Lucknow: Filmmaker Sanjiv Jaiswal has said that his upcoming movie Pranaam is a throwback to the classical era- “made with latest technology bundled with melodious music, but with categorically no remix”. Jaiswal spoke to us in an interview.
Q. You said that this film is a tribute to the classic era of Indian Cinema. What exactly do you mean to say by this?
A: There was a charm in films of that era. Though we had a structure that was common to most films, the experience was larger than life. Pranaam is a reckoning for the Indian cinema goers about how integral films of this genre are to the Indian culture. Every actor/director who has come to Bollywood today was at some point inspired by the cinema of that era. But the cinema evolved by the time they came of age and to fulfil this dream people resorted to remixes and modern remakes of such classics. Pranaam is a throwback to the Classical era.
Pranaam is a film that has an original story set in today’s day and age and made with the latest technology bundled with melodious music with categorically no remixes by renowned artists, all designed to give you a peek into the classical era of Indian Cinema.
Q.Your last film was Shudra the rising which was released in 2012, you have just announced your second movie Pranaam, we would like to know why the long gap in between the two movies?
A: Shudra the Rising was a highly controversial movie and critically acclaimed movie which was well appreciated globally. The response of the audience was quite overwhelming so where the expectations that came along with it for the kind of film that was expected from me. Meanwhile the whole film making environment was going through a massive turn with the advent of various digital mediums and the taste of the masses. We chose to make Pranaam as it was something that the audiences have not seen in a long time. A story that not only connects with the masses but also carries a beautiful message for them.
Q.Tell us something about your upcoming movie Pranaam?
A: Pranaam is the story of an underprivileged father and his son, the struggles of a son to fulfil his father’s dream of becoming an IAS officer. When he fulfils this dream of his father, fate takes an ugly turn, turning an IAS officer into a Gangster. Pranaam is the story of love, ambition, sacrifice and revenge.
Q. Why did you choose Rajeev Khandelwal as your lead protagonist?
A: I as a Director choose actors based on their performance and the fact that I had heard that Rajeev is a Director’s actor. For Rajeev hence the decision was clear because he is an amazing actor and I saw this intensity in his eyes that convinced me that he is perfect for the role of Angry Young Man Ajay Singh for the film Pranaam. I also believe that Rajeev has great
potential to rise even further if he continues to play such characters and films that portray him as todays Angry Young Man.
Q. Why did you choose Lucknow to shoot your entire movie? Was it because of the subsidy that the UP government provides for making films in Uttar Pradesh?
A: I chose Lucknow to shoot the entire movie because the script demanded it, secondly…. the previous movie that I shot was also entirely set in Lucknow, I am from Lucknow Uttar
Pradesh, and it’s the love of the city that keeps bringing me back to it. If I create some jobs on the way for the people of Uttar Pradesh and get to showcase the beauty of it then I will be proud of myself as I am proud of my roots. The way the Uttar Pradesh state government is helping us with filmmaking here that, it is by far the easiest to make films here than any other part of the country even Mumbai for that matter. The bureaucratic environment here is conducive for filmmakers to thrive hence many people are choosing to shoot there today.
Q. What are your plans for the future?
A: We are working on a Web Series (Thriller genre) and a feature film love story both of which are slated to come out in mid-2020.
