One of the finest filmmakers in the Indian film industry, who has taken the Indian espionage and spy thriller genre to the next level, Neeraj Panday is back at what he does best, directing a blockbuster — his next film stars Ajay Devgn, and Tabu in lead roles. But you have a Neeraj Panday film and there won’t be any twist? Well, this time he is presenting a love story for his audience.
In a chat with Indian Link, Neeraj Panday opens up about his latest project Auron Mein Kaha Dum Tha, which releases on August 2 in cinemas near you.
TS: You are directing a film after six years, and that too a love story. You are known for making spy thrillers, so what was the thought behind making Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha?
Neeraj Pandey: So we were working on a very different project with Ajay (Devgn) and it was based on a historical theme. But due to some unfortunate reasons, we decided that now is not the right time, and therefore we put that project on the back burner. But while that was happening, Ajay and I just decided that since we spent so much time we should at least do one film, and he asked me if there’s any other story that I have. I had this germ of an idea, which I had narrated to him and he liked it and was like let’s get ahead and do this. So it actually started by default, but became a journey of two and a half years of just pure fun.
TS: You have dabbled with love stories before. I mean every film of yours, even if high-octane action or drama has some kind of love story angle to it – how can I forget M.S.Dhoni An Untold Story.
Neeraj Pandey: Â I know, a lot of people who have seen the film refuse to categorise it as a sports drama, and they think of it as two love stories.
TS: At its core, it was a human story, highlighting the essential aspect of human life: love.
But having said that, for Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha, you cast two set of actors playing the same characters in the same film and then had to brief them separately. I understand that it would have been easier with Ajay and Tabu, because they come with years of experience. How challenging was it for you to work Shantanu (Maheshwari) and Saiee (Manjrekar) and make them play the same parts as Ajay and Tabu?
Neeraj Pandey: It was definitely challenging because you don’t want the audience to sort of wonder while they were watching the film ‘is it the same guy? And the same girl?’ I mean you want their undivided attention while they’re watching the film, so it has to be pretty seamless. And we intercut throughout, right, so the challenge for me as a director was to make it seamless, and [the challenge] for the actors was to make it believable. We did a two and a half month workshop with the two kids Shantanu and Saiee… Initially they did workshops with someone else and then once I thought that they are ready now to sort of take a deep dive into the script, then I took over, and it was an exciting journey because both these kids take instructions very well. You could see that they were improving by the day, and when they came on the set they were ready! I mean the audience would know that it is played by two different sets of actors, so I just needed a passing resemblance and the rest of the conviction comes from how they play the characters and I’m very proud of the work that they’ve put in.
TS: Was it like a breather for you to write a love story in between all your projects which mainly fall into the spy thriller category?
Neeraj Pandey: Let me put it this way – it’s a relatively clinical approach when you are doing an espionage series or a film. Whereas a project like Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha you have to be emotionally invested in it, so it drains you in a different manner, and it purges you in a different manner, so both of them have their own ask, so to speak, and I enjoy doing both of them. It’s actually a breather doing something like that (espionage films), and [then when] you get a chance to do this completely different genre, that becomes very exciting.
TS: We have to talk about your association with music director MM Kreem (M. M. Keeravani). He has been a constant again in your films mostly and so it must have been an obvious choice. And in between he won an Oscar and major international awards as well. Having him on board this project must have been an added advantage for you?
Neeraj Pandey: It’s a massive plus because Auron Mein Kaha Dum Tha is a musical. Having someone like Kreem Sahab on your team, I mean what more can you ask for? There’s a huge sense of trust between us and you know, there’s a great amount of sync already in place.
We were halfway through the making of the songs for this film when Kreem Sahab won the Golden Globe and then he won the Oscars. And I must tell you, I found it funny when I saw the same set of people reacting differently to him after he won those awards, which is how the show business goes, right? There was an extra layer of reverence that was being shown towards him. Someone pointed it out to me what a great masterstroke it was to have Kreem Sahab on this project! So you take it with a pinch of salt and let it go by. But I’m very proud of the score that we’ve managed to put together for this film. The lyrics by Manoj (Muntashir) are a treat to listen to and I think the songs will touch audiences in a different way.
TS: Since I’m talking to you from Australia, which is a very peaceful country for any action packed spy-thriller film’s premise to be set, can you see anything being shot in Australia for any of your upcoming projects?
Neeraj Pandey: I know it’s a very peaceful country and nothing happens. No, no absolutely it’s not like we only go to disturbed places or disturbed destinations. We travel all over and that’s the ask of a project. I’ve been to Australia myself, and I loved the place. I’ve only been to Sydney when we were filming ‘MS Dhoni: An Untold Story’ and MS Dhoni was actually playing a game there, and I have very fond memories from that trip. So definitely Australia’s on the list. Let’s hope that we end up filming over there quite soon.
TS: Thanks for the chat, Neeraj. Wish you the best for your film’s release and we look forward to watching Auro Me Kaha Dum Tha. Â
Neeraj Pandey: Thank you so much.
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