'Isn't every film a copy of some other film?'

Even before Raveena Tandon's maiden home production, Stumped, could make it to the theatres (the film released today), it attracted its fair share of controversy. But debutant director Gaurab Pandey is unperturbed. "My first directorial venture is a sincere film," he says. "It will definitely do well."

Pandey, a former journalist who wrote for The Statesman, The Observer of Business and Politics and The Times of India, was always interested in making films.

He gained experience by making nearly 30 corporate films; the Birlas commissioned his first effort in this direction.

His first foray into feature films was Basu Bhattacharya's Aastha (Om Puri, Rekha, Navin Nischol), for which he wrote the script. Thereafter, he honed his directorial skills by doing telefilms.

Stumped, he told told Vickey Lalwani in an interview, is about the two great influences on every Indian -- sports and politics.

Excerpts:

How was Stumped conceived?

This has been quite a point of debate [smiles]. Let me tell you Stumped was conceived in my house about three years ago. I was sitting with a group of friends and we were throwing up ideas. A copy of Mid-Day, where Kapil Dev had stated we should not play cricket with Pakistan because of cross-border terrorism, happened to be lying around. Besides, I had made a very loose script as well. I incorporated a lot of changes as the shooting progressed. Some of the changes were even suggested by Raveena [Tandon, the film's producer and leading lady].

What does the film look at?

Stumped takes a cursory look at life between sports and politics; after all, our life is in conjunction with these two spheres. Mind you, Stumped is not a political or sporty film. Set during the Kargil war, it depicts the story of a woman who is awaiting her husband's return from the battlefront even as the cricket-crazy fans in her colony celebrate the team's victory. Raveena plays the woman and Aly Khan plays her husband.

The cricket aspect begins from India's game against South Africa till India's game against Pakistan in the 1999 World Cup. You will realise the games are less important in terms of craft and skill. What remains in the end are the strong reactions of the people.

How did Raveena agree to become the producer?

I hadn't gone to Raveena to ask her if she would produce Stumped. I had gone to cast her in my film. She liked the script and said 'yes'. We even discussed her fees. I came back and started searching for a producer. Unfortunately, I could not get anyone.

It was not difficult to fathom why I was not meeting with success. Stumped is an unconventional film. Stumped does not have a male protagonist, Stumped does not have romance, Stumped does not have revenge. Stumped does not satisfy the distribution prerequisites of a Hindi film [smiles]. I went back to Raveena and explained my predicament. She said, 'Never mind. Let me give it a shot.'

Why did you want Raveena as your leading lady?

There is a certain earthen beauty in Ravs, which was very important for the character. Aishwarya Rai, for example, is too celestial a beauty for me to connect with at an everyday level. Ash is a beautiful fantasy, but she can never be a beautiful girl next door.

Aren't Raveena and Aly Khan an unusual combination?

It is. But, you see, I have made an unusual film. And Aly's body language resembles that of a major even otherwise.

What is the film's USP?

The fact that it is very close to real life. It focuses on five families in a housing complex. There are many characters who slip in and out of the film, just like they do in day-to-day life. It will be very easy for the common man to identify with Stumped.

Besides, some cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, Kapil Dev and Ravi Shastri transmit important messages; however, they don't act in the film.

Did direction come easily to you?

Very easily. If the director has not written the script himself, he takes a lot of time to come to terms with it. But if he has written the script himself, he can relate to it much better; he feels whatever he is making from within. Another advantage a scriptwriter-cum-director enjoys is that he can change a few things here and there as per his discretion.

Where did you shoot? And how long did it take?

I shot a major part of the film in a middle-class co-operative society in my neighbourhood [in Santacruz (East), a suburb of Mumbai]. A few scenes have been shot in my friends' flats. We completed the entire shooting in about 30 days.

You wanted to release the film during World Cup 2003 [in March]...

[Interrupts] That was the initial plan made by many heads put together. But that was not my plan. When Stumped was ready for release, Raveena had Satta [directed by Madhur Bhandarkar] coming up. So this one had to wait. Then the producers' [strike] began.

I don't buy the theory that if Stumped had released during the World Cup, people would have thronged to the theatres to see it. Who knows, they might have been glued to their television sets watching the different fixtures! The current vacation time is a safe bet.

Isn't it a fact you wanted to sell Stumped at a higher price than what you were getting, and the buyers disappeared?

As a director, I am not aware of these details. But let me tell you, Stumped is a very safe venture both for the Indian and overseas markets because it has been made on a very economical budget. It is not going to be difficult for this film to recover its money and go on to make a decent profit.

How many songs does the film have?

Originally, I had provided for only one song. Now, two more have been included.

Were the songs added because of external demands?

Nothing like that. Many people suggested to me that, since the film is close to real life, there should be more music in it. There is music in real life, isn't it?

A student from Kerala, D Sajeev, said the idea for Stumped was lifted from an article written by him for a Malayalam daily newspaper in 1999. He is believed to have officially lodged a complaint about copyright violation...

[Interrupts] I think he was referring to a poem, not an article! [Laughs] We are both painters. If I am making a painting and you shoot off from your home that I have copied yours, may I ask you when you saw my painting? I think I have answered your question! [Laughs again] I am flabbergasted this guy can make such a tall claim without having seen my film!

That way, all films on love are a lift from each other, all films on revenge are a lift from each other! A French philosopher once said, 'There are only six basic themes in this world -- death, life, celebration, blah, blah, blah. So isn't every film a copy of some other film?'

I don't know why people shoot from the hip, sitting at home. Without prior knowledge, they get an impression and then want to create news! Now, this is real news. A New York Times journalist who was supposed to be doing on-the-spot reporting in the paper since the last four years from various parts of the world has been found to have never left his home for even a day! [Laughs]

Aren't you worried Stumped will get squeezed among Armaan (Amitabh Bachchan, Anil Kapoor, Preity Zinta, Gracy Singh) and Haasil (Jimmy Shergill, Hrishita Bhatt) because all three release today?

Firstly, my film is not competing with any of these flicks. It is in a different genre altogether. If all three films are good, all three will run. We have already spent sufficient money to keep the film in the public's mind for three months. Any more delay would be suicidal. The publicity budget will go [through] the roof. The best way to murder this film would be to delay it further.

What kind of films do you want to make?

Good films, which communicate with the people. I am not here to deliver a message. I hate to preach. Shah Rukh Khan once said, 'I am not a postman!' The same applies to me.

What are you planning to do now?

I have three projects lined up, one of which in English. Things are almost final, but not that final that I can tell you on record. I have talked to Shah Rukh for one of my Hindi projects. The character demands SRK's presence. But I will never cross a certain budget while making a film. I don't want to be extravagant in my approach. After all, filmmaking is a business. My heroine opposite SRK may be a new girl!