More than ten years ago, Sushil Rajpal’s National Award-winning 2008 film, Antardwand dealt with jabariya shaadi (groom kidnappings) in Bihar. The drama explored the dark consequences of such incidents focusing on the lives of those affected. Now director Prashant Singh tackles the same subject, albeit in a light-hearted manner. “I knew from the beginning that I wanted to make a rom-com,” says Singh who makes his debut with Jabariya Jodi that releases this Friday. “I wanted to use the idea [of groom kidnappings] and not disrespect the emotions attached to it. We have tried to balance it out.” Singh, who has has previously worked as first assistant director on films like Tanu Weds Manu and Raanjhanaa wanted to make a film that grew out of a single thought: a girl kidnaps a boy who kidnaps everybody. The idea was proposed by writer Sanjeev K. Jha and became the kernel around which the film eventually took shape.
Small town flavour
In spite of the film’s grim subject, Singh is confident that Jabariya Jodi, with its vibrant mix of romantic and entertaining songs and snappy dialogue by Raj Shandilya will stand out.
But he is also quick to clarify: “In no way does the film promote forced marriages… we have treated [the issue] with all the respect that one should,” he states.
Several research trips to Bihar, and conversations with reporters and those who have experienced forced marriage themselves revealed that outrageous dowry demands compelled people to take such drastic measures. In some cases, family members were found to be responsible for the kidnapping. Since the rituals were regarded as sacred and irreversible, most forcibly married couples eventually resigned themselves to their fates. In recent years, there has been a spate of popular Hindi films about romances set in small Indian towns. While their local colour and authenticity has charmed audiences, these films’ repeated success at the box office has led to an apparently winning formula. Singh however disagrees. “I don’t believe in formulas and these trends. I believe in telling a story,” he says. “If something has excited me, everything else with follow, whatever has to happen will happen around that idea.”
The story, he explains, could not be set anywhere else since real-life incidents of groom kidnapping have occurred primarily in rural Bihar. All other creative decisions he says were similarly made keeping the demands of the story in mind.
Being authentic
Reluctant to compromise on his vision for his first film, Singh wanted to include popular, mainstream actors whose involvement would guarantee the budget that he needed to present the story on the intended scale. “I had seen Student of the Year and had loved it,” laughs Singh. “I knew that there was a lot that was hidden in [Sidharth Malhotra]. I always felt that he has that young Amitabh Bachchan [vibe].” There were concerns that Malhotra had predominantly played urban characters before. “If Sidharth pulls this off, he will surprise everybody and that surprise is much better than an obvious casting,” believes Singh adding that everyone worked hard to make the characters in the film sound and look authentic. There were workshops conducted to perfect diction and body language, and Singh remembers how pleased he was upon discovering at one point that Malhotra had even hired a personal dialect coach.
Jabariya Jodi also follows another trend in Hindi cinema: an emphasis on a distinguished supporting cast. Singh has roped in actors such as Sanjay Mishra, Sheeba Chaddha and Chandan Roy Sanyal to bring his film alive. Lyricist Raj Shekhar had suggested that the costumes in the film needed to reflect the new cultural influences that younger people across the country were imbibing. “Bihar is changing… They are all on Facebook and Instagram, so those changes [needed] to be seen… People there are now wearing clothes as colourful and modern as people in Pune or Bombay,” concludes Singh when describing the extensive work that was done on the film’s costumes to make them realistic.