12 hours agoAuthor: Indresh Gupta
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Director Tejas Prabha Vijay Deoscar’s two films ‘Ground Zero’ and ‘Dev Manus’ have been released simultaneously on 25 April. In this conversation, Tejas gave special information about shooting with these two films and artists.
Your two films, ‘Ground Zero’ and ‘Dev Manus’ are releasing together. What would you like to say?
It is true that my two different films, ‘Ground Zero’ and ‘Dev Manus’ have come in front of the audience on the same day. I am full of many kinds of feelings about this. Mainly there is enthusiasm, because it is a special moment for me as a director. Both films mean a lot to me. Interestingly, they are completely different from each other.
‘Ground Zero’ is a story based on the sensitive background of Kashmir and has action and thrill. At the same time, ‘Dev Manus’ is a more personal and psychological story, which touches the complex aspects of human nature. Their content is different, their languages are different. ‘Ground Zero’ is mainly in Hindi while ‘Dev Manus’ is in Marathi. I am looking at this situation as if I am giving examinations of two different subjects simultaneously.
Tejas with actor Emraan Hashmi during shooting in Kashmir.
‘Ground Zero’ was shot in Kashmir. What challenges did you face there?
Shooting in Kashmir was challenging in many ways. Compared to Mumbai or Delhi, the things essential for shooting were not easily available there. In addition, the film is based on the background of 2001–2003, so we had to ensure that modern things do not appear in scenes, such as removing LED street lamps or using our own lighting.
The biggest challenge was to deal with various security agencies and their protocols. I came to know that about 27 different agencies work there and they all have their own rules and protocols. However, I am grateful to the Honorable Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha ji, who helped us a lot in getting the necessary permissions.
How did you feel the ground reality there while shooting in Kashmir?
When we went to Kashmir for the shooting of ‘Ground Zero’, our main objective was to make a film, so we were like a tourist in a way. We had no political or other special objectives. My experience was very positive in Kashmir. Apart from this, the support and love of the local people was also a great relief for us. He always accepted us with an open heart. Therefore, even though there were challenges, the experience of working there was also very memorable and satisfactory.
We shot about 35-40 days in total. When we were returning, we felt as if we were leaving some of our beloved places.
‘Ground Zero’ has been produced by Farhan Akhtar’s production house Excel Entertainment.
What arrangements were made for action scenes in ‘Ground Zero’? Did you get any help from army or other agencies?
We made special efforts to show action scenes in ‘Ground Zero’ close to reality. Since the story of the film revolves around the BSF (Border Security Force), we tried to take advantage of their expertise and resources. BSF officials gave us important information about weapons and other essential equipment and also made some real weapons available for shooting. However, keeping in mind the security protocol, we also ordered many dummy weapons and other props from Mumbai.
Additionally, we needed bulletproof vehicles there, which were made available to us by BSF itself. This was a unique experience in itself because these vehicles are usually not available for civil use. BSF officials also helped us understand training and technical aspects, so that the actor could play his characters more authenticity. This cooperation proved to be very important in making the film’s action scenes reliable.
What kind of training was given to the actors for ‘Ground Zero’?
Ground zero actors were given special training to their characters to play more authentically. We reached Kashmir about three-four days before the shooting started and we spent a lot of time in the BSF camp. We also did preliminary discussions about this in Mumbai.
There were two main aspects for the actors that we focused on. The first was his physical posture and gesture. A soldier’s way of standing, walking and talking is different from the common people due to their special training. We explained this closely to the actors and inspired them to adopt the methods of BSF jawans. The second important aspect was his discipline and respectable behavior.
Tejas is active in both Hindi and Marathi industry.
Soldiers have a special type of adverse and conversation, which is learned. We encouraged actors to assimilate these qualities. We were also appointed a licensing officer by BSF, who discussed in detail with the actors and me in detail what the entire work of BSF and their world is.
This helped us better understand their lives and responsibilities. In addition, while working on the script, I interacted several times and ask them on various aspects on whose experiences this story is based on the experiences, so that we can present the story correctly. All this proved to be very useful for the training actors so that they could play their characters with truth and sensitivity.
Tell us about your second film ‘Dev Manus’. What kind of story is this?
‘Dev Manus’ is a very private story for me. In this, some universal aspects of human nature have been touched by which every audience will feel connected somewhere. The film reflects the events and circumstances that can decrease in the lives of any normal person. It is not based on any true event but it is inspired by common conditions that are often around us.
The film tries to find out how a person living a simple life suddenly gets caught in a situation where he has to think about what he is going to do is right or wrong. The film reflects this moral dilemma and mood. The film also shows how a person reacts at such a time, how he deal with his internal conflicts and eventually takes intoxication. We have tried to touch this human aspect deeply.
Why was Mahesh Manjrekar chosen for ‘Dev Manus’?
Mahesh ji was our first choice. He has said in several interviews that his on-screen and off-screen image in the name of ‘Dev Manus’ are opposite. But as an actor, he has very high capacity and can play any character. Therefore, I thought it would be a challenging role for him. After hearing the story, he expressed his desire to do it immediately, which made me very happy.
Was the story of ‘Dev Manus’ originally thought in Marathi?
The film is a conversion of ‘Slaughter’. Unlike the remake, in conversion we take the original concept and write a new story on it. There is a lot of difference between the world of ‘slaughter’ and our film. This is almost a different story. There are many excellent examples of adaptation to Indian cinema, such as Vishal Bhardwaj’s ‘Maqbool’ (based on Macbeth), ‘Omkara’ (based on Othelo) and ‘Hyder’ (based on Hamlet). These films were inspired by original stories, but they created a different world and story.
What is Mahesh’s character in this? Is he a school master like ‘slaughter’?
Mahesh ji’s character is beyond the school teacher. Both Mahesh ji and Renuka Shahane are from the Walkari community. Varkari is a famous community of Maharashtra who participates in Vari (pilgrimage) of Pandharpur every year. Renuka ji is playing the role of a woman making Paithani (a type of saree). Therefore, we have created a very different world from the original story.
Many times people feel that the names of some characters of the story should be changed, the locations should be changed or some events are changed a little, then it has become a conversion. not actually. This is not just a superficial change, but is like going into the depth of the story and giving it a new life. We are happy that love Films, who is also the creator of “slaughter” and is also producing “Dev Manus”, he gave us complete freedom to transform this story effectively in our own way.