Ranbir-Katrina break-up never affected ‘Jagga Jasoos’, says Anurag Basu

Film Companion's Anupama Chopra interviews director Anurag Basu and actor Ranbir Kapoor. Here is an excerpt.

Director Anurag Basu, actors Katrina Kaif and Ranbir Kapoor during the music launch of their film Jagga Jasoos on June 10, 2017.

Jagga Jasoos went into production in 2014. When something takes so long, how do you sustain passion?

Anurag Basu: It’s tough. In between, there were frustrating times, but we were so much in love with the film that we didn’t want to compromise. In hindsight, this film would have taken this much time only, because it is a musical. Even if I had the soundtrack ready for the entire film earlier, I think it would have taken the same time.

But how do you stay in love for that long?

Ranbir Kapoor: To be honest, you don’t. You can’t, at least I don’t have that in me. But, and I have had this experience while working earlier on Barfi! (2012), he does a lot of work for you. He creates your performance through his camera, music and the treatment. Every scene has some treatment, it’s not just two people talking, it’s not that kind of a film. There were even more frustrating times for me, for Katrina [Kaif, actress]. There were times such as when two years back I messaged dada [Basu] asking to shelve the film. We’ve abused each other, but at the heart of everything, he just believed in the story. It was very simple - to rewind to the time when he came to time and narrated the story, and that story was really nice. If you just think of that, that’s the purpose, the rest is just how the film is being made. Today when I see the film, it took me back to that time and now he has made that film which he narrated three and a half years back. So, if it took three and a half years or six months, it wouldn’t matter. At the end, the film has to be what it set out to be.

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In conversation with Anurag Basu and Ranbir Kapoor

 

So, is what you saw very close to the original vision that you had as a director and a co-producer?

Ranbir Kapoor: It’s much larger than that, because he added the musical aspect, the adventure, the treatment, the comedy and romance - but the core, which is the emotional father-son story or the journey which Jagga and Shruti go on, was very close to what he had narrated to me.

But of course, one of the issues was the unravelling of your relationship with Katrina and you’ve said that it didn’t impact the film and everyone was very professional. But Anurag, as a director, did you have a moment of utter panic, thinking ‘now I am doomed’?

Anurag Basu: I did, on the first day when the news broke out and they came to the set. But on that very day, I realised that they are trying to concentrate more, and that has really helped me as a director. I’m being very selfish and it must have been very difficult for both of them, but they were actually trying very hard to be professional for the first two-three days and after that it was fine. It never affected the film. It’s not that I’m giving a very political correct answer but this is a fact.

Ranbir, this is your tenth year in films. What is the most practical advice you’ve ever got about acting? I’m not talking about philosophy, I’m talking about a ritual that you follow to be a better actor.

Ranbir Kapoor: It’s very simple and I’ve spoken about this before. It’s the real love between an actor and a director. That’s where it all starts. There has to be that kind of surrender and love, and once you have that, everything just flows. I can’t work in conflict, I can’t work when I feel the director doesn’t like me or is too judgemental about me. My simple process, is to marry the director. Because as he said, if direction is about a dog crossing a busy highway, an actor is a tick on that dog, who doesn’t know about the traffic, and is just going along hoping to reach somewhere.​

For the full interview, click here.