Harish Vyas says that humour can be used to communicate complex emotions easily and effectively and this what he has attempted in Angrezi Mein Kahte Hain . The film deals with understanding of love among married couples and how they are reacting to changing sensibilities about the expression of romance.
Excerpts-
What intrigued you to make AMKH ?
It all started with a small incident with friends when my wife and I went for a small function. It just so happened that I saw some of my friends were happy discussing some of their memories about their experience with romance or love or something to do with their respective wives or husbands but then I realised that we had absolutely nothing to say or do about ourselves. At that moment, I realised that this is something worth thinking about and then it took root in my brain and we started developing the story.
Did you always want to become a filmmaker?
I always loved watching films and it is a process that has grown on me gradually. I was a teacher of fine arts till I was 29 and then I was exposed to the process of filmmaking and I developed a keen ear for music...so it all somehow came together. I have loved Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s works because of their simplicity and efficacy in communicating the point. I loved Manoj Kumar’s cinematic approach and his camera movements have been very inspiring. I also love movies of Vijay Anand as he took thrillers to a different level in his time.
Man-woman relationships are being dealt with in arts since time immemorial, what fresh idea inspired you to try something new?
You are right about that and I think relationships are very relative and different to each situation and those change every time with every role. So there is a huge landscape one can recreate or create. But when the content or a story is relevant, it makes it easier to create characters as your basic outline is ready. So I would say that is inspiring.
24dmcHarish1
What prompted you to explore the marriage as an institution and were there any experiences that guided you?
My own personal experiences and what we have seen around all these years. The fact that a couple who is married for 15 to 20 years cannot even hold hands in our society is something to think about.
Did you want to question the archetypal notion of love used by Bollywood for years?
Our approach is unique in the sense that we have explored love when a typical household is cemented to a certain routine and the very reason why two people are even married in the first place seems to get lost in the daily rut of life. We wanted to explore the area or the perspective where love is taken for granted rather than expressed.
How difficult was it to weave stories of different characters in a strong ensemble cast like this, where they can easily overpower each other?
Actors like Sanjay Mishra and Pankaj Tripathi are very director-driven actors and they helped us during the shoot. They are masters of their art in every sense and I always felt blessed to be working with these actors. The whole process was very encouraging and I learnt a lot during that process.
Why did you set the story in Varanasi?
There is always that feeling of unrest when people come back to their homes from traffic or dust. So we wanted the audience to feel the open lively flowing Ganga that was much needed to add vastness that we wanted to show. So if you see the film, you will feel that ambience of Benaras, with live rituals all the time, and yet the Batra Niwas has no colour in spite of being in the midst of the most colourful place like Banaras.
What was your approach in showing Varanasi and how did you go about the representation of the place?
Our cinematographer Faroukh Mistry was very inspired when we first set foot in Varanasi as he saw something that only a talented DOP can see. We wanted it to be cinematic and beautiful at the same time. It also gels with the storyline and the characters. Their house had to be at a place that would become a character in itself.
Also, the film relies on comedy in the day to day life...
Humour is something that we all need whether it is cinema or real life. It's important to see that we integrate humour with the film story in such a way that it doesn't look forced comedy so we were very careful in creating those comic moments which people can relate to yet they give you a good laugh.
