l was being an irresponsible filmmaker: Nagesh Kukunoor

The last we heard Nagesh Kukunoorrsquos upcoming film Lakshmirsquos release date had been postponed from January 17 to a later date Apparently there were some censor issues since the movie deals with child prostitution and human trafficking But when we meet Kukunoor the filmmaker clarifies that there is no such thing ldquoThe film has to be seen by the Reviewing Commitee but we had been unable to set up a screening for all of them We will get to know the release date soonrdquo he said Excerpts from an interviewNagesh Kukunoor shot Lakshmi in exactly 22 days PicSayed Sameer AbediCongratulations on winning the Audience Award for best narrative feature at the Palm Springs International Film festival for Lakshmi Were you expecting itThank you And no I wasnrsquot expecting that at all I was actually getting a little nervous as Lakshmi had not got through any major film festival I was a little disappointed as I felt that this story had a worldwide reach because itrsquos a basic story of heroism that cuts across all boundaries And now trafficking is a topic worldwide not just restricted to lsquothird world countriesrsquo So it was a huge sense of relief when we got into Palm Springs Festival It was almost after seven years that I attended an international film festival When they announced Lakshmirsquos name at the award ceremony I was in a daze for a while before a friend of mine pushed me towards the stage laughs Itrsquos very gratifying because it took me three to four years to conceptualise Lakshmi which is not a very long journey for a film but it has been a really emotional oneYou are not known for your marketing strategy but with Lakshmi it seems to have changed You have been sending the film to film festivals interacting with college students and holding screeningsThatrsquos true With Lakshmi I am very clear about one thing that irrespective of the boxoffice result I want the movie to have a shelf life And with a reasonable degree of confidence it seems like it will Irsquove got offers from NGOs schools and colleges for screenings At Palm Springs Elahe Heptoolah met a woman who is a member of the Congress who told her that she would like to screen the film at the House of Representatives in Washington DC Wersquore also tapping into foreign universities I want the movie to have a shelf life so that it can throw light on a topic that demands attention Hence my whole strategy for the promotion of the movieYou cast a 26yearold girl Monali Thakur to play a 14yearold in the movie Why not cast somebody whorsquos actually 14I did Originally around twoandahalf years back I had cast a 14yearold to play the lead role I started interacting with her parents while we were getting ready for the movie The more I interacted with her parents the more I started getting the feeling that I was really an irresponsible filmmaker Just to get my story told I was exposing this child to a truly ugly side of life I know itrsquos a film set and itrsquos all makebelieve but I was dealing with such sensitive material I think it was the best decision I took not to cast a minor because when I was directing Monali through the difficult scenes I could talk to her as an adult and clearly explain what the situation demanded from her as an actor I could ask a coactor to put a hand on her midriff or ask him to grab her and ask her if shersquos okay with it or if shersquos feeling uncomfortable Can you imagine doing that to a child Irsquom glad I took that decision in the planning stage itselfMonali Thakur plays a 14yearold in the film LakshmiTell us a bit about the casting and the shoot of LakshmiI saw Monali at a party and thought she would look right for the role if I dress her up in two plaits I didnrsquot know how good she was as an actor but after I saw her audition I thought shersquos a seasoned actor She was that good Working with her was a breeze after that I shot this film in Hyderabad in 22 days flat which is something I havenrsquot done since Hyderabad Blues which was shot in 17 days To have actors with whom you could finish off in one or two takes was great The entire cast including Monali Satish Kaushik Ram Kapoor and Shefali Shah was outstanding