Abhishek Bachchan asked me if he should eat more to look bigger for I Want To Talk role: Shoojit Sircar

The movie is based connected the communicative of my person Arjun Sen, who has been moving successful the US for the past 35 years, and his daughter. We started talking astir his beingness successful 2020, implicit Zoom. I recovered thing fascinating astir him but I did not cognize that I was going to marque a movie astir him. These conversations went connected till 2021. Then thing clicked successful my caput and I bounced it disconnected with writer Ritesh Shah. I told Ritesh determination was thing bizarre and hilarious astir him; helium was suffering for agelong and yet could laughter astatine himself arsenic helium went done life-and-death situations. In 2022, we decided to enactment connected a script.

Also work – I Want to Talk movie review: Abhishek Bachchan’s show is amended than thing other he’s done truthful far, but Shoojit Sircar’s play is excessively understated

The movie doesn’t underline thing and allows the assemblage to observe Arjun.

That was my motive. I wanted to papers his beingness arsenic good arsenic my knowing of beingness and death. This was besides an exploration of a father-daughter relationship. Somewhere we each — Abhishek, Ritesh and I — connected to the communicative arsenic fathers. I wanted the assemblage to subordinate to what they are going done successful their ain lives. Arjun’s communicative made maine deliberation astir my narration with my daughter.

Director Shoojit Sircar with Abhishek Bachchan

In the film, Arjun manipulates those adjacent him to bash what helium wants. Did you besides manipulate Abhishek to play the lead?

You tin accidental that Abhishek manipulated me. We were successful Melbourne and helium took maine retired for dinner. We were with my shaper Ronnie Lahiri and Abhishek poured his bosom out. I had not seen Abhishek similar this ever. In my mind, Abhishek was ever determination portion scripting it. Similarly, Irrfan was besides determination successful the mind. Even though helium was not determination (by then), you extremity up visualising actors successful a role. After Melbourne, erstwhile I met Abhishek, helium instantly said yes. When I mentioned that I wanted him to person a paunch, helium took disconnected his garment and said, “Dada, this is the paunch I have. You privation maine to devour much and look bigger?”

Was Abhishek anxious to enactment successful this movie due to the fact that helium connected to the father-daughter communicative oregon did helium privation to situation himself?

He decidedly wanted to enactment with me. Abhishek ne'er tells maine but successful conversations, 1 tin consciousness that helium connects to the father-daughter facet of the film. Agreeing to enactment connected a taxable similar this and alteration himself into the quality — arsenic if helium disappears into Arjun — was driven by that connection.

How did you find your 2 actors Pearle Dey and Ahilya Bamroo, who play the younger and older roles of Arjun’s daughter, Reya? They look truthful similar.

The casting recognition goes to Ronnie who introduced maine to Ahilya. She is rather progressive connected Instagram and lives successful Puducherry. When we called her, she was wholly taken aback. When we met her successful our Mumbai office, I recovered specified rawness and purity successful her. She is truthful effortless successful the movie. My person successful Los Angeles helped maine find Pearle since we wanted a miss who has an American accent. Abhishek met some of them earlier the shoot.

As Arjun, Abhishek goes done antithetic stages of beingness and physicality.

Since it was changeable successful the US, we could not interruption the schedule. We stayed determination for 3 months. In immoderate sequences, we utilized make-up and prosthetics portion successful others, we utilized bodysuits. We combined respective elements and processes to get the close look. Let maine archer you, Abhishek worked arsenic a bully adjunct manager of mine. Whatever I needed, helium ensured it was done. He would say: ‘I volition enactment and assistance Shoojit da’. He contributed a batch to get the look right.

You often thin towards characters who are non-mainstream. Do your theatre days power your choice?

Sometimes what drives you is what’s wrong you. Arjun gave maine a batch of anticipation and resilience. He is connected a travel not to springiness up. Theatre teaches you each facet of life. My guru NK Sharma, successful Delhi, taught maine each that. He respected each occupation successful theatre. If idiosyncratic is doing costumes, helium would springiness that idiosyncratic much respect than, maybe, the actors. A batch of scenes, break-downs and preparations that I bash are each from theatre.

What’s the communicative down casting Johny Lever to play the quality Johny?

When we were penning the script, Ritesh wrote the character’s sanction Johny. Later, I thought let’s formed Johny Lever successful that role, who is straight-faced and a spot bizarre. I was not definite helium would bash it. When we met, helium said that helium is simply a ‘healer’ and is progressive successful a batch of societal activities. He wanted to beryllium a portion of it. He is effortless arsenic an actor.

Do you deliberation movies similar I Want To Talk, which are much indie successful spirit, person little abstraction today?

It whitethorn look little if you comparison it with different movies. But Vicky Donor (2012) and Piku (2015) recovered the close audience. I americium assured my producers, Ronnie and Sheel Kumar, volition guarantee I Want To Talk finds that too.

The humour successful the movie is understated compared to Piku. Was that deliberate?

It is not the benignant of movie wherever I tin person Piku’s humour. This was much of a satire connected life, philosophical humour. It has its restraints. You person to decode it. For some, it volition beryllium hilarious. Some others whitethorn find it hilarious erstwhile they revisit it aft a gap. It depends connected their life’s experience.