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Expect the unexpected
Ram Gopal Varma and Rajat Mukherjee's Road promises to start a new genre of filmmaking in Bollywood
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Sukanya Verma
If unconventional were branded, Ram Gopal Varma would win hands down as its mascot.
No other contemporary filmmaker in Bollywood has displayed his verve and daring to experiment with different genres. Take Shiva (college angst), Satya (on local gang wars), Rangeela (romantic comedy), Kaun (suspense) and Company (underworld).
True to his oeuvre, Varma's latest production Road has a lot riding on it, thanks to it being a first in Bollywood. For Hollywood, road films are as natural as, well, the road. Take the huge successes Easy Rider, Bonnie And Clyde, The Hitcher, Breakdown, Joy Ride, Kalifornia and The Road Trip.
That is why, when Varma says, "No one has dared make a road film [in Bollywood] before. That excited me. That's the reason I decided to make one," it makes sense.
Vivek Oberoi, protagonist of Road, adds, "It took someone like Ram Gopal Varma to change the norms, bend the rules, shake convention and come up with something like Road.
"Seventy per cent of the film has been shot on the road," he continues. "Half of it was shot in vehicles, cars and trucks. It was an interesting experience. I think people will take to Road because of its freshness. It will open an entire new genre of filmmaking."
For director Rajat Mukherjee, "Road is a typical road genre film. Hollywood shows [constantly moving] characters --- sometimes you see road genre films getting converted into action films. Sometimes like in The Hitcher, you see the plot turn into a psychotic drama. Road films have many sub genres. In my film, the road is the fourth character."
The other three being Arvind (Oberoi), Babu (Manoj Bajpai), Lakshmi (Antara Mali). Arvind and Lakshmi elope after their families oppose their match. When mysterious stranger Babu hitches a ride with them, a series of misadventures follow.
Mukherjee worked under Varma Productions for his directorial debut Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya. He recalls the genesis of the film, "Ramu came up with the title Road. I thought it was an amazing for a film. He then asked me to work on a script keeping this in mind. I went to Jaisalmer [in Rajasthan] and, in ten days, wrote the screenplay."
The obvious next step would be to draw similarities between Road and Varma's earlier Daud. Both films have its heroines showing ample skin. Urmila Matondkar's sultry Zahreela meets its match in Mali's bare-all Makhmali yeh badan. Daud was about two swindlers on the run from a dangerous gang and cops; Road has a young couple running away from home.
Varma scoffs, "Daud wasn't really a road film. It was a spoof."
Road also marks a change for Mali, who has so far essayed sober characters in Varma's Mast and Company. She hesitates to call it a conscious image change, saying, "I think I just transformed into the character. I don't want to get stuck in an image because then you face limitations. You keep repeating yourself and there is less scope to perform. You start recycling yourself. My image and approach change with my roles."
This is Oberoi's second release after Company. His Arvind is a "very linear and unidimensional, more of a reacting character. I am a foil to the other characters in the film. It is the most normal character in the most abnormal, extraordinary film."
Buzz has it that Oberoi wanted to play Babu. But Mukherjee and "Ramu convinced him otherwise," says the director. "Manoj was my first choice for Babu. Also, I think it is too early for Vivek to play a character like Babu at this point [in his career]. It was a challenge for me to make Vivek play a vulnerable character after his tough-as-nails role in Company."
For Oberoi's vulnerability is Babu's unpredictability. "You could compare it to the road," explains Bajpai. "It is never the same. There are twists and turns and one comes across different kinds of people, environments and landscapes --- the desert, sea and mountains. My character too has different shades --- sometimes romantic, sometimes emotional and sometimes very intimidating."
No mention of Road would be quite complete without the recent spate of rumours about Varma ghost directing the film. He is said to have reshot several portions and took over during the editing sessions.
Mukherjee quips, "I think rumours always work better than the truth. You can't deny that Ram Gopal Varma is a distinguished director. It is tough working with him. I have my point of view; I have always maintained it. He has his own demands, his own idea about the film. As a director, I have to convince him towards my point of view, which I did when we had differences. Once he is convinced, everything is smooth. Ultimately, I made the film the way I wanted to."
Made at about Rs 100 million (about $2.5 million), Road, like Company, might succeed in luring mostly the urban audience in India. In the US, recent movies that have done well are family entertainers like Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam and Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai.
It is, thus, a matter of time. And, as Vivek Oberoi puts it, "to expect the unexpected."