Anurag Kashyap: Zoya From Mukkabaaz Is Like Nawazuddin Siddiqui

Mukkabaaz is slated for a January 12th release

Anurag Kashyap‘s Mukkabaaz has elicited rave reviews and a standing ovation at the Toronto Film Festival (where it had its world premiere) and the 19th edition of Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. After quite a wait, the film is all set to hit screens on January 12, and its director, co-producer, and co-writer, Kashyap, can’t wait to see and hear what the audiences say about it. The film documents the story of a boxer from Uttar Pradesh, Shravan Singh, essayed by actor Vineet Singh, who falls in love with a Brahmin girl, Sunaina Mishra, played by Zoya Hussain. Ahead of the film’s release, in an exclusive chat with India.com, Kashyap opens up about the movie in great detail, along with his experiences working with the new lead actors. Following are the excerpts from the interview. Read on.

The idea behind Mukkabaaz

Vineet, who makes his debut as the leading man in this film is credited as one of its scriptwriters. He had written the script almost three years ago and had been desperately looking for a producer to bankroll it. That’s when he approached Kashyap. Recalling that moment, Kashyap says, “He gave me the script, told me that he wished to play the lead role but wasn’t finding a director to make the film. He hoped I would produce it so that someone would come on board as a director. I decided to read the script before committing anything. It was a typical sports film that glorifies the actor, but there was a 5-10 minute chunk in it, which seemed very honest. It didn’t seem influenced by the sports films we’ve all grown up seeing. That part spoke about a middle-class guy from small-town India who took up boxing for a reason. I instantly fell in love with that story, which formed the film’s crux. Baki sab bakwas hai (laughs).”

The making of the film

Once the crux was decided, Kashyap said that everything else fell into place. “When you find something you instantly connect with and decide that that’s the crux of your story, everything else follows,” he says. However, he decided to co-write the film and make some changes to the original script, which Vineet was fine with. For that, the filmmaker said, he needed to research a lot about boxing. “As Indians, we always had a vague idea as to why the sports scenario is not that great in the country vis-a-vis a foreign land. But I had to make a film, so I had to dig deeper. And so began my journey researching the film. I told Vineet I would make it only if he were willing to train to be a real boxer. I was not okay with mediocre work and the kind of boxing we have seen in Hindi films. I wanted him to become a real boxer, so he left the next day for the training,” Kashyap says.

On the research that went into it

From finding out the status of boxing in India to understanding the different tournaments related to the sport in the country and the various issues surrounding it, Kashyap had to research everything. “Our first realization was that there’s no Pro-boxing league in India. It started only in 2017, way after we started researching about it. Moreover, the kind of boxing we see in Hollywood films doesn’t exist in India. We couldn’t watch films for references as there were no Indian films showcasing that. So we needed actual references,” he says. The boxing that happens in India doesn’t have more than three rounds. So Kashyap’s main question was: How can the film be dramatic in these three rounds? “Besides, while researching, we delved into matters like the sports scenario in our country. How much corruption is prevalent in sports? How much of casteism is there in it? Nepotism – all these isms that are prevalent in the Sports industry – we found our entire story around them,” he says.

Message of the film

“How much do we value sports in this country?” Kashyap says that that message will remain with you while you watch the film. “Sports ki kuch value hi nahi hai. We don’t value certain things in this country; one of the most significant things is sports. We value money too much but don’t value sports and culture. Our instant reaction to anyone pursuing sports is that, yeh field awara gardi ka hai, mehnat ka nahi hai. We don’t take sports and sportsmen seriously. We need to change our mindsets,” he says. Furthermore, he stated that everyone watching the film has had something different to take back from it. “People have perceived Vineet’s journey in their way and have taken home a unique message—that may not have anything to do with boxing, but that’s how they have connected with the film. We certainly didn’t expect people to connect with it in such a big way, but they di,d and that’s commendable,” he says.

Mukkabaaz – a lot more than just a sports film

It is a socio-political love story, says Kashyap. “Everything else is a problem in that love story, including boxing. But everything else is equally important in the film. It is about people and their aspirations. I want people to watch it and determine what they take back from the film. I have touched upon many aspects in it, but it is honestly up to you how you perceive it and what you understand from it,” he says.

Choice of actors

Kashyap has cast an interesting set of people in the film. Jimmy Shergill and Ravi Kishan are huge stars in Punjab and the Bhojpuri film industries, and it’s interesting to think that Kashyap would cast them in a raw socio-political love story such as Mukkabaaz. Ask him about it and he quips, “I am making a film on UP; I want actors who are from UP and who understand the culture of that state. Jimmy must be a huge Punjab star, but he was born and raised in UP. He was born in Gorakhpur and studied in Lucknow. Vineet, Ravi Kishan, and Zoya are all from UP. I need people who basically understand the land. It is very important for me. My film has not been made on sets. I never really do. My films are very rooted and I want actors who are also rooted.” He added that he wants actors to understand the issues about the state as he believes they’ll be able to do justice to their roles only if they do. “That’s how they will be able to bring forth the nuances in their performances,” he adds.

 Zoya

This may be Zoya’s first Bollywood film, but Kashyap informs us that the debutante has previously acted in short films and theatre. “She is a phenomenal actress. The world hasn’t seen her because she rarely goes out for auditions. She doesn’t meet people. When I saw her short film, I told her, you’re such a good actress; why don’t you meet some new people? She says,  ‘No, I have had some horrible experiences. They ask questions that have nothing to do with acting. Someone will tell you to get some job done—get your lips or teeth fixed. I am an actor, not a beauty pageant participant.’ She has a solid point of view, exactly what became her character on screen. So while writing, I had Zoya and Sunaina— both in mind,” he explains.  

Not just Vineet, but even Zoya was given a strict diktat to train to learn sign language. “I sent Zoya off too and told her to learn sign language in such detail that she could improvise. You should be able to answer any questions if I ask you any questions. It should become a part of you. And she took nearly six to seven months to grasp it completely. I have not seen a screen presence like Zoya’s for a long time. Zoya is like Nawazuddin. When you put him in front of a camera, he takes on a completely different note. When you see her on screen, you will look back at her differently,” he says.

Vineet

Vineet has struggled a lot, both mentally and physically, with the role. Vineet left for training the same night, and Kashyap told him he wanted to cast a real boxer. Even though the actor had started prepping a year before he approached the filmmaker, it wasn’t enough, Kashyap said. “He had started prepping a year before he came to me with the script. But that training was in Bombay, and it was very generic. When he came to me, I told him I didn’t want to see him box like the ones in Hindi films. I wanted a real boxer. So off he went to the place from where the real boxers come. We spoke to Vijender Singh, who told us where to train as professional boxers. He headed to Punjab to train and spent another year in training, which means two years in total,’ he adds.

Kashyap adds that when one has actors like Vineet and Zoya, one feels like making a film on them. “The commitment that they show towards their work and role makes a filmmaker like me work hard on a film. Why would anyone take up a film if their actors don’t give their 100%,” he questions.

Equation with Anand L Rai

Kashyap and Anand L Rai have very different sensibilities regarding filmmaking, but Kashyap has had a fantastic time collaborating with the filmmaker/producer. “Anand L Rai came on board because of Manmarziyan. He wanted me to make the film. I read the script and loved it instantly but told him I needed time as I was working on Mukkabaaz and looking for a producer. He enquired about the film and the time it would take. Convinced with what he heard, he agreed to bankroll Mukkabaaz as well. It was a 15-minute meeting, and it has been great working with him ever since,” Kashyap admits, adding that Rai is very empowering as a producer.  Kashyap added that the two will begin working on Manmarziyan in February.