‘Every human being has shades of grey’

Meghna Gulzar’s Raazi based on Harinder Sikka’s Calling Sehmat, is the true story of an ordinary girl who marries into a distinguished Pakistani family to unearth valuable information during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971. For Gulzar, this is the second film that she’s adapted from true events into a screenplay, which is a different ballgame altogether, “You need to restrict the creative liberties to a bare minimum when you are telling a true-life story. When you are adapting a book, you are translating from one medium to another and if it doesn’t lift the written medium a notch higher, then it serves no purpose,” says Gulzar who finds making films on real-life incidents even more challenging.

Recreating history

The choice for her scripts has always been instinctive. Her earlier film, Talvar, which was based on the 2008 Noida double murder was critically acclaimed and Gulzar is now working on two other scripts also based on true events. “It makes me work harder and better because of the challenge and the responsibility that comes with it,” shares the filmmaker.

Gulzar’s biggest challenge, however, was in recreating the period the film is set in. “You are trying to recreate the 1970s Pakistan and you don’t have a visual reference — not on an immediate personal level. So, you research and draw your own conclusion,” says the 44-year-old filmmaker who drew references from the various archival images of that time. With the help of her team, Gulzar has managed to create an era that, “will convince the audience that they are entering that world without any intrusion.” She adds, “For instance, in 1971, what were the resources that were available to a spy? There were no microchips, camera phones or spy cameras. So, you lean on your imagination and logic.” For her research, Gulzar met sources and think tanks and requested them for inputs without compromising their position or the institution they work for. “It wasn’t easy to research because you are talking about Intel and counterintelligence and nobody will share that information. You have to pick things up from the conversations you’ve had with people in these agencies,” elaborates the filmmaker.

Not without Alia

Gulzar’s Sehmat is no femme fatale but an ordinary woman who risks her life for her country. She is required to be gentle, feminine and yet have a strong mind as she goes through rigorous training under Indian Army Intelligence to pass off as a spy. But there is a certain vulnerability to her throughout the film. “Not only spies, every human being has shades of grey in them. What is important to remember is their motivation behind their actions. Whether it is selfless or selfish is the dividing line and when you understand their motivation, you align with the character and internalize their journey,” she says. Gulzar has been vocal about Alia Bhatt being the focal point of her film. Without Bhatt, Raazi wouldn’t have been made, “It’s the vision I had for the characters and the actor’s physicality needed to go with it which how Alia and Vicky [Kaushal] came on board.” The unfamiliar casting also added to the story that also explores the couple’s chemistry. “I knew that the actors have to deliver a very high level of performance because it’s not only Sehmat’s journey which is a fragile but also of her husband’s,” she says. The film’s soundtrack has been carefully vetted and created and “each song has its own significance in the film and is embedded in the story. “It is very honest and very different from today’s music which was a huge chance for us to take. The fact that people are liking it without even seeing the film is a huge compliment for Shankar Ehsaan Loy and my father,” the filmmaker believes.

Kashmir connection

A major portion of Raazi has been shot in the picturesque valleys of Kashmir and, brought back Gulzar’s childhood memories when she would tag along with her parents (lyricist Gulzar and veteran actor Rakhee) to their shoots. “I have vivid memories of my childhood which I have relived this time. But to be able to shoot your own film where you have once gone as a child with parents was very meaningful for me. When my son visited my set, it kind of completed a circle for me. I have an inexplicable affinity to Kashmir. I can’t explain the connect,” she says.