Ultimate Bollywood » Bollywood Features » 2010
Abhishek is wonderful to work with as an actor - Aishwarya
by Raj S. Rangarajan
In a first-of-its-kind, live experience with the actors and maker of the movie Raavan - being released all over the world, June 18, journalists from New York, Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi and Dubai were treated to rare, candid footage. The occasion was a promo for the 138-minute movie being released simultaneously in Hindi and Tamil. Thanks to Cisco technology's TelePresence - we could see and hear clearly, in real-time, face-to-face interactions between participants: Director Mani Ratnam and actor Vikram in Chennai and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan in Mumbai, thousands of miles away.
Marked by interesting discussions, the interviews were laced with free-flowing friendly banter, and camaraderie much of it unstructured but interesting and informative. For instance, did you know that Mani Ratnam was not into sending subtle messages to the public at large through his films, but primarily to entertain; or that as a couple Abhishek and Aishwarya are constantly complementing each other which is perhaps a great quality, or that Aishwarya tends to break into peels of laughter when completing a sentence thus preventing us from hearing the end of the sentence; or that for Aishwarya, it was a toss-up between pursuing her studies in architecture or joining the film industry. "If not for Mani Ratnam I would have been in architecture."
Did you know that "Mani-sir" as Mani Ratnam is affectionately known in the industry had to advise "AB" as he calls Abhishek, to loosen up and not be constantly "propah" all the time. Says Mani, "actually when I made the first film with Abhishek, I was very, very worried that he was a proper, straightforward guy, so I asked him to learn to use bad words; I didn't know (however) there was a "monster" inside!"
Mani Ratnam suggests, one should see Raavan from Ragini's (Aishwarya) point of view. An ordinary woman who has clear views on right and wrong. In her journey there is the hunter and the hunted and with roles constantly changing, characters keep changing, and the hunted becomes the hunter. The battle between good and evil continues, and when the lines between them tend to blur one wonders whom to favor: whether the cops or the residents of a jungle in North India, whether a police inspector, Dev or a tribal chief, Beera who fancies Ragini. And, love is the battle that nobody seems to win, but everyone fights for. Cinematographers Santosh Sivan and V. Manikandan and A.R. Rahman's music are exemplary, not to ignore the editing and dance scenes.
Literal Cliffhangers
To a question to the two men about the tough cliff-hanging scenes, Vikram said, "the worst was the Hindi dubbing, not the fights." But, Abhishek said, "I wasn't apprehensive at all. I was the complete opposite, I was looking forward to this stuff, because, if we are doing this active stuff like sliding down a cliff, we were not "doing the scene" though I regretted it for four days after that since I couldn't sit properly, but anything to get out of the scene was good enough for us. I was happy with no dialogues."
Journalist: You have been working with Abhishek for quite some time now. How do you actually see yourself as a couple on screen? How do you critique your performances with him?
Aishwarya: Wow, that's intense. I don't know, its suddenly making me want to say that we do.
Abhishek: We don't need to critique ourselves. We have other people to do it for us. (laughter). As a wife she has always been very supportive and has been equally supporting as a co-star; I have always said, she's one of the few co-stars who is very interactive; she's known to stand behind the camera and give off-camera dialogues."
Talking of their relationship as a "married couple" a question arose about their credibility and chemistry on screen specially since in Raavan, the roles are adversarial.
Aishwarya responded: We all work together as a team to commit and to deliver. We are creating cinema. At that point, its not about personal equations, or what kind of a relationship you share outside off the set. We are all actors, we are all here to commit to a craft. That's what it is all about. Abhishek joked, "I am not chasing her in the film, I have already kidnapped her."
In a related question, according to Abhishek, Ragini, in Raavan is Aishwarwa's best performance to date. Before that I felt, her performance in Guru was exceptional, and never got the due it deserved. In Guru, Mithun-da and she were by far the best in the film. My character was also tough but I got the easier part. But in Raavan, she has blown the Guru performance out of the water, pun fully intended. "I think, its amazing, despite physically going through whatever she does as a character in the film, hold on to your the dignity and still maintain her character as a strong person, its easy to become a whiner in such a situation."
Aishwarya returned the compliment soon with "Abhishek is wonderful to work with as an actor. I have always believed he is a very free actor, he is somebody who is ready to go out there, dive right in and accept roles and characters in a variety of genre, without limiting himself...what I like is, he works as a team member, working like all of us, under the guidance and fulfilling the director's vision, and that's what gives us absolute joy working together." Coming back to your basic question, "We don't rate each other...we enjoy working with each other as co-actors."
Rough Going As a Tribal
To a question as to what he discovered about himself, Abhishek in a lighter note said, "What I learnt was very scientific actually. I learnt that reverse osmosis can happen with the human skin. And we do prune up after 15 minutes in the water. There is no such thing as water retention, and that snakes can swim apart from sea-snakes, and rats may attack human beings, also that leeches are in the habit of getting into rather uncomfortable areas!"
But, on a serious note, Abhishek added: "I am not trying to be over-sentimental. When you have love and respect for someone like Mani, I would be willing to do whatever he said, and I stick to that. I know the three actors sitting in this room, and because of our love and respect for Mani - no matter what he told us to do - we would do it with a smile on our face, for love of the craft. Mani is never going to allow us to do anything that he is not 100% sure of in terms of our safety. We conveniently stood on dry land and I have photos of Mani standing in the waterfall while the entire unit was running for shelter. And, he would stand there the whole day."
Continuing the compliment, Abhishek says, "Mani leads by example. Nothing is impossible, nothing is a difficult task, Mani would be at the location way ahead of you. One would notice his very protective expression every time, we were doing these impossible tasks. Mani will be there, totally concerned, extremely protective, and that's what we were constantly reassured of, when we work with someone like him. There is the love, there is the caring, well-looked after personally and as actors. We feel honored to work with him, we do films because we believe in it, I believe in Mani Ratnam, I love his cinema, I love the work he gives me and have a great time working with him, I like to believe that in me, he sees an actor who can fulfill his vision. He's a story-teller, I am an actor, and we work for the audience and they are the most important. We are here for the audience, we are not here to satisfy our egos."
Iruvar to Raavan
When asked about her journey from her first Tamil film, Iruvar to Raavan, Aishwarya let it flow: "My journey has been a wonderful journey, and have been very grateful for the kind of work I have had and hopefully, learning something from Mani my first guru, my first teacher will really be the one to throw more light. After Iruvar, getting to working with a film titled Guru couldn't have been more apt."
Asked to rate Mani Ratnam's role in her career, Aishwarya said, "Even before I got to work with him, I was more than thankful, it was a godsend that he even called on me, I couldn't believe it because I was a fan. Across borders people absolutely love his cinema, It will not be fair to rate him at all in any kind of role. His cinema itself speaks volumes, as an audience to enjoy his creativity, and as actors, to have gotten the opportunity as creative people we thoroughly enjoy it and cherish it."
To a question whether the two actors, Abhishek and Vikram who played the same role compared notes, Abhishek responded, "I have always been the kind of actor who likes the villain. I am a team player, I like a collaborative effort, and "Kenny-sar" (Vikram's other name) is someone I have huge amount of respect for. I have seen all his films and he's somebody I look up to him to as an actor. I would be foolish if I didn't consult him and seek his guidance on the set.
Q to actors: What do you think the audience will take away from this movie?
Vikram: I agree. All of us have put in a lot of hard work, and it's a very inspired film. Even while working in the film I forgot that I was an actor, I just felt, I was part of the film, I wanted to watch every aspect of the movie, its making, I felt like I was like in a workshop, knowing so much more about cinema, something told me, I am not even thinking of the commercial viability of the film. I just saw it as a lovely experience, and I know that everyone watching the film is gonna take away that feeling, they are going to go home, thinking and wondering what this film is all about, the sounds, the visuals, the shots, it could be just the drama between the three of us, or the performances.
Aishwarya: It has been a work of passion by the entire team, we obviously make our films for the audience, not for private viewing, so you hope that you enjoy and cherish the experience of the entire film as much as we all did making it.
Abhishek: I also feel the audience will question themselves after this film. I think whenever I saw the rushes or when dubbing the film or even while performing, I think Mani, as a director, is asking the audience the question, and the question is, "what is right, what is wrong and who is to decide? What is right for Beera in the film is completely wrong for Dev. Who is to decide that Dev is right and Beera is wrong? Or, the other way around? What is right and what is wrong and who are we to judge? And, should we be judging? View a situation from a particular point of view before judging and then view it from another person's point of view before passing judgment on that. That's what I took away after performing in this film."
When Mani Ratnam Calls You Answer
Q for all 3 actors:
When Mani Ratnam calls, you never refuse. So, what does he do as a director to each of you? What happens on the set? You have all worked with so many other directors, but some of your best performances are with Mani. What does he find within you?
Aishwarya: Working with Mani firstly whets your appetite, your hunger as an actor, as a creative person, he feeds that hunger and then only builds your appetite. Each time you work with him, one feels, so much work, so much to learn, so much more to do and feeds that urge for creative satisfaction, he really encourages, it is demanding whether physically, creatively, whatever it is, but at the end of the day, one feels that you have done some good work. You come away giving a part of yourself to creativity and of course learning from him as an experience. But then it spoils you, and he only wants more. That's how it working with Mani Ratnam each time.
Abhishek: My answer is a lot simpler. The first time I worked with Mani, and the first time it was released, I saw Yuva, I said, really, I can do that? Did I really do that? Mani has always given me this huge boost in confidence as a creative person or as an artist, and I am convinced that Mani knows me better than I do myself. He knows my boundaries and my potential much better than myself. To be very honest, be it Lalit Singh of Yuva or Gurukant Desai of Guru, or Beera of Raavan, had anybody else offered me that role, I would have said, "No, way, I can't do that, nor would I have dared to perform that role."
Vikram: Since college I have always felt, if only I do a movie with Mr. Mani Ratnam, I can actually retire after that, but I take that back now. My priorities are very different I want to be with this master craftsman, this fantastic director, I want to do a film with him, take Nayakan or Agni Nakshatram or Mouna Raagam, and as I was growing up as an artiste and got into movies, I realized he had already sent up a benchmark, specially in Tamil cinema or even in Indian cinema. When working with him I realized, he is just not thinking of all that, he is always being innovative, he is always thinking on his feet, he kinda pushes the envelope every time, and when I watched the film being made, this man is a genius who doesn't know that. We have to constantly remind him of that. He doesn't want to hear that even now. Here's a man who is actually treating Raavan as his first film... like do-or-die, this film is going to make my career, is what he thinks. When I work with him I realize that it's just direction, it could be sound, an audio release, something that he does has to be different, think about him, everyone is looking up to him, and every time he has to do something different, and he does it, and even with Raavan, he has really done it this time. I think it was such a pleasure and honor working with him.
Aishwarya: Actually Mani Ratnam helped me make a decision to join films. I used to be very confused, I was getting offers, the day I knew there was a possibility of working with Mani Ratnam, the genius director that he is, kinda decided it for me. I didn't even think of pursuing my education in architecture. He's the reason why I am in movies today.
DVDs and Commentaries
Q to Mani Ratnam:
With so few scripts that come out published as books today, I mean, there's Kandukondain, Three Idiots recently, so few DVDs with directors' commentaries, e.g., Taare Zameen Par, Om Shanti Om, I am just wondering why do you think that both of these are lacking so much in Hindi, Tamil, basically most Indian cinema. Will you do a commentary track on the DVD for Raavan?
Mani Ratnam: I think, most of the time when you finish a film, you are so relieved to get out of the film, that you don?t want to get back there and work on the commentary on it again, one needs a little gap, a little distance before you do it. But, I think, it will start happening, things are changing and if scripts are getting published, commentaries are adding value, more and more people are seeing films on DVD, and its good to be able to share something more than just the drama that we see on screen. Eventually, all of us will have to do that to make the film wholesome.
Q: Any specific differences between the Tamil and Hindi versions?
Mani Ratnam:The idea was to make people see both versions, compare similarities and differences... there will be differences...and that too two different actors and with two different approaches. Essentially the same film but I do not believe in imposing that this is how a scene should be done...but if he they put themselves into the character, and get that out, which both of them actually have done, so, there will be that difference in language, also in the Tamil version, and some words will be different which is right for each of the languages, but essentially in terms of content, in terms of the spirit, it is the same.
Q: You have done several films with complex roles. How does this role compare to some of the other movies?
Abhishek: All previous roles put into one, and amplified by 100: that is Beera of Raavan, he is completely wild, crazy, unpredictable, I have run out of words to describe the man, definitely the most challenging film and character that I have ever done. And the wonderful thing is, I said the same thing when I did Guru, said the same thing when I did Yuva. I love that about Mani; he is always giving me career-defining work, he's always giving me work that I am still remembered by, and I really feel, Beera is bigger and hopefully, will be better than the previous two.
Aparajit to Raavan
Q to Vikram: From Aparajit to Raavan, what difference have you seen in Hindi films over the years? Do you think it?s a good experience, a pleasant one? Would we see you in more Hindi films after Raavan?
Vikram: Actually, Aparajit was a dubbed version of a Tamil film called Anniyan. There, I had to be very dramatic but underplayed but in Raavan I could show my dramatic talent. I didn't really direct contact with the Hindi film world then. Because of the variety of roles that are available now one has to look up to Hindi films, and we have started loving films such as Paa, and Cheeni Kum, which are so very different. I often wonder why we can't make a Laagan in South India? We have had people like Mani-sar who have always done great films. As regard the future I'll wait for another day, if another Raavan or a Aparajit happens, and if Mani-sar calls me I am always there.
Q to Abhishek and Vikram: What is one favorite quality of the character you play in Raavan?
Vikram: I would say, he is very volatile, which in the sense is not one quality, I love that. Most of the scenes, Mani-sar would say...Sometimes we'll be in a serious tone, sometimes very melodramatic, then Mani would say, why don't you try all the serious tones, since we may have to be high on emotion, or flat. Beera had to be a flat or a minor, but I liked that thing about him. Something I had never been able to do with any other characters I have done.
Abhishek: I would agree with Kenny-sar (read Vikram). The greatest quality about Beera was that he was directed by Mani Ratnam.
Q: What was the most challenging experience? What was the most beautiful experience?
Aishwarya: This movie will be the most beautiful experience which we all will treasure for ever. The most difficult part was we were challenged creatively, and submitting to what he is looking for creatively. The entire team, the crew, the setting guys, the lights guys, everybody is the true hero of this film.
Vikram: The most difficult thing for me was the Hindi version, I didn't want to do it, but Mani said, "You can do it." And gave me some confidence. I found every location beautiful. Wherever we went, we had to drive down into a car for two hours, then get into a jeep for an hour and walk for another 15 minutes, I have seen some of the most beautiful sites such as Malshei Ghats or Orchha or Arjunkali, and the movie itself was such a visual treat.
To a question if Mani Ratnam was tacking current issues and providing a message and providing entertainment, the director emphasized, "I am not providing a message, I merely share an emotion, share a thought, share laughter, that's what we do."
In relation to working with A.R. Rahman for the music composition of Raavan, Ratnam said, "it was just like working with him for Roja, no different, I think he was as brilliant then as he is now, and is as easy and as difficult to work with then and as he is now. He is more and more into it, and the more he wants to do, the more he is willing to experiment, try something lateral, something unconventional. His understanding of cinema is very good and every time he is able to do something different to push the envelope."
[Raj S. Rangarajan is a New York based independent writer. He covers trend stories on art, reviews books and films for media based in New York; Toronto, Canada; Seoul, Republic of Korea; and India. He can be reached at raj.rangarajan@gmail.com]
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