Over the past few years, there has been a rise in intolerance towards films and shows that have religious or mythological themes or subjects. Filmmaker Siddharth P Malhotra's third film 'Maharaj' didn't have a smooth sail in its release. Ahead of its premiere on Netflix, the Gujarat High Court imposed a temporary ban on its release. The stay came after a petition from Hindu groups claiming that the film hurt religious sentiments. 'Maharaj' marks Junaid Khan's debut film. Unlike other star kids, he got an unconventional launch, yet he was raved for his stellar act.
Siddharth and his team gave six years to the film and he feels bad that people judged the movie by its posters. In an exclusive interview with Outlook India, Malhotra opened up on dealing with the controversies that was uncalled for, shooting the intimate scene between Shalini Pandey and Jaideep Ahlawat and more. Here is an excerpt from the conversation.
Why did you take six years to make a comeback?
I got the story the same year when Hichki released. It took one year of research and we completed the shoot in 2021. We shot it amidst Covid and then it took time due to the pandemic for two years and producers were discussing whether it should be released in theatres or OTT. Then I was told it's releasing on OTT and it will be better received on the platform for the kind of subject it is. We were more than happy as we all wanted it to release. All of us knew that we made a film that we are proud of. It was not planned that I would take six years to release. Maybe it was God's plan to delay its release and we gave in to the universe's plan. The controversy followed and we did win and it was finally released.
Was it a conscious decision to cast Junaid Khan for the role of Karsandas Mulji?
We thought of bringing in a bigger and established star and then we thought if we brought an established star, he would carry his baggage with him and the person Karsandas Mulji was and the more we researched about him, we felt that it required honesty. I knew Junaid and had interacted with him enough. I had seen his look test for Laal Singh Chaddha. We thought he has the quality and if he works on it and likes it, we can launch him as Karsandas Mulji. We didn't know he would say yes because it's not a conventional starkid launch. We had the script we believed in and luckily Aamir and Junaid heard and liked it.
What was your reaction when you came to know about the stay on the film? How did you cope with the situation?
We got the permission to show the movie to the press on June 13. On the same day, I showed it to my friends and family. I still remember at 7:30 at night, I got a call that the movie was not releasing on June 14. Everybody's morals were down and hearts were broken. Whoever watched the film already liked it and didn't find anything offensive. When it didn't release on the scheduled date, we were really disheartened.
I still remember on Friday (June 21), at 4:30 pm, when the judiciary said that they watched the film and didn't find any objectionable in the film, and they gave permission to release, I thought there would be publicity and it would be released in a couple of days. Then at 5:30 pm, I came to know that it was already on the platform. Lots of people who saw it said there was nothing wrong with it. It's an underdog film and because of that positive word of mouth and power of content that finally gets everybody to take out the trailer, hoardings, songs and the interviews. In second week, it was in the top 3 globally in the non-English film category as per Netflix's data.
Is it difficult to make or release a film on these kinds of topics as people take offense very easily?
When I made the film, I didn't find it difficult. Our intentions were very clear. It was not meant to hurt anyone. We knew the film would speak for itself. But in today's world even if your intent is good, it will be difficult to tell a story like this. You will have a challenge because we have seen what's happening. A film has been judged purely but its cover. There are still many people who still feel there is something controversial in the film. But due to the word they have found out that there is nothing like that. People still have that reservations but there are people who suggest each other to watch it. In today's world, to tell a story like this requires courage. Everybody who believes in their voice will stick to it but yeah it's tough.
This was very radical and out of anyone's control reaction. We had nothing to do. We had to let the producer and platform lead it and do the right thing that is good for the film because there were so many lives and careers at stake.
Was it difficult to shoot the intimate scene between Jaideep Ahlawat and Shalini Pandey?
It was the toughest scene for me to shoot. What we did was we gave her an intimacy coordinator on set and then we ensured nobody (lighten, cameramen) stays in front of where they are. We were shooting from the back and there was nobody at the front. It was done with a lot of sensitivity and care and a very bare minimal unit all sitting far behind. So, we gave that respect to Shalini and shot it aesthetically from far so that no one gets offended. It is an important part of the film, and we kept just 2 secs of it in the film. We had to be very careful about it. One can go and shoot it in detail and everything which people do generally. We didn't want to do it. The scene is a trigger point for the war of ideologies that begin.
Tell us about your upcoming project.
What I am working on is very different from what I have done before. It's a passionate love story and that's only I can say. The film is in the writing process currently. In the next four or five months when we release the posters and reveal the cast, then everybody will come to know about it. It is something which will be the talk of the town. It's a favourite subject for everybody, so, they will enjoy it
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