Meghna Gulzar on her flim Sam Bahadur

Meghna Gulzar with Vicky Kaushal on the sets on Sam Bahadur / Instagram/ @meghnagulzar

Meghna Gulzar’s latest directorial Sam Bahadur’s hit a century at the box-office. She started out as an assistant to her father, Gulzar, on Maachis and Hu Tu Tu, collaborating on the screenplay of the latter with him.

Meghna simultaneously began scripting her own film while directing music videos and documentaries for Doordarshan. 

Filhaal, her debut directorial which attempted to normalise surrogacy, underlined that this young director was not afraid to explore taboo topics. The first impression was reinforced by the critically acclaimed Talvar on the 2008 Noida double murder case. 

Raazi, which followed three years later in 2018, was another true story of an unsung spy. Based on the book Calling Sehmat, this blockbuster bagged the Filmfare awards for Best Film and Best Director.

Chhapaak, inspired by acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal, was another courageous film, followed by Sam Bahadur, the biopic of India’s first Field Marshal, which has brought her laurels in plenty. 

Speaking to Bollywood Insider, Meghna reveals what gives her the strength to go out there and tell these stories.

Here are the excerpts:

From drama and comedy to thriller and biography, you have pretty much covered all genres. So, what’s next? There’s talk of a film with Sidharth Malhotra based on another true-life story….

I don’t plan, my stories choose me. It’s a coincidence that my last four films have been inspired by true life. I don’t ever want to tie myself to a particular genre or scale. I instinctively get pulled into a story and hope to continue surprising myself as a director, with the kind of films I choose to make, and the audience too. Once you get comfortable with a particular space, stagnation sets in and I don’t want that to happen to me.

What was your first reaction when producer Ronnie Screwvala approached you with the idea of making a biographical drama on Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Maneeshaw?

Frankly, I knew nothing of Sam Manekshaw back then except that he had been India’s first. Field Marshall and the Chief of Army Staff during the 1971 Indo-Pak war. But I was convinced that someone who had held these ranks would make for a good story. So, my “yes” was a spontaneous, split-second decision.

After that, the more I read and researched, the more I was convinced that everyone needed to know this story. When Meghna Talwar, who did the research, put the Bible in front of me, I could see the narrative taking shape right away. I then worked with my co-writers, Bhavani lyer and Shantanu Shrivastava, on the screenplay, making Sam’s life more cinematic.

How difficult was it for a woman director to make a film like Sam Bahadur given the arduous prep and the extensive travelling through 13 cities?

It's strange, but except during my first two films when the industry was very different and people were a little more conscious of fact that I’m a woman director gender has never played a part in my career. Sam Bahadur was a tough film for any director irrespective of gender purely because of the story we were telling, the period it covered and the film’s canvas. The prep and travelling were equally gruelling for everyone in my crew and we all soldiered on together.

I’m a wife and mother and run a home, but my husband (Govind) who’s my biggest asset shares these roles with me, holding fort when I’m away. That gives me the strength to go out there and make the films I do.

Did the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns delay the shoot?

No, my film was always scheduled to go on the floors in 2022 because Vicky (lead actor Vicky Kaushal who plays Sam) was doing another film with Ronnie’s banner RSVP and one with Karan Johar’s Dharma. Productions. So, I was third in line and my first research recce was between January and March 2022 when Covid was just breaking. During the lockdown, we continued our prep through Zoom calls and started shooting in Mumbai from August 2022 with our masks on. But by the time we headed outdoors in September, the pandemic was over.

What was the reaction of your family to the film?

My family is very proud of the work I do, but I’ve never seen my mother (actress Raakhee) react to a film of mine like this before. Sam Bahadur brought her immense pride and contentment. Ditto my father (poet- lyricist-filmmaker Gulzar) feels Sam Bahadur is a generational film with historical value.

My son, Samay, came for the screening of Sam Bahadur with three friends between 12 and 15 years. It was gratifying to see their empathetic connection with a man not from their generation. 

Would Sam Bahadur have fared better had it not come up against Ranbir Kapoor’s Animal, a monstrous hit?

This is a chicken and egg kind of question. I believe every film finds its own audience and both Sam Bahadur and Animal did.

Would you ever be able to direct a bloody spectacle like Animal?

I wouldn’t know since I have not seen the film. I don’t want to say never. If I can’t, it would only be because I don’t have the aptitude.

Today, it is impossible to think of anyone but Vicky as Sam, was he always your first choice?

Yes, since it’s a performance- oriented role, I needed an actor who could embody Sam’s sense of humour and wit, his integrity and righteousness, have the same swag as a 20-year-old and as a 60-year- old. I couldn’t think of anyone apart from Vicky. The only uncertainty was how to get him to look the part since he has curly hair while Sam’s was straight. Also, we knew he would need lenses and a moustache, maybe even a prosthetic nose. As soon as he returned from the US, we did a look test, way back in 2019, and when I saw the results, I knew we were 90 per cent there. Today, I can proudly say Vicky has lived the role, from top to toe.

Where do you see yourself in the next five years?

I’ve spent the last five years on one film, now, I want to plan for one year at a time. It’s organic and instinctive, and I sincerely hope I still have a few more stories left in me to tell.

As a filmmaker, I’m proud my body of work does not embarrass my family or me. That I have gained the faith of my producers, actors and the audience who believe that if nothing else, I will make a quality film and there will be something right about it. My craft is constantly growing, the minute that stops, filmmaking will cease to be an art and become only a mechanical execution. So, I hope this change continues for however long I’m in the industry.