After drawing acclaim for his back-to-back streaming series Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story and Scoop, renowned filmmaker Hansal Mehta is now gearing up for the release of his much-anticipated crime thriller The Buckingham Murders, starring Kareena Kapoor Khan in the lead role. Mehta’s foray into showbiz began with TV shows, followed by his film debut in 2000 with Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar!! While subsequent projects like Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai? and Woodstock Villa sustained him, it was the 2012 biographical drama Shahid that propelled him to success, and more importantly, critical appreciation.
Based on the life of slain lawyer and activist Shahid Azmi, the film, starring Rajkummar Rao, Tigmanshu Dhulia and Kay Kay Menon, earned critical acclaim and National Film Awards for Best Direction and Best Actor for Mehta and Rao, respectively. Mehta recently recalled shooting the movie on a frugal budget. “I was sure I could make this film without spending much. We devised a fresh way to shoot, with the sole aim being that we would complete it no matter what. With a crew of 10 people, including Jai (Mehta’s son), my cinematographer Anuj (Rakesh Dhawan) and his focus puller, Rajkummar (Rao), and one person to help with makeup continuity, we set out. There wasn’t even light equipment,” he said during a chat with Siddharth Kannan.
“We took care of the costumes ourselves. There was a person named Irfan who helped us make 3-4 lawyer suits with Rajkummar’s measurements. In the remaining times, Rajkummar used to come and borrow shirts from people on set. He used to make people remove the shirts they were wearing, give his t-shirt in return, and then wear their clothes for the shoot. All the shirts he wore in the film belonged to someone else. Though I told him that I had enough money to buy shirts for him, Rajkummar insisted on doing this, saying that they would look worn and aged and would complement the character well. That was some other level of dedication, thanks to which we managed to make the film at a budget of Rs 35 lakh,” he stated.
Watch Shahid trailer here:
Mehta further mentioned that it took them 11 months to finish shooting Shahid as co-producer Sunil Bohra had been facing some financial issues after investing in many big movies. “He gave whatever he could, sometimes Rs 5 lakh, Rs 1 lakh, or Rs 2 lakh in instalments.”
“We had to shoot in a place called Rakchham, Himachal Pradesh, which was 16 hours away from Shimla. There was only one hotel there where nine people stayed, and the village’s entire population was just 1,200; yet, it was a beautiful place. We first took a train to Ambala and from there took a bus. So, it took us almost 24 hours to get there. Amusingly, we only had a budget of Rs 6 lakh for the 7-day schedule. Now that I think of it, I don’t know how we managed to complete that schedule with that money, with which we had to meet food and accommodation expenses too. But we did. The young activists and members of local parties there were persuaded into doing the roles of supporting characters,” he mentioned.
He also spoke highly of the actors who worked in the movie at his request, without expecting anything in return. Mehta praised veteran actor Kay Kay Menon, who played a key role in the movie. The filmmaker recalled that Menon showed up on a day’s notice and didn’t ask for any payment. “I phoned him and explained my situation and told him there was this character in the movie and that it would take only three days to finish that portion. He asked when he should join, and I just casually told him that the shoot was starting tomorrow. Then I cautioned him that I don’t have any money, to which he responded, ‘Did I ask for any?’ He showed up the very next day.”
Mehta also recalled how his father-in-law, actor Yusuf Hussain, extended a helping hand to him when he couldn’t complete the movie towards the end due to financial constraints. “He said he had Rs 15 lakh in FD and asked me to take it, since it was meant for dire days. We completed the film using his money, and I later repaid him,” he said, adding that the movie changed the trajectories of his and Rao’s careers.
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