Aamir, a film made by newcomers on a shoestring budget, took the steam out of Sarkar Raj, awed critics and showed that the good story rules. A chat with debutant director Raj Kumar Gupta, the latest outsider to rewrite the Bollywood formula

How did you become a filmmaker?
I am from Hazaribagh and a commerce graduate from Delhi University. Always inclined towards writing, I enrolled in a film course at Mumbai’s Xavier Institute of Communications in 1999. Then, I interned at various places, did some ad films, and directed the TV series Kagaar before joining Anurag Kashyap in 2002. I assisted him on Black Friday, No Smoking and Gulal, all the while writing scripts till Aamir finally gave me the break. My father wanted me to become a banker but I disappointed him. Hopefully, Aamir has changed that. 

Critics have said that Aamir is one of the best debuts in recent times. What do you think is the best compliment it has got?
It’s overwhelming to be accepted by the audience and critics alike. Interestingly, Aamir’s reviews have praised each technical aspect of the film such as music, cinematography and editing. Since debutants were involved in each aspect—it was also a first for producers UTV Spotboy—I think the best compliment was, ‘It’s unbelievable that this film has been made by so many first-timers.’ 

Aamir’s release coincided with that of Sarkar Raj. Did that unsettle you?
I never looked at Sarkar Raj as competition as I was confident about the story we were telling. I was nervous though as this was my debut film. No filmmaker can guess when it’s ‘safe’ to release a movie. A recent film with four of the biggest stars made by the biggest banner bombed. Conventional box office wisdom doesn’t hold true anymore.  

... contd.