EXCLUSIVE: Abhinay Deo reveals how Bhushan Kumar helped Doosra despite T-Series having no connection with the film: “He said, ‘Arre, trailer chalao’”’; explains why he hired an Israeli editor who knew NOTHING about cricket

After delivering acclaimed projects like Delhi Belly, 24, Blackmail and the recently released web series Brown, filmmaker Abhinay Deo is back with Doosra. The film not only chronicles key moments from Sourav Ganguly’s illustrious cricketing career, culminating in India’s historic victory over England in the 2002 NatWest Series final, but also follows the parallel journey of Tara (Plabita Borthakur), a young girl growing up in a deeply conservative household in Rajasthan. In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, Abhinay Deo opened up about the making of Doosra, its unusual narrative, the reasons behind its prolonged delay and a lot more.

At the very beginning of the film, we see that Subhash Ghai, Jisshu U Sengupta and Bhushan Kumar have been thanked. Could you tell us how they contributed to Doosra? We thanked Mr Subhash Ghai because he invited us to Celebrating Cinema, a festival held at his institute, Whistling Woods International. He loved the trailer of Doosra so much that he expressed a desire to show it to the students. Hence, Plabita and I went there and unveiled the trailer publicly for the first time in his auditorium. That's why we had to thank him.

Meanwhile, Kolkata is Sourav da's home ground. We are planning to promote the film there as well, and Jisshu is helping us put things together. We worked together on Brown, and that's how we know each other well.

As for Mr Bhushan Kumar, he agreed to showcase the trailer on T-Series' YouTube channel, even though T-Series has nothing to do with the film. Yet, he was gracious enough to say, 'Arre, trailer chalao'! It's huge for us because T-Series has the second most-subscribed YouTube channel in the world, with more than 300 million subscribers.

Usually, sports documentaries focus primarily on the life and achievements of the sportsperson. However, Doosra also features a parallel track involving a young girl from Jodhpur. How did that idea come about? Rohan Sajdeh, the husband of our producer, Masha Sajdeh, approached me out of nowhere. They are based in Chicago, and we met here in Mumbai. He proposed making a documentary on Sourav Ganguly, focusing on the 2002 NatWest Series final and other key milestones in his career.

I asked him how he came up with the idea. He revealed that he had been a cricketer in Australia. I don't think he played first-class cricket, but he was getting there. During that time, he faced a lot of racism. So, his story and Tara's story are very similar. Rohan came from a well-to-do family, and yet he faced numerous difficulties in Australia. Hence, for him, the 2002 moment was a crucial one. When I heard his story, I told him, 'We should actually talk about this in the film. Sirf documentary banane se uska kya impact hoga? Instead, why don't we show how that moment impacted an individual and changed his or her life?'

Then, we brought on board my friend Agnello Dias, a very big name in advertising. After hearing the idea, he came back and said, 'The protagonist should be a girl, not a guy. Also, she should have nothing to do with cricket'. I found the idea fantastic. That's how Tara was born.

We decided to set the story in Rajasthan, in an environment that is as patriarchal as it can get. Tara should have a difficult life, but that shouldn't stop her from asking questions. In the film, we show that she gets slapped for cutting her hair. A few seconds later, she sees a news report on television about Sourav Ganguly being criticized for refusing to serve drinks. She looks at him positively and thinks, 'There's someone else out there who's got slapped just like me!' She feels, 'Main aur woh same hai'. Hence, she starts following his journey, right up to 2002, when both their lives reach a turning point.

The way you have blended the two narratives, especially in the scene where prospective grooms come to see Tara, is remarkable... It is definitely one of the most difficult screenplays to write and also one of the most difficult films in the world to edit!

Why did Doosra take so long to release? We shot the film in 2018-19 and edited it in 2019-20. We were ready and had even released a teaser, hoping that we would unveil the trailer and begin promotions within the next few months. Then, COVID happened, and it hit us badly.

Moreover, while I was based in India, the producers were in Chicago. The film was edited in New York by an Israeli editor named Ayelet Gil Efrat. She had no idea what cricket meant, but she is a fantastic editor. In this film, the editing is everything. It was a make-or-break situation. I wanted an editor who was a woman and had nothing to do with Indian culture or cricket. It helped me get a completely fresh perspective. She wouldn't be biased or come with any baggage. She would edit the film the way it needed to be edited.

That's also why the editing process took a while. COVID delayed matters further. The footage was sitting in New York. Even travelling from Chicago to New York was a task. Imagine how difficult it would have been for me to travel from Mumbai to New York! As a result, three years went by just figuring out how to put the film together.

Once the pandemic was over, I got busy with other projects, which further added to the delay. But I believe ki har cheez ka ek waqt hota hai. This is the right time for Doosra.

You have PVR INOX Pictures on board as the distributor, which should help the film secure screens. However, Doosra releases on October 23, when nearly seven other Hindi films are also scheduled to hit cinemas. Does that concern you? Firstly, what makes us happy is that the film is even getting a theatrical release. In today's times, it's very difficult for a film like this to get a chance on the big screen. It's a sad scenario, but it's the reality.

Thankfully, PVR agreed to come on board as the distributor. Many others also stepped forward to ensure that this film sails through. Hats off to them for putting their might behind it.

Also Read: Anil Kapoor and Rohit Sharma praise Trailer of Abhinay Deo’s Doosra, set for release on October 23

from Featured Movie News | Featured Bollywood News - Bollywood Hungama https://ift.tt/Bs6LgAD