‘Malaal is my most commercial film’

Mangesh Hadawale likes to work at his own pace. The writer-director-producer is gearing up for the release of his next directorial Malaal, which is coming eight years after his last release Dekh Indian Circus.

Malaal stars Meezan Jaffery and Sharmin Segal and is set to release on July 5. The film is a remake of the 2004 Tamil film, 7G Rainbow Colony. Mangesh, who is known for National Award winning film Tingya, calls Malaal his most commercial film till date. “In spite of the commercial aspects present, every story has the heartbeat of the director or writer. Malaal has romance, drama, action but its emotions and soul are the same as that of Tingya and Dekh Indian Circus,” he says. 

His stories also have a rustic feel to them. Is it because he belongs to Junnar, a small village in Maharashtra? “Yes. It’s a fact that I have grown up in a small village, in a farmer’s family, which has influenced me in many ways,” he adds.

Collaborating with Sanjay Leela Bhansali 
The film is produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali who is known for bringing grandeur and opulence on screen. Mangesh, on the other hand, has always been appreciated by critics for the simplicity in his storytelling. So was it difficult to combine the two styles? The director replies, “It wasn’t very difficult because Sanjay sir had given me a lot of freedom. His sense of filmmaking helped me. His way of looking at things is very different. I think he respected my thoughts, who I am as a person, my background on a human level. He understood me very well and I understood him. Sometimes, even before he uttered a word, I knew what he was thinking. I would have been dumb if I hadn’t taken advantage of his experience.” 

Evolution of his filmmaking style 
He adds that he has changed his filmmaking style over the years and people can’t judge him based on his previous films. The change happened because of his last film Dekh..., which won a National Award and released in several countries but it did not get a theatrical release in India. “There was a transition period and I got time to think about what was lacking in that film that it did not get a theatrical release in spite of all the appreciation. I worked on the changes I needed to bring in me. Malaal is the first creation after the change in my thought process,” says the director, who has produced a Marathi film and directed a short during the gap.

Working with newcomers
The director has mostly worked with either children or newcomers and he says that he feels happy about it. “Normally, when a film features big stars and become successful, the actors gets all the credit. The director and writer get credit after the actors. Also, when you are working with new actors, you are kind of creating something out of raw soil and the process is lot more fun,” he says, adding, “But you have to also work hard while working with fresh or young faces.” 

Mangesh says that he had to work very hard with Meezan and Sharmin because of their background. While Meezan is actor Javed Jaffery’s son, Sharmin is Sanjay ’s niece. “I had to change their lifestyle, which was challenging. That’s the reason I did not give them the script for two years,” Mangesh says. 

And was there any pressure while making the film because of their connections? “No, firstly, I do not have much knowledge about what is happening in the film industry. When not creating ads, corporate and feature films, I do full-time farming at my village. Also, I was more concerned about telling a good story. I looked at them as the characters of my story.” 

On taking long gaps 
Mangesh takes really long breaks between his films. “I focus on whatever gives me happiness. I go trekking with my children, travel extensively with my family, do farming. I also have poultry farms and agro business, which needs my attention. Simultaneously, I make ads in Mumbai. Also, to make a good film, you need to give it time. It’s not like I do not have the hunger to make many films. Sometimes I do feel that I need to work more,” he says. 

He also informs that because he has been doing meditation for many years, he is far away from the materialistic aspects of life. “Sometimes, I make films on mobile phone just for myself,” he says before signing off.