“Art should never stop questioning. The problem with children’s films made in India is that they really dumb it down, making it appeal only to children. I have very strongly resisted this approach,” said Nagesh on the sidelines of the song launch of his much awaited film Dhanak, which has made an impact at international film festivals collecting 15 awards.
“Dhanak is not a children’s film in the way we understand it,” underlined the director who has in the past dealt with children’s subject in a mature way in films like Rockford. Dhanak stands for rainbow and revolves around brother-sister bond where Pari, played by child artist Hetal Gadda, has promised her younger visually-impaired brother Chhotu, played by master Krrish Chhabria, to restore his eyesight before he turns ten. When she spots her favourite star Shah Rukh Khan on the poster for an eye-donation drive, she is convinced her mission will soon be fulfilled. Chhotu, however, is a fan of Salman Khan and cannot stand his sister’s adulation for Shah Rukh.
Like his previous ventures, Iqbal and Dor, music forms a strong element in Dhanak too.
Talking about the importance of the musical title, Nagesh explains how the title relates to the immense joy of seeing a rainbow and its significance for a visually impaired person. The movie features a title track sung by Monali Thakur of the movie Lakshmi fame by the same director. Apart from this, there is the all time favourite Dum-a-Dum Mast Kalandar sung by the inimitable Devu Khan which has garnered much critical praise.
At the press conference, Tapas Relia, the music director of the movie, narrated his journey to find a voice for Chhotu, and how he finally met the perfect choice in Devu Khan in Jodhpur.
Chipping in, Krrish Chhabria, the main lead, spoke about essaying a non stereotypical role of a jovial blind boy wherein he went to schools for the visually impaired to observe the students there and perform better.
On not taking a big singer, Nagesh said: “Casting singers is as important as casting actors for the film. I always have elaborate discussions with the music director, take into considerations the recommendations and only then I finalise things because music forms an integral part of the movie for me. And getting exposed to pure raw talent is a marvellous process.”
Set in vibrant Rajasthan, Nagesh has tried to create a sense of visual drama interspersed with comic elements. “It was a wonderful experience. One of the things that I keep reminding myself while making a movie is that the world is not a bad place. There is some goodness and good people are still around. I wanted to remind myself of the India I grew up in, where people trusted each other. Coming after a dark film like Lakshmi, it was almost cathartic to making Dhanak.”
