Bollywood filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj's son has huge shoes to fill with Kuttey, his directorial debut
Aasmaan Bhardwaj recalls being handed a camera-shaped toy made out of thermocol on the sets of Makdee, the first movie his acclaimed filmmaker-father Vishal Bhardwaj directed. Aasmaan was seven years old when he fell in love with movie making. All these years later, the 27-year-old is looking forward to the release of his first film, Kuttey,with a cast that is sure to make any filmmaker envious. Imagine having Tabu, Naseeruddin Shah, Konkona Sen Sharma and Kumud Mishra among other talented actors in your directorial debut.
His father’s directorial aesthetics are bound to rub off on him but Aasmaan—who was named so by lyricist and poet Gulzar—possesses a clarity of vision that the cast of the black comedy has vouched for during recent promotion interviews. Excerpts from a chat with The Established:
/established/media/post_attachments/theestablished/2023-01/dc86d7dc-4d4a-451b-979e-d56127e74ad3/_AMK4043_copy.jpg)
Aasmaan Bhardwaj on the sets of Kuttey
In an interview with Film Companion, Tabu mentioned that you and your father have very different energies and that you are extremely clear about the way you see your film and its characters. What do you think about this assessment?
I think it is quite accurate. In retrospect, I was certainly very clear about what I wanted and what I had visualised in my head. It is my first film. I have lived with this script for four years and it is my responsibility. My father has taught me that you should be so over-prepared when you come on the set, that once you reach there, you can just say, ‘saari preparation bhaad mein gayi’ (let all the preparation go to hell), let’s just do what feels right in the moment’. But to do that, you have to be over-prepared. You should be able to keep that energy and improvisation intact but also not drift away too much from what you have gone there to do. Also, what I have learnt from my father as well at film school is that if you, as a director, don’t know what you want, then everyone [on the set] is in trouble because they all are looking to you for direction.
Speaking of Tabu, your father has often expressed his immense love and admiration for her. How was it to work with her in your debut movie?
It was my dream come true! Maqbool is my favourite film by my father and ever since then, I have just been in love with her. My career goal was to work with Tabu ma’am and Irrfan (Khan) sir. The latter is not possible now, but I am so happy that I was able to work with Tabu ma’am.
She remembers me from the sets of Maqbool, running around, and making the crew do fake chase sequences and recording them with my digital camera. I am in awe of her even when I watch her in my film. She is so effortless. I remember feeling really scared when I did my first take with her, but she didn’t treat me like a young boy or ‘Vishal’s son’. She treated me like a director and that empowered me to be able to let go of that nervousness.
/established/media/post_attachments/theestablished/2023-01/25e5f2a2-e7cb-4e05-ac17-67606ce417d2/Tabu.jpg)
Tabu is part of the dark comedy
/established/media/post_attachments/theestablished/2023-01/dd196548-a574-4cda-bcee-5095363c5a3e/Arjun_Kapoor.jpg)
Arjun Kapoor essays the role of a cop
Comparisons with your father are inevitable. How do you deal with it?
Nepotism exists [in the film industry] and I am very aware of the privilegI have come into this life with, but I didn’t ask to be born in this family. I just hope my work speaks for itself because I have worked really hard on my craft and my screenwriting. I hope it translates, and whether it does or it does not, I will keep working on it.
You have studied filmmaking from the School of Visual Arts, USA and also worked with your father as an assistant director on some of his films. How have you gone about building your own directorial aesthetic?
It is an amalgamation of so many things–of who I am, what I have seen, experienced and felt. That, coupled with the things I have learnt from my father–working for him and then working with him as a collaborator. It is also a result of what I have been taught in film school, the films I have watched and the ways in which they have opened my mind about how the world is and most importantly, how humans are. A film is nothing without that human connection.
“I REMEMBER FEELING REALLY SCARED WHEN I DID MY FIRST TAKE WITH TABU, BUT SHE DIDN’T TREAT ME LIKE A YOUNG BOY OR ‘VISHAL’S SON’. SHE TREATED ME LIKE A DIRECTOR AND THAT EMPOWERED ME TO BE ABLE TO LET GO OF THAT NERVOUSNESS”
Aasmaan Bhardwaj
/established/media/post_attachments/theestablished/2023-01/bee5a697-5c45-42f1-8985-5d03d58207fd/Naseeruddin_Shah.jpg)
Naseeruddin Shah will be seen in a pivotal role in Kuttey
What inspired the story of Kuttey?
In 2019, I had finished my thesis project for my filmmaking course within four months and there were still six more months to go. So my teacher suggested I work on another screenplay. I had a random concept about a van and some seven-eight people who are after it for some reason. When I told my father about it, he told me to flesh it out further. Two days later, he sent me an article he had seen in the newspaper about a van full of cash and some people who were after it. That random concept and then the article kicked off this thought in my head and I started weaving a story around it.
Do you remember the first day on the sets of the film? How nerve-racking was it?
I remember we had to shoot in Vasai. I was about to reach the location and I saw these huge moon boxes up in the sky, wondering if anyone else was shooting there. I asked around on set, and I was told that’s for our film! That’s when it really kicked in, and the first take felt so surreal. This is what I had been dreaming of since I was seven years old, seeing dad direct his first scene for Makdee.
As a first-time director, how challenging was it to work on a film that has so many stalwarts? Every actor here is senior to you. How did you instill trust in actors you've grown up idolising?
I had to be professional. I can’t read their minds but from what I have heard them say about me, it was that I was very clear about what I wanted. It was a result of the amount of time I have spent with the film, the characters, and every single word of what was written on the pages. The whole film had played out in my mind, and I had seen every shot before even started prepping for it. I think my clarity gave them the confidence.
In a post about the film, you have mentioned it as one of the best learning experiences of your life. Can you tell us the biggest learning from here, which you wish to extend to your future projects?
It is that feeling I had on the first day and I had through the rest of the film. To grasp the joy of this opportunity I have been given and to never waste that opportunity. To have that honesty about what I am doing and to love what I am doing. There are days when I have asked myself, ‘why am I doing this to myself?’ (laughs) but then you look back and feel, ‘yaar kya mazaa aaya’. I don’t want to ever forget that mazaa. I want to move forward keeping that joy and enjoyment of filmmaking in my heart.
Also Read: Babil Khan is coming into his own as an actor
Also Read: Will 2023 be the year of Shah Rukh Khan at the Box Office?
Also Read: Actor Kirti Kulhari is choosing roles that make her push her own boundaries