'Baby' Authentic take on Real Danger to Global Peace: Director

Jan 22,2015

Mumbai, Jan 22 (IANS) Neeraj Pandey's two directorial ventures so far -- "A Wednesday" and "Special Chabbis" -- displayed his ability to take the language of Hindi commercial cinema into unexpected territory. He says his new film "Baby", on terrorism, is his effort to create awareness about the existing danger to peace.

In an interview, Pandey spoke about "Baby" and the dynamics of making films on sensitive subjects.

Excerpts:

Q. "Baby" is about international terrorism. Post the ghastly terror attack in Peshawar, do you feel cinema must become more responsible in its projection of the issue?

A. Speaking for myself, I'd like to believe I'm a responsible filmmaker. I don't have solutions. But I hope to create a renewed awareness about the situation. Any filmmaker who talks sense should be taken seriously.

Q. Your trailer tells us that "Baby" is about the efforts of a covert Indian intelligence team to nab an international terrorist?

A. The trailer had to tell us the film's DNA. We wanted to be very clear on this.

Q. You've cast actors who belong to the country of the characters' origins?

A. Yes, and that was not easy to do. Communication was difficult. What would otherwise have taken a couple of days took much longer. But having a competent casting director Vicky Sidana on board was a big help. He kept following up on all the actors from whichever country we wanted.

Q. You also shot in many foreign countries, which you haven't done before?

A. Well, I like to travel. So it isn't as if I'm not familiar with international locations. But travelling with a film crew is something else. The film needed to be shot in various countries. So we travelled to Delhi, then Nepal, Turkey and Abu Dhabi to shoot. The conditions were different at each location. But it was a great deal of fun and big challenge.

Q. You've cast a Pakistani actor as a terror mastermind. Isn't that a clear indication of where the terror hub is?

A. Terror is prevalent everywhere in the subcontinent. Let's not fool ourselves into believing it's not present in India. Just the other day we had another terror attack in Bangalore. I chose the Pakistani actor Rasheed Naaz to play the main terrorist because I wanted someone with an oratorial skill, who could sway audiences into hatred and violence. There are two villains in the film -- an Indian played by Kay Kay Menon and a Pakistani played by Rasheed Naaz. I wanted a particular accent in the speech in my Pakistani villain.

Q. Your earlier films generated curiosity but they didn't create the widespread interest that "Baby" has. Does that make you nervous?

A. Not at all. When we cut our trailer and put it out, we wanted to generate interest and curiosity. And I think we managed that. We understood that it wouldn't happen with "A Wednesday" because I was new and the trade didn't trust my ability to generate revenues. We had cut a very interesting trailer for "A Wednesday" as well. But at that time I was not equipped to put my idea into a perspective.

Q. When you came to your second film, you were much better placed in the film mart?

A. It was slightly better during "Special Chabbis". Budget-wise, and in terms of scale and scope my two earlier films were smaller. I feel the scale of a film must match the plot. I took 'baby' steps to get to my new film from where I started in "A Wednesday".

Q. There is the danger of a big film like "Baby" being perceived by the audience as a documentation of real life terror-politics. That would limit the viewership?

A. But "Baby" is an authentic take on a very real and disturbing danger to global peace. There's no room for flights of fancy here. It's set in a real incident. The purpose of the film is to recreate a specific real life situation. We can't control the take-outs from the plot. It's up to the audience to carry home what they like. We have a very real story to tell. How it is perceived is not in our control.

Tags:

'Baby' Authentic take on Real Danger to Global Peace: Director Neeraj Pandey in news news about Neeraj Pandey

Swara Bhasker: 'You are our beloved dictator', Swara shares unseen pictures on daughter Rabia's birthday

Sep 23,2025

Actress Swara Bhaskar and Fahad Ahmed's daughter, Raabia Rama Ahmed, turned two today. The actress wrote a sweet note wishing her a happy birthday. She also shared unseen photos from her birthday celebration. This has been your year of walking and speaking. Swara Bhaskar shared

National Film Awards: This Indian star has won the most National Awards, beating Kangana and Big B.

Sep 23,2025

The National Film Awards are one of the highest-paid awards in Indian cinema. They are organized annually by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, to encourage Indian film artists. All preparations are underway for this year's 71st National Film Awards.On Augu

Dulquer Salmaan: Customs raid at Prithviraj Sukumaran and Dulquer Salmaan's house, find out the whole story

Sep 23,2025

The Customs Department is conducting raids at several locations in Kerala, including the Kochi residences of actors Dulquer Salmaan and Prithviraj Sukumaran. According to reports, these raids are related to vehicles imported from Bhutan. The Kerala Motor Vehicles Department has also arrived.Custom

Drishaym 3: Mohanlal prepares to deliver a triple dose of suspense, a major update on 'Drishyam 3'

Sep 23,2025

Fans are extremely enthusiastic about the films of Malayalam cinema's legendary actor Mohanlal. Mohanlal, who recently won the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, is set to star in the third installment of the Drishyam franchise, where he is known for his pivotal role as George Kutty.He has now geare

Bigg Boss 19 Contestant: Bigg Boss's house will become an arena, and this international player will enter Salman Khan's show!

Aug 21,2025

The new season of Bigg Boss, one of the popular reality shows of the television industry, is going to start in just three days. There is a lot of excitement among the audience about the show. Meanwhile, the most talked about contestants coming in the show is. The curiosity of who will be a part o

Priyanka Chopra: Kareena, who was the enemy in 'Aitraaz', praised Priyanka, wrote- 'Made to rule the world'

Jul 18,2025

Priyanka Chopra is celebrating her 43rd birthday today, i.e. on 18th July. On this special occasion, the actress has been congratulated by her film 'Aitraaz' co-star Kareena Kapoor in a different style. Kareena shared an old picture of an award show on Instagram Stories and wrote that Priyanka w

Vidyut Jamwal: Vidyut Jamwal is ready for his Hollywood debut, will play a strong role in this film

Jul 15,2025

Actor Vidyut Jamwal, known for his action, is now going to make his entry in a Hollywood film. He has joined the star cast of the live-action film 'Street Fighter'. It is a film based on an iconic video game franchise.Vidyut's Hollywood entryAccording to a Deadline report, Vidyut will be seen i

Vijay Deverakonda: New update on Vijay Deverakonda's film, Kingdom's new release date will be announced today

Jul 07,2025

Vijay Deverakonda has joined hands with famous director Gautam Tinnanuri for the action drama film 'Kingdom'. There is a lot of excitement about the film since its announcement. The recently released teaser has further increased the expectations of the fans. The new release date of the f