Umesh Shukla Interview: Amitabh Bachchan and Rishi Kapoor bring a different kind of beauty to their performances

Best known for his 2012 film Oh My God, starring Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal in lead roles, filmmaker Umesh Shukla releases his new film 102 Not Out today across India. Featuring two of the biggest thespians of Indian cinema, Amitabh Bachchan and Rishi Kapoor, the film is an adaptation of Shukla's well-received eponymous Gujarati play which has been staged a number of times in the past few years. Recently, our Mumbai correspondent, Mohnish Singh, met the director to know more about his new film, his experience with Big B and Rishi Kapoor and, of course, his forthcoming projects. Excerpts...

How was it to work with legendary actors like Amitabh Bachchan and Rishi Kapoor in the film 102 Not Out?

They are working together again after a gap of 27 years. There was no difficulty at all because the script was so strong.

Where was the inspiration for the film taken from?

This film is based on a Gujarati play I produced. The play was directed and written by Saumya Joshi and he wrote it so brilliantly that when we were rehearsing for it, we knew it was a universal subject. There have been movies made on the relationship of father and son, where the age of the father is 40 and his son’s 12 or the father is in his 60s and the son is in his late 40s, but the unique point of 102 Not Out is that the father is 102-year-old and the son is 75-year-old.

Apart from that, how 102 Not Out is different from other father-son films?

Usually, the main conflict between a father and son is shown where the son worries about his father while he is living his life. But here, the father and son both are retired. So, what conflict can arise now? That is the great comic hook that what can happen to the father-son relationship at this age.

Tell us something about the story of the film?

One day, Amitabh Bachchan’s character decides to break the record of the longest living man that is held by a Chinese man named Ong Chong Tun Peng who lived for 118 years. And when he reads about him on Google, he finds out that the Chinese man never let any negative or boring thing come near him and that is the reason he lived for so long. Then he starts pondering how he can eliminate anything boring around him and soon realizes that his son is the only boring thing around him. Thus, he decides to put his son in an old age home and then the audience would see the entire journey of the two characters from humour to what other tangents they discover during it.

How was it to change 102 Not Out from a play to a feature film?

Normally, in drama, there is somewhat a suspension of belief. The play starts as soon as the characters enter the stage. Characters show the atmosphere. If it is raining outside, the character enters stage drenched and that’s how the audience believe that it’s pouring. In a film, on the other hand, you will have to show what is happening. Both crafts, films and plays, are equally challenging but the whole process is amazing in both the fields.

How were Bachchan sir and Kapoor sir on sets?

Once you see their onscreen chemistry, you won’t be able to believe that they are working together after 27 years. From day one, their equation was as similar as it was back then, so I was not worried about how it will play out at all.

How different is the acting style of both the actors?

Amitabh Bachchan sir believes in workshops and homework, he will mark down each comma in the script. His acting is on point as well as so subtle in making; the performance he gives in rehearsal is not necessarily what you will see in the take. As soon as the makeup and the clothes are put on him, he turns into his character. He is not Amitabh Bachchan anymore; he is Dattatraya Vakharia. If the scene is comedic or light, he enters with an atmosphere of fun and if the scene is a little dramatic, he would be sitting on his chair all to himself. Rishi Kapoor sir, on the other hand, is a very spontaneous actor. He asks for the script on set and then he performs directly. He believes that the more he rehearses or the many takes he gives, the magic of the character disappears. Though, when we capture his spontaneity, we try to keep that in the film. It’s a fun process.

How would you describe working with Amitabh Bachchan and Rishi Kapoor in 102 Not Out?

Both the actors are superb and they both bring a different kind of beauty to their performances. Chintu Ji (Rishi Kapoor) says that he does his best in the first two takes but after that it kind of wavers, though that does not happen. You will see him progressing in all the takes. Bachchan sir would see to it that until the requirement for the impact of the scene is not met, he will keep on doing it. One time, at around 3 am, I got a call from him after shooting, saying that he wants to retake a scene he had done previously, so keep the set lights same for tomorrow. So, this is the kind of passion and dedication they have for their art.

Can you tell us something about your future projects?

I am working on two other scripts. One is about marital issues and another one is in like ‘Oh My God!’ zone. It’s not necessarily on God but it is a satire, it’s in the developmental stage. Once it gains a proper shape, I will further discuss it.

Are the looks for the character inspired by their play counterparts?

No, they are not inspired by the play as a film is a close-up medium. Theatre is seen from a distance and you see the whole figure of the characters. We have to be more careful with films as the audience gets a close look at the characters. In the film, we had taken the help of prosthetics expert Preetisheel Singh. She is a very talented makeup artist and hairstylist. She designed the look of the characters. She came with the options on how to well represent Gujarati style with different shades and methods.

What is the thing that you make sure you bring to your work every time?

My craft should not overpower the content. That is the key. I try to make it as simple as possible so the effect of the content is seen clearly by the audience. There were filmmakers like Bimal Roy, Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Basu Bhattacharya, the beauty of their work was simplicity. No matter how complicated the subject was, like if you see Madhumati, it was a horror film, but you will never feel the craft overpowering. You feel the content of the story, the passion and the love story. That is my idea of making a film.

How, according to you, the medium of theatre is different from films?

In theatre, we experiment with a lot of subjects. In theatrical performances, shoes will be thrown at you there only or you will be showered with claps then and there. You get the appreciation or disappointment of the audience as soon as the play ends. The advantage of that is that, with every show, we improvise; we get a chance to improve on our mistake. However, we don’t get that chance with films. Once you capture it in your camera, it is distributed and gone.