I’m not an expert on Aamir Khan: Reema Kagti

Reema Kagti’s last film (Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd) was five years back. Now, ahead of the release of the much-talked -about Talaash, she clears the air about her equation with Aamir Khan and insists that she had total control over her film .

Reema Kagti’s last film (Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd) was five years back. Now, ahead of the release of the much-talked -about Talaash, she clears the air about her equation with Aamir Khan and insists that she had total control over her film .

Reema-Kagti

There have been talks about your ideas clashing with Aamir on Talaash....
I’m not an expert on Aamir Khan. I can only talk about my experience with him. All these stories are rumours. I had the best time working with him. He was cool, chilled out and supportive . He’s very enthusiastic about the project, which is inspiring. At no point did I feel that he was stepping on my toes or getting into things he shouldn’t. Once we agreed on the script, we stuck to it.

Working with creative minds like Aamir Khan and Farhan Akhtar, do you still have total control over your film?
I do feel that I have total control over my film. Sure, the inputs of my producers, co-writers and actors are always welcome, but they don’t diminish my control over it.If anything, I feel accepting their suggestions gives me more control.

Is your final product what you imagined from the start?

Today, with the film completed, I can say that I have made the film I set out to make. And I have made this with the help of the three producers — Aamir, Farhan and Ritesh (Sidhwani) — and my co-writer Zoya (Akhtar). The film is unusual because I think there is a perception that darker emotions don’t make for good commercial cinema.

Why do you only work with Excel Entertainment? Is it your comfort zone?
Yes, I am comfortable with Excel. Also, we have common views on the kind of films we like. They are good producers who have always backed me up. Moving out hasn’t occurred to me.

Why was there such a big gap between your last movie Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd (2007) and Talaash?
I have been working hard in the last five years writing and trying to get scripts off the ground. But if I had to put it down to one thing, I would say bad luck. I was getting impatient just before this project came along.