Kanu Behl says Agra is about sexual repression, claims there's no structural support for certain kind of films in India

Kanu Behl, whose feature film Agra premiered at the recently concluded Cannes Film Festival, talked about the process of writing and casting for the film.

The French Riviera is familiar territory for director Kanu Behl. His first film Titli (2015) was screened at the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival. This year he is back with Agra that premiered in the prestigious Director’s Fortnight. Be it his features or the short film Binnu Ka Sapna (currently streaming on Mubi) the unflinching gaze at patriarchy, generational trauma and its far reaching consequences are a constant. (Also read: Kanu Behl’s Agra premieres at Cannes, gets 5-minute standing ovation at Directors’ Fortnight)

Agra is about sexual repression

Kanu Behl's Agra was screened at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.

As we sit down for a chat Kanu Behl elaborates. “Titli was clearly a film about family. Agra is a film about sexual repression and the idea of physical spaces we live in and the way they affect each other. It is the patriarchal society’s masculine gaze that makes it difficult for young boys to express themselves. We see men dialed up to hundred and indulge in dastardly acts and we immediately other them. We have never seen their journey; we don’t know what triggered this. Unless we explore some of the reasons behind it we will never be able to truly solve this problem."

The first image that pops up in our head when we hear 'Agra' is the pristine white Taj Mahal. However there is not even a glimpse of the world famous monument in the film. Rather it’s the cramped walls of a dilapidated building that is the center of all action. It’s here that 25 year old Guru a call center employee is struggling with his own repressed feelings. He stays on the ground floor with his mother. While a room on the floor above them has his father and his mistress. The only available “space” is the tiny terrace that Guru stakes claim on. “This house is full of individuals who never really come together as a family. Guru is trying to understand his own sexuality, his need for some sort of a honest physical connection and the other lustful individual units that co inhabit with him refuse to address his desire. The transacationality in all our relationships today is what I wanted to explore," says Behl.

How he wrote Agra

Kanu Behl shares the writing credit with Atika Chauhan (Margarita with a Straw ; Waiting) and while it comes from a very personal space it was nevertheless a difficult film to make. “My biggest fear was if I truly know Guru. Growing up I too felt sexually repressed but I was also aware that I come from certain privilege. It was my mentor at the PJLF Three Rivers Residency Molly Stensgaard who pushed me. She told me to either drop the subject completely or bring out exactly what I had in mind without inhibitions. So to amp up my own repression I spent a lot of time in sex chat rooms myself to make myself feel what Guru would be feeling."

The casting of Agra

One of the biggest strengths of the film is the casting. “Priyanka (Bose) was the only person who I wrote the part for. For Guru we needed someone who is not bodily imposing. We were looking for someone who has a sort of innocence on the face so you can empathize with even when he commits the most dastardly acts. So Mohit Aggarwal was perfect," shares Behl. As for Aashiqui fame Rahul Roy, Behl says he cast the actor himself in the film. “We were working with 2-3 other actors. My process is that I do a 3-month workshop for my film. First month I work with 3 options for each part. We place everyone together and see what is feeling right for the film. But Rahul I think found a personal connection with the film. We also knew for the role we needed someone who was a little bit of a charmer but who also was familiar with some sort of a destruction. He is jaded, almost a defunct patriarch. I wanted the actor who plays the part to have some sense of what it feels like. I think Rahul when he read the script connected with the character. After that it was his sheer dedication. He was the first one to arrive for the workshop and last one to leave- every day. When you have an actor who is that committed you have to cast him.”

On actors not giving auditions

Are there actors who resist this process of auditions? How many actually agree to put themselves through the rigor ? “Almost 99% of the actors resist this," Behl responds promptly. “It also shows they are coming from a certain ego so then the actor cant submit to the part. I always tell them it’s not about doubting your acting ability, this exploration is not about you as an actor. It about the character and yet actors have a problem.”

On the biggest challenge to make Agra

What has been the biggest challenge to make the kind of films that you want to? Kanu Behl doesn’t mince words , “The biggest challenge is that there is no structural support for a certain kind of film in India in spite of a lot of people popping up at Cannes and saying Indian films are shining. But at the red carpet the filmmakers are nowhere to be seen. Bollywood divas and influences are all present but where are the filmmakers who are actually representing your cinema at Cannes? The last 10 indie films that we have seen coming out of India at major film festivals are happy accidents. They are not part of the system. There has to be some awareness of culture and the need for nuance. Even politically we have to take sides. It’s sad that we are slowly doing away with nuance”.

Kanu Behl is now looking forward to his next investigative thriller Dispatch with Manoj Bajpayee.