His films may have lost some of their sting but a conversation with Prakash Jha is volatile as before. He likes to test you, tease you even as you struggle to make him say something revelatory. “In this country except for journalists nobody has freedom of expression. You can still print what you believe in. We can’t even when we know the truth. We can’t say that this person belongs to the BJP and that person is from the Congress. We can’t show their flags. We can’t discuss a community. We can’t show the colour of an ideology. We face it day in and day out,” said Jha in response to a case filed by Bankipore MLA for using the name of his constituency in Jha’s forthcoming film Jai Gangaajal.
Jha, who was at The Hindu office along with his cast, reflected on his experience with such cases around the time of a film’s release. “Even if we think about reservation, we are stoned. Aarakashan was banned in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab before release. Ramdas Athwale’s supporters threw stones at my office. But after the release, these politicians sent me bouquets. But by then the damage had been done. The MLA is doing it for publicity. He is doing it because nobody will ask him about Bankipore after the film’s release.”
Considering Jha comes from Bihar and has fought an election, it is not expected that he didn’t know that he was using the name of a real constituency to place his villain of the piece.
“When the MLA pointed it out we sent a reply mentioning that he is a nice person and he has done clean politics. It is just coincidental that I used Bankipore and Lakhisarai. They sound very filmy to me,” said Jha, defending his choice. It led us to the politics that is unfolding after recent events in Jawaharlal Nehru University. Jha said like many in the media, he is also not sure of the veracity of the evidence (vis-à-vis sedition charges) that has come out. “The events are yet to crystallise but for now it seems like a political comedy. The events may or may not find a reflection in Rajneeti 2. ”
Coming back to journalists, these days even scribes are not spared “But do you care? Parwah thode hi hai apko ,” smiled Jha. On a light not, when one of the journalists suggested that it is the lawyers who seem to be having all the freedom of expression, Jha remarked, “They have both freedom of expression as well as action!”
Gangaajal released in 2003 and Jha feels the society has undergone tremendous change in the last decade. “The India of 2016 is very different. A big population has emerged in the last 10 years and it is contesting for the same space.”
Talking about the police-politician relationship, Jha, indirectly referring to the Durgashakti Nagpal and Sangeeta Kalia’s cases, maintains, at that time the politician was not as blatant. Many in police have also compromised their position. Jha, who prefers to use the word ‘adjust’ instead of compromise, plays one such DSP in the film. Does this mean that Abha Mathur is operating in a larger than life space? “Not quite. My films are always realistic and here I feel an honest police officer still has enough space within the confines of law. Abha Mathur is not Singham.” After Mardaani , a section of audience questioned the presentation of women in jobs which are traditionally seen as male domain. “She is a firm police officer who knows how to get the work done but in the process I have not denuded Abha Mathur of her femininity,” reflected Jha.
Does his image of a filmmaker, who brings stories from the grassroots, run contrary to the Priyanka Chopra’s glamorous international image? “It is evident from the response that it is not. She has put the photo of Quantico next of Jai Gangaajal on the social media sites. Recently she was accepted as Kashibai (in Bajirao Mastani ). I don’t think there will be a problem for people in accepting her in my ‘rustic’ space.”
