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A time to thrill
Kushan Nandy's directorial debut is a mystery
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Ronjita Kulkarni
Kushan Nandy never went to college.
Instead, he joined the film industry and is now a director at age 22. Son of veteran journalist Pritish Nandy, Kushan admits his father helped him in his career. "My father wanted me to join an experienced production house. Since he is very close to [director] Satish Kaushik and
[producer] Boney Kapoor, they were an obvious choice. Satishji was coming up in a big way then. I assisted him for Prem (Tabu, Sanjay Kapoor), and Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja (Anil Kapoor, Sridevi). And the star cast was good, too." Having had no formal education in films, assisting Satish Kaushik was the only training Kushan received.
Nandy's first Hindi film 88 Antop Hill, stars Rahul Dev, Lisa Ray, Atul Kulkarni, Suchitra Pillai and Shweta Menon.
"The film is a murder mystery. I cannot divulge too much of the story. There is a sense of excitement, fear and eroticism. It is not inspired from any film or book. But it is very Hitchcockian and Vijay Anandish. There is a feeling of whodunit. 88 Antop Hill, as the name suggests, is a geographical address where the story starts and ends," explains Nandy.
"I cannot remember a decent Hindi murder mystery made in a while. The last one was Vidhu Vinod Chopra's debut film, Khamosh. Murder mysteries always intrigued me. But it was not a conscious effort to do a murder mystery. After juggling with a lot of ideas, this one seemed most interesting," he adds.
Nandy says he has a soft spot for thrillers. He directed Saturday Suspense, the television series on Zee Entertainment Network. After that, he moved on to X-Zone, another thriller series and then to Thriller At Ten. That is when he met Kiran Shroff, partner of his production house Sarvodaya Visuals.
"I did not join my father's production company (Pritish Nandy Communications), though I did some shows on a turnkey basis in 1997. I was the executive producer and director for the shows. When you stick with someone for a long time, both parties stagnate after a particular level. I wanted to be on my own. That is how Sarvodaya Visuals came about," says Nandy.
He says, "Indian cinema today is undergoing a facelift. The film has eroticism, but it is not a bold film. I am not trying to make a statement by making it bold. The erotic moments are a part of the story. It is not a commercial Hindi film, though it does have commercial ingredients. I want my film to be popular and commercially successful. But no, it is not an Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage or Na Tum Jaano Na Hum."
Nandy, who wanted to make an economical, timebound film, chose his cast very carefully. "I did not want to get into the star rut and wait years. That would have been a waste. I wanted people who would fit the role and give me their time. Besides, I wanted them to be equally excited about the project as me." The film will be shot in Mumbai and Pune.
Before he started the film, Nandy also directed the popular television soap Do Lafzon Ki Kahani, which introduced yesteryear actress Helen on the small screen. "Kiran and I were switching channels on television once when an old Helen number was on. We decided to approach her for a show. She did not mind doing it as long as the story was good. We told her the story. She agreed after giving it a day's thought.
"Helen made me realise that work has nothing to do with age. Even though she is so senior, she is so enthusiastic and dedicated. We were nervous about her initially --- unsure of her moods or airs. But it was a pleasure working with her," he adds.
Back to his film, he says, "The story is very contemporary. There is no mother or sister. I did not have anything to offer Helen. But if I have a role that suits her, I will definitely approach her."
There is a vast difference between directing films and directing for television, says Nandy. "In television, you hold the audience's attention for 22 minutes. Then put a question mark at the end of the show so that people come back to watch the next show. In films, you have to narrate the entire story in two hours, sustaining the audience attention throughout. Films do not have sequels or preludes. Television lacks this wholesomeness because the format is different."
Direction has been a rough road, states Nandy: "People do not take you seriously at 22. The general feeling was that one could be good only after one is mature or old. But age has nothing to do with work. Today, people look at young directors with a different mind set."