'Film Industry Doesn't Like New Things'

'When you try to do something that's not been tried before, nobody likes that.'

Having made successful films like Rock On!!, Kai Po Che and Kedarnath, Abhishek Kapoor holds a niche for his directing talent in the Hindi commercial space.

'Gattu' Kapoor is gearing up for probably his most ambitious film yet, Azaad, which tells the tale of love and loyalty between humans and animals.

Featuring Ajay Devgn in a retro look, the film marks the starry launchpad for Ajay's nephew Aaman, Raveena Tandon's daughter Rasha Thadani, as well as for a handsome jet black horse.

"The fact that you're trying to create a new experience, the most amazing thing would be to find new faces so that when the audiences watch it, they're pulled into a world they've never experienced before," Abhishek Kapoor tells Mayur Sanap/Rediff.com.

At the trailer launch, you said Azaad was almost 10 years in the making. What made this story stuck with you for so long?

I wrote the script in 2016, and have been waiting to make it since then.

It's such a difficult movie.

The industry doesn't like change, they don't like new things. They like to work on repetition. It has become a machine.

If you're going to follow a trend, it's easier to just get things going.

But when you try to do something that's not been tried before, nobody likes that. So you just need to wait for the right opportunity at the right time.

When it comes, you seize the moment, like I did with Azaad.

This seems to be a film that visually goes back to an old-fashioned aesthetic, like the Hindi cinema of 1980s. Were there any films in particular that you were referencing or inspired by when designing the look for Azaad?

The hero of the film is a horse and when you want to make a movie about a horse, you definitely want to see him running. You want to see that galloping horse. And for that, you need open spaces.

In today's time, if it's not a racecourse, where will you experience that kind of thrill and excitement?

So you have to take it back in time when there was no development.

That's how the period world came into the writing part. Once you go period, you discover a new world and you try to tell people what was happening back then.

In today's times, people are very attached to animals. As more awareness is created and people are appreciating nature, animal love is going through the roof.

Today, we talk about how dogs are a man's best friend. But can you imagine back in the day when there were no cars, no phones, no Internet, what that horse must have meant for a human being? Or the relationship they must have shared?

All the wars were fought by heroes, whether it is Maharana Pratap or Prithviraj Chauhan or Chhatrapati Shivaji, and all of them had a special relationship with their horse. They were warriors together.

I thought taking it into a period space so that you can enjoy the landscape. That's how the film evolved.

What were your challenges during filming with a real horse?

Not only is it a real horse, it is my horse.

At the very start, I didn't know whether to create it in CGI or import a trained horse. Because in the West, they have a far more evolved ecosystem for horses and animals.

I didn't know where to start.

Eventually, I put together a team to look for the most beautiful black horse they could find.

They found him in a village in Punjab but he was not trained. When I saw him, it was like love at first sight.

We got trainers from all over the world to train him as well as the actors.

When you're making a movie with an animal, you have to be respectful about it. You have to have high standards.

There was a separate vertical setup, like an animal department. We had a full vertical of veterinarians, doctors, vehicles, an entire settlement was made.

The horse was the star, and we had to work according to what was best for him. In the process, we learned so much.

It's not a dog, you know, it's a horse. It's a very powerful animal. At the same time, he's very delicate and sensitive.

To get a performance out of the horse, you've got to tune into their frequency.

You can't expect them to become like human beings.

Their vibrations are very different.

Everybody had to tune into their vibrations and slow down.

In this film, you work with an established actor like Ajay Devgn and two debutants. What are some things you've taken away after working with them?

When you make a movie, it's not like any other business.

When you go to the banking industry, they're all the same. One banker is probably a sharper businessman than the other.

Movie-making is very personal.

Everyone has their own contribution, their own strengths, their own personalities.

Sometimes, someone who knows nothing can contribute the most.

Movie-making is a very humbling process. If I'm working with a star of Devgn's stature, I am humbled. And when I'm working with newcomers, I am again humbled.

I am very grateful that I get to do what I get to do.

What was it about Aaman and Rasha that really worked for you?

I'm just looking for actors that can fit my characters. A story like Azaad demanded freshness and innocence.

The fact that you're trying to create a new experience, the most amazing thing would be to find new faces so that when the audiences watch it, they're pulled into a world they've never experienced before.

When you cast new actors, you try to see certain qualities in them that can fit the characters.

You embrace them with their good and their flaws. Then you kind of marry (the qualities of an actor) with the character, so that they become inseparable.

How similar and different are Rasha and Aaman from each other?

They are very different individuals but they complement each other.

The good thing is that there's no competition. I've seen that so many times when actors tend to compete (with each other).

New actors want to be better than the other actor.

But it is not about them.

It is about the film.

And they have to serve that purpose.

If people enjoy the movie and the movie is a success, their careers will flourish.

When a movie does well, it means everything about it has been embraced. Only then will they make a place in the audience's heart, and their careers will thrive.