We have Couple of similarities: Reema Kagti

We have Couple of similarities: Reema Kagti
Thursday, February 22, 2007 11:57 IST
By Subhash K Jha, Santa Banta News Network
/> Reema Kagti whose Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd looks like the wackiest comedy of the season, doesn't deny the much talked-about similarities with Meghna Gulzar's Just Married.

Says Kagti, "Her film does have six couples on a honeymoon, so does mine. But I don't know her script beyond that. But then there're couples, and couples. And there're directors there are directors. Even Salaam-e-Ishq ....I went and watched it.

There's an ensemble cast, and there 're six couples in both and we both are dealing with love and marriage. I get asked about these films all the time But my story treatment and presentation will be very different from Just Married and Salaam-e-Ishq.My sensibilities are very different."

Episodic films like Naseeruddin Shah's Yun Hota To Kya Hota and Nikhil Advani's Salaam-e-Ishq are are not seen to work.

"I don't think the audience had a format issue with these films. It was a screenplay issue. People found the film too long and didn't find anything new happening in the second-half of Salaam-e-Ishq. Likewise Yun Hota To Kya Hota."

She admits she was initially petrified of the cast. "My first day's shoot was with Boman and Shabana....they were very very experienced. I was a bit nervous. But that was okay. There were so many actors, and each one took me a while to get used to. I needed twelve people in the same range of vision.

Fortunately I did all my casting with Zoya Akhtar who's the executive producer. I wanted to cast actors who represent real people. I even got Shabana to do a bit of wild dancing. At the end of it this has been the most fulfilling experience of my life."

Reema is an Assamese who moved to Mumbai to study with the express purpose of being a filmmaker. She has assisted Honey Irnai, Farhan Akhtar, Rajat Kapoor, Ashutosh Gowariker.

"I also did a stint with Mira Nair when she came to India for Vanity Fair. After writing my script for Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd I went to another producer. That fell through. Actually I went to a lot of producers before Farhan liked the script. Farhan never advised me beyond a point and let me do what I like."

Speaking of being a female director, Reema admits, "Well...yes it's a problem the world-over. Before Farah Khan women directors in this country were considered jinxed. Farah changed all that.

But if you ask me my favourites, they're all male directors. Mine is a funny film about a 4-day honeymoon package. But it's not just humorous. I'd call it a quirky comedy. But to tell you the truth I can't draw parallels between my film and any other film."

Reema has a special word for Shabana. "We had a difficult schedule in Goa. And she was so co-operative. For her to play someone who's so simple in dress and attitude isn't easy. We've given her a middleclass salwar-kameez-socks-sandals look. Each character is dressed according to the place they originate from."

Her next will be a thriller co-scripted with Zoya Akhtar. "I think I'll do that next. It's a kind of thriller. But my kind of a thriller. I'm pretty much ready to move on."
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