production houses — including Mukta Arts — who had signed me, could not risk taking me on as a director. I had run out of savings so I went back to television for my livelihood.


During my treatment, Bhatt sahab, Mukeshji and Chotu mausie (Bhatt Sahab's sister with whom I am very close) stood by me, and they were very concerned about my health. They even delayed Gangster for me as they wanted me to become absolutely okay before I could direct it. I had lost my hair and would wear a face mask to avoid infections but Bhatt sahab really took care of me.

Does facing death so closely change your outlook in life?

After my illness, my priorities took a complete turn. Instead of fame and money, my priorities became my family and work.

You are known to make a certain kind of cinema. Kites was an exception. Want to talk about that?

Kites was written by Rakesh Roshan; not me. I am from a small town and have always been attracted to big cars and sets. The story of Kites, when I first heard it, seemed very different and I immediately lapped up the offer to direct it. Many production houses, Rakesh Roshan's included, work in a rather democratic way where every little thing is decided after a discussion. My weakness is that I cannot convince anyone. I was used to Bhatt sahab's way of working where once he signs you up, he steps in only if you need him. Mukeshji will give you a budget and expect you to shoot within that. I remember during one of the schedules of Gangster, we all took turns to cook because the budget did not permit us to hire a cook as we had exceeded our monies.


Mukeshji would say if you want to shoot in Korea, you are welcome, but you need to manage within your monies. However, you were given complete creative freedom. If Bhatt sahab was to call me anytime to do a film for him, I would run and do it. But I will never again direct a film that I have not written.


Kites was also marketed wrongly. We failed in telling our audience that the film was also in Spanish and English and so we got a lot of negativity due to setting up of wrong expectations. It was a small film which became expensive as we were making it and thus even though it was a big grosser, it made a loss.

You've worked with some of the best actors in the industry — have any of them become your friends?

Ranbir is a beautiful person, which is rare in the industry. He is not too much in love with himself, is easy-going and casual. He is very transparent and that shows up in his acting. Emraan Hashmi again is like that. He loves his wife and is not too much in love with himself. Both of them have become friends.

It's been a good ride — you've beaten cancer, made successful films. Any regrets?

During the making of Kites, I lost my father who meant everything to me. I blame myself for his death. I was writing a death scene in a television serial and imagined how it would be if my dad died. That night, I went into his room, hugged him and came back. Shortly after I had written that scene he had a heart attack and died. I was shattered and it affected everything in my life. My dad, an actor, had wanted to succeed in Mumbai. Even though my father lived his dream to be a part of Bollywood through me, I always felt guilty that I became successful while he could not. I only hit the ball while he brought it to the tee. He was my motivation and I miss him greatly.



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Agencies
June 7,2020

Washington D.C., Jun 7: South Korean pop band BTS and their record label Big Hit Entertainment have donated USD one million to support Black Lives Matter.

According to Variety, the donation was transferred earlier this week, with Black Lives Matter confirming receipt to the label on Friday.

"Black people all over the world are in pain at this moment from the trauma of centuries of oppression. We are moved by the generosity of BTS and allies all over the world who stand in solidarity in the fight for Black lives," the outlet quoted Kailee Scales, managing director for Black Lives Matter as saying.

The widely lauded band, earlier on Wednesday, took to Twitter to show their solidarity with the people fighting against the social injustice.

"We stand against racial discrimination. We condemn violence. You, I and we all have the right to be respected. We will stand together," the tweet read.

The pledge of the donation from the Korean boy band and its label comes during a time when people and celebrities from the industry have come forward to demonstrate their support for the black community.

Several big names from the music and acting industry also observed 'Blackout Tuesday' earlier the week as a message of solidarity in response o the death of George Floyd, an African-American man in the United States.

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Agencies
June 15,2020

Mumbai, Jun 15: Actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death has reignited the discussions around the struggle of survival in Bollywood, with many insiders highlighting "cruel and unforgiving" nature of the industry, particularly tough on outsiders.

Rajput was found hanging in his Bandra apartment on Sunday.

According to a police official, Mumbai Police found out during the probe that the 34-year-old actor was under medication for depression.

An engineering student, Rajput left his course at the Delhi Technological University in the early 2000s and rose from a background dancer to a TV star with soap opera Pavitra Rishta, which gave the "outsider" his breakout show in 2009.

In 2013, he made his Bollywood debut with Kai Po Che! and went on to star in films such as Shuddh Desi Romance, Raabta, Kedarnath, Sonchiriya and Chhichhore.

But his most prominent role came as cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni's in the 2007 biopic, MS Dhoni: The Untold Story.

In a telling tweet, veteran actor Dharmendra wrote despite not knowing Rajput personally, his death served as a reminder that the industry could be "cruel".

"Pyaare Sushant, naa film dekhi na kabhi mila tum se... par tere achaanak chale jaane se bada sadma laga. This beautiful beloved 'show business" is very cruel. I can imagine your unbearable pain. I share the pain of your loving family and friends," Dharmendra wrote.

Actor Meera Chopra penned a powerful, poignant note about the loneliness one feels working in an industry, which is "cold and ruthless".

"We all knew well that Sushant was going through depression since long, but what did we do? Where was his close circle, the directors and producers he's worked with, his close friends? Why nobody came out and helped, gave him the kind of love, the work that he wanted - because nobody cares," she wrote on Twitter.

The Section 375 actor, who has been vocal about feeling suffocated by the constant judgement from the industry colleagues, said nobody in Bollywood cares about what one's going through and artistes are just a flop away from being alienated.

Chopra said the industry has "failed" Rajput and Bollywood will now never be the same.

"True, Bollywood is a small family, but a kind of family which is never there when you need them. He had to take his life for that family to realise the kind of pain and need he was in. An outsider will always feel like an outsider here.

"I just want to say to my industry that help people when they need it, and you know when they need it. There is no point tweeting when they are no more. Don't pretend to be sad when you guys didn't do anything when he was sad. Stop being such a hypocritical society," she added.

Gulshan Devaiah said, as an actor, one could understand why Rajput would've taken the step to end his life.

"As actors, somewhere deep down inside, we think we know why he did it and that’s why it so disturbing even if you didn’t know him at all. It’s a hard game to play and he played it very well but the game won in the end," Devaiah wrote.

Quoting Chopra's tweet, the Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota star dismissed the idea of Bollywood being a family.

"If one thinks it’s a family, there is the problem. Bollywood is an imaginary name for a place of work, that’s it. I am really not trying to put anybody down here and sorry if it seems," he wrote.

On Sunday, actor-producer Nikhil Dwivedi posted a strongly-worded tweet calling out the "hypocrisy" of the industry after people from the film fraternity wrote they regretted not staying in touch with the "Chhichhore" star.

"High and mighty announcing they should have kept in touch with Sushant. Come on, you didn't! And that's because his career dipped. So STFU! Are you in touch with Imran Khan, Abhay Deol and others? No! But you were, when they were doing well," Dwivedi said.

Similar sentiment was echoed by filmmaker Anubhav Sinha, who, without taking names, said the "Bollywood Privilege Club" must sit down and think hard.

"Now don't ask me to elaborate any further," he tweeted.

Addressing outsiders, filmmaker Hansal Mehta wrote a long thread about the two ends of an artiste's time in the industry - the glorious successes and the crushing lows.

"There are many young 'outsiders' in this industry. Remember this - there is an establishment that will make you feel like the next big thing until they need you. They will drop you and mock you as soon as you falter. Do not fall for the trap. The ones that celebrate you will celebrate your downfall some time later," he tweeted.

Mehta said it's important for those who don't come from a film family to not force themselves to fit in.

"Just be authentic, follow your heart and stop seeking acceptance from anybody. Your connection should be with your art, your craft and with your audience. Nothing else matters. Over the years you will succeed, you will stumble.

"But remember that nothing is more important than you. Look after yourself. And know that you matter. The world is much bigger and wiser than what you perceive. So are opportunities. If you stay they will be yours. Lots of love. Never lose heart," the filmmaker wrote.

Celebrity hairstylist-turned-director Sapna Bhavnani claimed that Rajput's battle with mental health was out in the open and yet the industry chose to look the other way.

"It’s no secret Sushant was going through very tough times for the last few years. No one in the industry stood up for him nor did they lend a helping hand. To tweet today is the biggest display of how shallow the industry really is. No one here is your friend," she wrote on Twitter.

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News Network
January 22,2020

Patna, Jan 22: Actor Kangana Ranaut has expressedher desire to make a movie on Chandragupta, the shepherd-turned-emperor who founded the Maurya dynasty, noting that the film industry has “not done enough justice to our history”.

The national award winner was here to take part in a programme organised by the publishers of a leading Hindi daily where she performed a jig to the tunes of Bhojpuri songs along with actor-turned-politician Ravi Kishan before the duo participated in a question and answer session.  Replying to the questions posed by Kishan, who is also the BJP MP from Gorakhpur, Ranaut on Tuesday said it was her second trip to Bihar.

“The last time, I was here as a child though I have not yet got a chance to explore the state with which I feel a connect as my Yoga teacher has his roots here,” she said.

Ranaut, who won acclaim for portraying Rani Laxmibai, the valiant queen of Jhansi who took on the British during the revolt of 1857 -- in ‘Manikarnika’, when asked if she would like to be associated with a film on any historical figure from Bihar, said, “It would be Chandragupta Maurya. The film industry has not done much justice to our history”.

A self-confessed admirer of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the 32-year-old, who has won three National Awards in the Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress categories, replied in the affirmative when asked about reports that she has turned producer and her first venture is based on the theme of Ram temple in Ayodhya.

The Himachal Pradesh-born actress, who has courted controversy for taking on well-entrenched Bollywood “insiders” like Karan Johar and Hrithik Roshan, said she has had a rebellious streak since childhood and shared an anecdote about her breaking her teacher’s stick upon being hit for chatting with a classmate in school.

When Kishan asked why she has gained so much weight, Ranaut replied it was in preparation for her upcoming biopic “Thalaivi”, based on late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.

The actress said her forthcoming release “Panga” is a family drama.

Ranaut said after landing in Patna, she gorged on ‘Litti Chokha’, a local delicacy.

She also regaled the audience by greeting them in Bhojpuri and repeating several commonly used phrases of the dialect after Kishan.

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