‘Don’t be scared of following a different path as far as career choices are concerned’

How does a Science student from Apeejay School, Panchsheel Park, end up being a filmmaker and a director? His journey has been rather eventful to date. Even though he was interested in Science, it was the creative field that beckoned him. While at school, he participated in various activities like dramatics, theatre, and other extracurricular activities.

After passing out of Class XII, instead of the usual trajectory that is taken by students – sitting for various entrance exams to pursue engineering – Hitesh Kewalya decided to start working. While he didn’t know what he wanted to do, he was sure that engineering was not for him. So, he decided to do his graduation through correspondence (Commerce) from University of Delhi and work in radio and theatre.

In an impromptu interview Kewalya, who has written for films like Shubh Mangal Saavdhan and written and directed Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan talks about his journey from Delhi to Bollywood among other things. Excerpts:

From Delhi to Bollywood how has the journey been?

It has been interesting and eventful till now. After school, I was still trying to figure out what I wanted to do. Academics was not for me, that I was clear about. After three years of working in Delhi, I came to Mumbai and worked as an assistant director. This is when I decided to learn filmmaking and studied at NID. This is where I realised that everything that I was looking for converged into what is called filmmaking. I came back to Mumbai and worked in advertising. Then television happened and post that filmmaking.

When did you realise that being a writer was also on the cards?

Writing was something that I was always interested in even during my school days at Panchsheel Park. I used to write poetry and pieces for school plays. Whenever I worked I was always inclined towards ideas and writing part of things. Even at home, I was surrounded by creative people, so that helped.  Reading, poetry, and writing in a diary was a common feature at home. This helped hone my skills. I first wrote for radio and then television. From then it included films.

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I used to stay in Malviya Nagar; so the school was second home to me. My friends and I would come to school, in the evening, to play basketball and other sports. My school life was dotted with extracurricular activities. Every annual day was a picnic for me

–Hitesh Kewalya, Film Director

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Some off-beat movies have done extremely well. Have customer tastes evolved?

Nothing happens in society in isolation. Off-beat movies were always made and there was an audience for them. There is commercial cinema and then middle-of-the-road cinema – every genre has an audience. Society keeps changing and evolving and every few years, even films keep changing as per the need of the people and the need of the hour. It is just that cinema keeps changing itself every decade; this is a constant process. There is a constant give and take between the filmmakers and audience and the film itself.

Some big-budget films have flopped and low-budget movies have been hits. What has changed today?

Filmmaking is an expensive medium; it takes money to make them and then market them. It is not always easy on the pocket for the audience to watch a movie in a theatre. Hence, the filmmakers have to be a step ahead of the audience. When the audiences’ taste evolves, directors have to evolve as well. Some movies can do this better than others and you hear new voices. There are all kinds of audiences out there from all walks of life. So, there are all kinds of cinemas. There is an adage: Films don’t fail, budgets fail. If we can gauge the mood of the viewers and make it within the budget, they work.

Is this a challenge for you as a director?

Definitely. For any storyteller who is dealing with public imagination and taste, it is very intangible. It is challenging to be relevant all the time. As long as there is a fire burning inside a director to tell a story, there will be films.

Has the script become the hero now?

At the writing stage, the script is the hero. Even the actor listens to the script first and then comes on board the project. Filmmaking is a collaborative medium. It is difficult to make a film alone. At various stages of filmmaking, different aspects become important – sometimes the actor is important, and sometimes it is the script or even the lyrics.

From where did you get the idea for Shubh Mangal… series?

The reason why a movie works is that it came at the right time correctly. Films are a reflection of society. When a movie does well, it means that the people needed that. For Shubh Mangal… things were a bit different, it was made in Tamil first. The makers were wanting to make a Hindi writer and couldn’t find one to adapt it to the Hindi audience.

When I came on board the project, three writers had been changed. I decided to not see the Tamil version and wrote the script from scratch after listening to just one line. They loved the script and it was shot and then came the other movie – Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan – which was completely an original idea.

Also, there is a need for taboo topics to be discussed rather than swept under the carpet. But this needs to be done through alight-hearted comedy rather than in a preachy manner. Through a film, the audience gets a language to discuss topics that are otherwise kept under wraps.

Any particular reason why you chose Ayushman Khurrana for both movies?

He does off-beat films and is accepted in such genres. His choices have always been different and has been brave enough as an actor to be part of different narratives; he is not scared. Second, he is quintessential, a middle-class boy from Chandigarh – he started with Roadies, a TV presenter, and then films. I find that his and my journey has been similar. He is loved by the middle class who sees a hero in him. It is better to do these films through an accepted and loved character for the movie to travel far and wide.

What was your school life like? If you can share some anecdotes.

I studied at Apeejay School Panchsheel Park from nursery to Class XII. I used to stay in Malviya Nagar; so the school was second to me. My friends and I would come to school, in the evening, to play basketball and other sports. My school life was dotted with extracurricular activities. Every annual day was a picnic for me. Till Class VII, I was a bit lost and academics was a big thing for me. But then I realised, by Class IX, that I loved something else.

I used to skip physics and Chemistry classes because I wanted to go to the dramatics club. I loved this and my time in school.

A word of advice to Apeejayites who want to pursue a career as directors/writers.

Don’t be scared of following a different path as far as career choices are concerned. If you do proper training, you can jump right in and start from scratch, and rise in the ranks. The initial years of experience will be tough but it works to the person’s advantage. Keep your mind free of biases, and be creative and happy.  This world needs more artists, so go create art.