Director Dev Benegal doesn't normally tread the common path. And his films show it
Director Dev Benegal doesn't normally tread the common path. And his films show it. Having been away from the Bollywood circuit for a long time, he is now gearing up for the release of his upcoming film, The Road, Movie. He talks to CS about the journey: 
The Kutch touch
We had a blast shooting for the film. The temperature in Rajasthan was between 42-52oC, which could have been a problem, considering that we had many westerners working on the film. We had an Italian sound recordist, someone I've known for 20 years, an extraordinary production designer from France (who also worked on Steven Speilberg's Munich), an Israeli editor and a Serbian sound editor. So, we were quite a mixed bag, but we ended up becoming a family by the end of the shooting. And we all went back in love with Kutch.
Star trek
I wrote the script in 10 days flat, though editing it took a wee bit longer. But I'm sure that the idea for the film was simmering in my head for a long long time.
I have always been very choosy about the actors I cast in my films, and almost turned Abhay Deol down. Actually, I didn't know who he was and wasn't too impressed by the uber cool pictures that Uma Da Cunha, my casting director showed me. Then when I met him in flesh and blood, I knew that he was just the man I was looking for.
I always wanted to cast Satish Kaushik. I'd made that decision ages ago when I was only an apprentice on the sets of Mandi. I was so awestruck by Satish then, that I audaciously told him that I would cast him in my film one day. After writing the script for the Road, Movie, I called him up and said, 'You might be a hot-shot director, but for me you're still a lead actor. Are you up for acting?' He loved the script when he read it and joined us on the Road. I think all the actors in the film have a star-like quality.
A different beat
My films might not follow the conventional Bollywood ingredients, but I think that our film industry gives us the freedom to experiment with our art. There's an extraordinarily rich tradition in India, and Bollywood has become a part of it. There is so much room for expression here that I feel a passionate desire to not stick to the typical.
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