Patriot Missile
After giving blockbusters like M.S. Dhoni... and Baby, Neeraj Pandey has collaborated with Sidharth and Manoj Bajpayee for his upcoming adrenaline-pumping drama titled Aiyaary.
3 Feb 2018 9:34 PM IST
Neeraj Pandey, the 'Thriller King', returns with another adrenaline-pumping drama titled Aiyaary. Here's the director along with his two leading men, Manoj Bajpayee and Sidharth Malhotra, in conversation with Team Box Office India
Box Office India (BOI): The first question is for all of you, starting with Neeraj sir. How did Aiyaary begin for each of you?
Neeraj Pandey (NP): For me, it began while I was working on Baby. I had interacted with so many people from the armed forces at the time that we had material for about three or four films. There was one story that stuck out, and after I finished my commitment to MS Dhoni: The Untold Story, it was a given that I would go back to that particular story.
BOI: Is it a true story or is it based on something that happened before?
NP: No, it isn't. Think of it this way… Sometimes, you hear things and you fictionalise them in your own way. This is a work of fiction but it is as rooted as can be.
BOI: Neeraj sir, what was the thought behind this particular cast?
NP: Well, Manoj is playing a colonel in the Indian Army who is of a certain age, besides having the acting chops. Sid is playing a young major in the film. We wanted someone young who was both vulnerable and could look tough at will. He fit the bill. And then we did the readings like we do for every film of ours and got the DNA of the characters while they were reading the parts and preparing for it.
BOI: The scale of the film is clear from the trailer. It shows how the film has been shot across authentic environments. What was the actual shoot like?
NP: I'll let Manoj answer this one.
MB: Logistically, it was tough. We shot in Kashmir for a week. A place like Kashmir has its advantages and disadvantages. Then we came to Delhi and shot non-stop for 20 days. And while everyone knows about the Delhi
summers and winters, no one really knows about the Delhi rains. They are very unpredictable. The rain ruined around five days of our shoot.
Each and every location had its own advantages and disadvantages, whether Mumbai, London or Cairo. We were excited that we were going to Egypt where none of us had ever been to, a country of great historical significance. But we were going there to shoot and that was quite a tough task.
NP: He mentioned the weather problem… When a movie has a huge ensemble cast like Aiyaary, while it has its merits, it takes you through a rough time too. If you spread the shoot over too many days, and if you get a cancellation in between by chance, like what happened to us in the first schedule in Delhi where we lost five days, then getting the dates of the actors and getting the same combination again is a nightmare.
And the thing is that getting Manoj or Sid was relatively easy. But the guys who play the character roles, their dates are far more difficult to juggle. They are doing television, plays, rehearsals, various other assignments. Just getting them back on the block is a huge challenge. That was the learning… if you are working with a lot of characters, the sooner you crack it, the better.
SM: For me, the challenging part was to focus on the details and make it look authentic. This is my first film for which I have not been on a set. We shot at actual locations. Everything is real, from our uniform to the styling. I would call it a spy-thriller between two different generations. I have never seen actual spies or the military intelligence; it is their lifestyle that has been depicted in the film. It is by far the most real and relevant film that I have been a part of.
BOI: Getting the chemistry of the two central characters right is the key to this film. How was that achieved?
NP: We just threw both of them inside a room! They had to meet each other regularly. And when you have just two people in a room, chances are that they will come out smiling. That's what happened. They bonded.
SM: We met for the first time at Neeraj sir's office. We read the entire script. The film not only talks about the characters' bonding but also about when they are not together or do not agree. It is a very distinct relationship. Then what happens is a disagreement between the two.
BOI: The trailer shows the character in various disguises. How long did it take to make each disguise look authentic?
MB: We must thank the prosthetic guys, who did such a great job.
SM: We had a team from both India and the UK. We spent almost four hours doing the make-up.
MB: I used to freak out. The Indian prosthetics team… the guys were scared of me as I was throwing tantrums all the time. It was a very tedious task.
SM: It is one of the highlights of the film and I believe it will pay off. We have many more looks which are not in the trailer. We are pretty excited.
BOI: What does Aiyaary have for the younger generation?
NP: The film is for the youth, and that is why we have Sidharth in the film. The conflict between the central characters represent the point of view between two generations of soldiers. At one point, it is Sid's character who asks, 'What have you handed down to my generation in terms of inheritance? We
did not ask for it; this corruption was thrust upon us.' It is about questioning the credibility of the preceding generations. It was all about the youth's point of view. We easily blame the youth for their reckless behaviour, but this is what they have inherited from preceding generations.
BOI: Sidharth, you worked with a team that has worked together before. Did you have any apprehensions?
SM: No, not at all. I always enjoy meeting new directors and actors. Each of my films has a different cast. Here, I feel it is the content that is a newer space, everything is close to reality, there is no song and dance. I think getting into that zone and keeping it as authentic as possible was something I really enjoyed doing. Neeraj sir shoots really quickly because he has so much clarity. All of us got along so well. During the last leg of the film, I felt so connected to the team.
BOI: There is this perception that movies like this are male-dominated, character-wise. How do Rakul Preet and Pooja Chopra fit into the characters in this film?
NP: Rakul and Pooja's characters are very relevant to the film. In fact, Pooja's character opens the film. She is a captain. She is a part of the same unit that Sidharth and Manoj's
characters work for. She is the only female member in the unit and that forms the crux of the film. The same goes for Rakul. She plays a hacker in the film and there is a reason Sidharth's
character and she get together. I do not want to come up with a character that is ill-sketched, so the attempt is to do something relevant.
BOI: You always take on films with weighty issues and serious messages. Can we expect you to do a fluffy, comedy film after this?
MB: One cannot change one's DNA.
NP: It all depends on the faith of the subject. I mean, I would love to make a romantic film. My first script was supposed to be a love story. We
never made it and now I feel we missed the bus on that.
MB: We have done a short film called Ouch. If you have any doubts about this other aspect, you must watch that film.
SM: I think everybody has their own space. These films are equally in demand, especially business-wise.
I think they open to the same numbers.
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