Three years after Satyagraha, and 12 years after Gangaajal, which exposed the criminal-politician nexus in Bihar, film-maker Prakash Jha is back with Jai Gangaajal. Priyanka Chopra replaces Ajay Devgn as the honest cop and the film focusses on the political hot potato of land acquisition.
You are making a comeback withJai Gangaajalafter three years. When can we expect to see it in theatres?
The shooting is over and the editing is done. The movie has shaped up pretty well and it will be released in March 2016. This film is being made almost 12 years after we made Gangaajal, as we felt it was time to revisit that territory. Priyanka Chopra as a lead has put her soul in the role. I am extremely happy with how things have worked out till now.
Why did you chooseGangaajalfor a sequel? Is it a favourite?
There is nothing about it being my favourite. I have loved all my movies, right from Damul to Satyagraha. It so happened that I had been meeting several cops across the country in the last few years to study society’s relationship with police. What happens when policing becomes ineffective, not because the officer is not doing anything, but he or she arrests someone and the accused gets bail? A cop begins to feel helpless, impotent. What would the officer do in such a case? I pondered that while making this film.
How do you observe the surroundings as a filmmaker? Does it help make good cinema?
For us, good cinema means a good story. And the story will always involve individuals whom you can connect and identify with. The situation on which the story is based is peripheral. Today’s situation introduces new conflicts in the story; these could be personal, political or social. The system does not want strong officers or bureaucrats. Right from the top to the bottom, everyone is becoming a follower of someone. The story and the film reflect that. Something happens in Dadri, which is inhuman; but does our world come to stop? Why is it that we are suddenly reaching the heights of extremism? From both sides. For me, as a film-maker, it is interesting to understand this polarisation in society.
Why do a majority of your films revolve around social issues?
I see so much drama in everything around. I kept meeting cops for over four years for Jai Gangaajal . When you go deep, you see a story. Do you know what the biggest issue is in the country today? It is the ownership of land. Right from the poorest to the richest person in this country. All politics, economics, and society hinges on land. You leave your village because you don’t have land, but if you have land, the government and industry wants it for development. Why do politicians own thousands of acres ? Why do companies want it too? Why is it that the land ordinance became such a big issue in Parliament? Everything revolves around it and hence it became the issue of my film.
From a male cop inGangaajal,this film will see a female cop in the lead. Any specific reason behind this change?
Yes, of course. The system doesn’t want a stronger person, it wants followers. So they bring in a woman, with a brief that she doesn’t have to do anything. Unfortunately for them, she has a mind of her own. When she acts, it leads to a conflict. That’s the film.
Do you question the present model of development from your films?
I raise questions. But I feel, ‘let me try and see why it is the way it is’. All exploitations are political. If there is no politics, there will be no polarisation of society, instilling of fear. They (politicians) want supremacy, so they talk of morality. They create that aura around them.
But isn’t it difficult to make mainstream movies on such issues in Hindi film industry?
But that is my challenge. I look at society as a character. I try and bring my films into the set formula of the industry, otherwise they won’t work.
Actually, the only formula is good content and a well-told story. The films that are working well today have no formulas. That myth is broken. Weaving together characters, their stories and making them representative interests me. Whether it is casteism, mandalisation of society, feudalism, open market, or crime in politics; so many things are happening and these are all stories. My challenge is to make them valid, because some of the audience will have no knowledge about it. If you have it, then you will enjoy the movie more.
In today’s era, you may be branded ‘anti-development’ for saying all this.
But this is a thought. Isn’t it what we call plurality of democracy? For us, now democracy has become limited to numbers, not liberalisation of society. Just manage numbers and you will become powerful. So for that, manage caste. Instil fear in your community. Tell them that they will not get jobs and someone else will. The moment elections get over, no one talks about caste. Whether it is Tamil Nadu or Bihar. Just use caste to create power centres.
Do you find it important to take a stand as an artist on issues like FTII?
I believe in truth of change. Whatever happens, happens. Why was Gajendra Chauhan brought? The times that we are in today, only he can be brought in at FTII. I felt from day one that the thought behind his appointment will never go back. You protest against someone who rationally hears you. Here, we have a stone wall. What will it result in? The protest is required, but it won’t necessarily yield any result.
You have been actively involved in politics…
I was never a part of any political party or ideology, if you remember. I do not subscribe to any ideology. I try and study and comment on anything. We cannot change anything, it will happen on its own.
Do you think the audience is capable of bringing a change in the kind of films that are being made?
There is definitely awareness among the audience. People are looking for new content. And, there are makers who are thinking on the same lines. Take the example of a movie like Court . People at least came to know that such a movie existed. Tomorrow there will be more films like this.
These films are made on a low budget, so they recover their cost, which encourages others to join in. I see a kind of brightness around it.
