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Director Avtar Bhogal's interview with bollywood news editor and journalist Shai Hussain for The-NRI.com about film Honour Killing!
March 2nd, 2015 | Source By the-NRI.com
Avtar Bhogal: Films with Honour
The director behind a new film on an honour killing explains why he likes to walk the tightrope of filmmaking.
Are you based in India or the UK?
I studied here years ago. Once my film studies were finished, I got asked by Dev Anand if I was going to Hollywood, and I replied “Kaale log ko kaun lehta hain?” (Who takes on black people?) He laughed and asked me to come and see him when I went to Bombay. Then I worked with him for a number of years. I’ve made around 20-25 films in Bombay. 20 years back I made a very successful film called Aaj Kie Aurat with Dimple Kapadia and Jeetendra. So I’m based in London but I go to India for work.
Where did the idea for Honour Killing come from?
It’s actually based on an incident that happened here a few years back. I was at university and remember seeing Asian faces splashed all over the papers regarding honour killings. And I thought ,“How can anybody kill their own child?” I now have a daughter, and this thought stayed with me.
How was the journey in getting the film made?
The film was made in six months, but the process for distribution was really hectic. If you don’t have stars, nobody is interested and they want it for free. So I tried to borrow more money to release it myself here.
Pakistan group GEO TV helped me. The first censor board in Pakistan passed it without a cut, but the army chiefs in Islamabad, which is a Taliban area, thought that something was wrong with it. I’m hoping to see what they objected to, but haven’t had any luck so far. Somebody said it was because I offended Islam. Seriously? Am I crazy enough to risk offending over 1 billion people? My writer was a Muslim guy, and we took special care not to offend anyone, particularly with religion.
How did Gulshan Grover and Prem Chopra come on board?
Staying in Bombay for 35 years, I knew all of them. The subject was very appealing to them. I was also lucky to rope in Javed Sheikh, who’s a superstar in Pakistan. The project only took off after his involvement.
Did the journey become easier once GEO came on board?
If you make a film and you’ve got the money to release it, it should take 6-9 months flat. But we made the film, we lost our finances, the distributor is offering us peanuts, so later I said ‘no, let’s take a loan and do something.’ GEO came in after they heard the story.
Still, I think they’re scared because Javed is playing a Pathan in the film. There are a lot of Pathans in the Taliban, so they’re afraid that the film might ruffle some feathers. But it’s not about Pathans at all. It’s a love story. It’s a very serious subject, but I needed to maintain a love story to keep it commercial. Audiences are used to songs. Most of the songs here we get through before the real drama starts.
What’s coming up next for you now?
There’s a film called NRI for which I’ve spoken to Anupam Kher for the role of the father. Then the other is a comedy called Visa. You know how so many Asians have a visa problem here! And finally, I am looking into a story about partition – a biopic about a businessman called Mr Rami Ranger. He’s from Multan and lost his father during the riots. He was a leader and a kind of freedom fighter.
I don’t know why I always walk the tightrope, but what’s the point of doing anything if you don’t challenge yourself?
Honour Killing released in UK cinemas nationwide.
Source link: http://www.the-nri.com/film/interviews/avtar-bhogal-films-with-honour
The film Honour Killing is running successfully in UK.
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