‘It’s not dad, it’s Hansal Sir’

Disneyrsquos mandate doesnrsquot allow the title of father on screenrdquo Hansal Mehta displays disarming candour as he opens up about his motivation to board son Jairsquos latest directorial Lootere as showrunner This is not the first time Jai has taken up director dutiesmdashhe codirected SonyLIV series Scam 1992 2020 with Hansal his directorproducer fathermdashbut itrsquos the first time he is the captain of his ship prompting senior Mehtarsquos emotional involvementldquoThe only reason for me to be the showrunner was that it was Jairsquos solo directorial I have seen him in action before but it was good to see him taking charge this time and not having to fight with merdquo he chuckles Before collaborating with his father on the web series Jai served as associate director on several of his films including Shahid CityLights and Aligarh This time Mehta wasnrsquot instructing himldquoI was handling him We served as a sponge for each other When Shailesh R Singh showrsquos cocreator cowriter and producer had an issue and wanted to tell Jai something hersquod target me because Jai would be at the shoot He would call and scream I would say lsquoOkay okay I will talk to Jairsquo Then I would convey the message to him but in a different way Similarly if Jai was facing frustration he couldnrsquot share it with his team a director must keep the morale high So he too would come to merdquoLootere is about the passengers of an illfated ship been taken hostages by pirates off the coast of Somalia and an unlikely hero steps forward to save themJai doesnrsquot feel the difference though The roles might have changed but his fatherrsquos unwavering support stands ldquoHe has been supportive including for my short films and I have made some terrible ones some even I donrsquot have copies ofrdquo he laughsTheir filmmaking styles are different but therersquos much that they share in common as people Like their ability to veil emotions as mature professionals ldquoI refer to him as Hansal Sir The last time I called him on the phone and addressed him as lsquodadrsquo he asked lsquoDo you need money What happened Why are you calling me dadrsquordquo Jai saysIt can be attributed to the fact that their relationship has been built on film sets To Hansal their shared love for the movies is what makes them father and son ldquoWe have spent more time on set than we have at home together He was born when I was barely 23 I was searching for myself and in that search I managed to find my son when I needed him which was when he became assistant director We have ended up discovering each other on set We have spent the most intense times together and discovered each other as people passionate about films and telling stories So it cinema keeps us togetherrdquoEven before he joined his father on the set as assistant Jai had developed an intimate connection with Mehtarsquos filmmaker self He grew up watching a director failing with every movie and trying again ldquoA lot of people know of Hansal Mehta only after he made Shahid 2010 He made six films before that Thatrsquos something no one will talk about Even he wonrsquotrdquo Jai laughs before adding ldquoI have two younger sisters Their father is the director of Shahid Citylights Aligarh Scam Scoop But the father I know is the director of Jayate Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar Chhal three unreleased films Of Raakh too I grew up with that directorrdquoShahid a critically acclaimed film based on the life of lawyer and human rights activist Shahid Azmi who was assassinated in 2010 it starred Rajkummar Rao and brought Mehta the Best Director gong at the 2014 National Film Awards Evidently it has not been easy Mehta is the first in his family to take up filmmaking ldquoWe arenrsquot film royaltyrdquo Jai declaresIn a rare display of emotion Mehta sounds poignant while painting a picture of Jairsquos childhood and their journey as a family ldquoHe has seen me through days that werenrsquot exactly ideal struggling to find myself and keep our lives together We were searching for a structure as family when things were going haywire Jai has lived through the troubles of a slightly complicated childhoodrdquo Mehta says In a bid to snap out of this reflective moment Jai quickly adds ldquoBut there are no regrets Therersquos only good from here on You donrsquot look back You think about all that you learnt and use that to do betterrdquoAnd the biggest learning from a challenging childhood is to never give up ldquoThere was a time when he felt lsquoWhat am I doingrsquo And he did take a break from filmmaking but ultimately he returned and did Shahid which took two years to make and another year and a half to release It was tough but he never stoppedrdquo