Rahul Bose chat

Rahul Bose's claim to fame has been the English language Indian films namely English August, Split Wide Open apart from the occasional Hindi film, Takshak. That was sexy Bose always keen to have his pants down before the camera till Everybody Says I'm Fine happened. Read transcript of a chat with him on January 27

Sandeep: A lot of directors don't reach the Palms even as veterans. What made your directional debut so successful?
Rahul_Bose: That's not for me to say. A whole lot of luck goes into receiving an award. Almost everything has talent but luck is something. I don't kid myself.

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Sonia: How do you rate Everybody Says I'm Fine's (ESIF) chances at the Oscars?
Rahul_Bose: It's not even in the list nominated for Oscars. It's not the chosen entry.

Jagat: Why do you think that more and more directors are working on movies with shades of gray rather than pure white and black characters?
Rahul_Bose: It becomes more believable. Life is more with shades of gray rather than black and white.

Rachna: You seem to have very strong vision for making the Indian system better. As a director do you have any plans of incorporating such ideas in your future movies?
Rahul_Bose: One should go and do things directly. I would rather go and do things that makes the change.

Vivek: How did you think of becoming a director and how did you manage to convince the producers about your talent?
Rahul_Bose: I took me 28 days to raise the money for the movie. Does that answer your question?

Rat: ESIF was an amazing movie. Will you be making more films like that in the future?
Rahul_Bose: I have a twisted mind so you might see more movies like ESIF. Things that are shaded with ambiguity, things which show dark shades of a relationship etc.

Kalyaninairojee: You are an actor, director, a Rugby player.... What next?
Rahul_Bose: I think I will stick to acting and directing for a while. There's a lot more in me than those three for sure.

Mukeshthakkar1: How many of Bollywood awards are genuine?
Rahul_Bose: I don't have any firsthand experience so I won't be able to tell.

Laughingbuddha: Is the 'actor in the waiting' you portray in ESIF inspired from a real life person you have met or seen in Mumbai? Or is it a figment of your imagination?
Rahul_Bose: I got the inspiration from many characters that I have met in real life. There's no only particular person it represents.

H2o: Do you think there's any nexus between the film industry and the underworld?
Rahul_Bose: I think once you become a director you get asked that particular question. My movie was a very low budget film. I have no idea. LOL

Sandeep: Were you surprised when you heard of your nomination?
Rahul_Bose: Yes, very. A whole lot of luck goes in your nomination for an award. It's not just talent and hard work. Luck is also something that you have to take into account. I don't see myself as something out of this world.

Kalyaninairojee: How close are you Mr Iyer?
Rahul_Bose: Very close. It's my kind of a role. It's romantically so strong a character. About the roles, it's not that I don't like to do the "typical hero" roles. I like to do the roles that challenge me.  I had the typical hero kind of a role once and I won't like to get back to it again.

Namita: Why are directors working on non-God-like heroes these days?
Rahul_Bose: It makes it more believable. And, of course, it's much more interesting to work with ambiguity. Certainly it's closer to life than black and white.

Harmeet: Why do you think Indian made English films are doing a lot better than mainstream Hindi cinema?
Rahul_Bose: I think it depends more upon how the movie is being made and the script - rather than it being mainstream or offbeat. Some mainstream Hindi films do great business at the box office. I think the stories that are being told, at times, are pretty poor. Success is not a function of it being an English movie. It depends upon how it is overall. I think a time will come when the mainstream movies will also be doing well because they will say interesting stories. It's not that mainstream is this and offbeat is that. This differentiation is obnoxious.

Skas: Did you win any awards for your acting in Mr. and Mrs. Iyer? You acted well.
Rahul_Bose: Not that I know of.

Monika: What was the main idea behind ESIF?
Rahul_Bose: The idea of people portraying themselves differently, the idea of running away from a part of their lives, and the amount that they distort their lives. It's something that I have seen so often in Bombay's so-called high-society. I got really inspired by it. The idea seemed bizarre. The world is full of problems, we've all got our problems but everyone say's I'm fine. That's story I wanted to stress.

Laughingbuddha: Why have you done more of English language films? Is it because you are more comfortable with the language as compared to any other Indian language?
Rahul_Bose: I don't mind acting in a Hindi movie, a Tamil movie, or any other movie. I want to do be involved in a project which is more original and is more interesting - irrespective of the language it uses.

Kalyaninairojee: What are your future plans?
Rahul_Bose: I'm in a movie with Nandita Das. It's by the same team which did Bombay Matinee which is just going to be released. I am also writing a script for a movie which I am planning to do next. I am also writing another script. Between writing these scripts, I will also be doing other projects on the sideline. These accounts at least for my plans for few months.

John: How did you start writing?
Rahul_Bose: The subject was close to my heart, and I started writing myself. It wasn't that bad, so ok.