‘Mumbai is my my MUSE’

But Mishra affirms that his film is definitely not inspired by Slumdog Millionaire. He says,“I made Dharavi before Slumdog Millionaire. But I liked the energy of Slumdog Millionaire. I have never considered trying to mimic it as it’s a film made by an outsider who is fascinated by the city. It was a warm look at the city; a kind of an ode to it.” So,what is Tera Kya Hoga Johny about?

“There are a couple of facets about the city that I miss. There was a time when Mumbai belonged to its people. When I first came to the city,the roads,the beaches and the promenades belonged to us. The city was very vibrant at night. The cops were around but the rules were not so stringent. Not everyone who took a walk on the sea-face at night was seen as a criminal. My film is all of that and more.”

The plot of Tera Kya Hoga Johny is not quite a shift from Mishra’s best-known films. In an India that claims to be shining,the film speaks about a young boy who sells coffee on the roads of Mumbai and his relationship with Parvesh (played by Neil Nitin Mukesh),a young man struggling to make it on his own terms. “There are complications in Parvesh’s life and the story proceeds as to how he gets over those complications. At the same time,Johny latches on to Parvesh hoping that if Parvesh makes it then so will he,” adds the director. Commenting on the inspiration behind Johny,the central character in Tera Kya Hoga Johny,Mishra adds,“Johny is an acronym for every other man,a regular commoner. Like John Doe,it has become a household name for a person involved in a litigation.”

Amazingly,a section of people— fairly well-versed with the Internet— have already got a dekho of Mishra’s upcoming film. The movie was uploaded on the video sharing site YouTube by unknown people last year. “Actually a rough assembly of the film without any DI (Digital Intermediate) and sound was uploaded on YouTube. The quality of the footage was poor and it happened when the film was not fully shot yet. I guess somebody leaked it from some place,” says the director. When the news of the leak reached him,Mishra was upset initially but the filmmaker seems to have made peace with it. He says,“That raw unedited footage has served as a trailer. Anybody who would have seen it would have liked it and will want to see the film.”

Just like the other films that he made on Mumbai,Tera Kya Hoga Johny,too,is very close to Mishra’s heart. He says,“It’s a continuity of my films on Mumbai. I made Chameli,Dharavi and Iss Raat Ki Subah Nahin,all of which were set in this city. Through these films I like to tell stories about the city that I love — Mumbai — that has made me what I am. I owe a lot to this city and it totally fascinates me. I listen to the stories that the city has to tell and narrate them in a different way.”

The director has shot Tera Kya Hoga Johny at Mumbai’s Byculla,Mazgaon,Colaba,Powai,Gamdevi,and Fountain. “I wanted to bring out the essence of Mumbai. I have also shot on flyovers and old boats that still ferry from Mumbai to Alibaug,” says the filmmaker.

The film was in the cans for almost two years. Quiz Mishra about it and he says,“Such things are bound to happen. This film was left incomplete and has now been completed. We have re-shot many portions.”

Mishra decided to cast Neil Nitin Mukesh in the lead role after seeing his work in Johnny Gaddaar. “It was like getting a friend on board,” he says. Neil’s brooding presence worked wonders for the film and charmed the filmmaker. Mishra is all praise for the young actor. He says,“Neil is a wonderful young man and a great actor. It was fun working with him. He has a brooding presence on the sets. He’s gutsy and takes on roles with ease. His vulnerability as an actor works for me. Any director can tell a story through him without the fear that he would obstruct the film’s flow.”

Soha Ali Khan plays an aspiring model in the film,who is saddled with a cocaine-addicted boyfriend,the first-of-its-kind for the young actress. Mishra,who has worked with her earlier in Khoya Khoya Chand,says,“Soha is a wonderful actress. She was criticised greatly for her role in Khoya Khoya Chand. I know more acting than most people and anybody who thought Soha was not good in the film knows nothing about acting. I took her on in Tera Kya Hoga Johny as she perfectly suited the part of a young girl lost in love. Her encounter with Parvesh is one of the most interesting parts.” Apart from Kay Kay Menon and Shahana Goswami,who play pivotal roles,the film also has cameos from filmmakers like Anurag Kashyap,Aditya Bhattacharya and Ashoke Pandit. “These directors have a wonderful presence. Anurag is somebody I love as he has a fantastic screen presence. If you have that kind of talent available to you for a cameo then why would you not use it? Directors have very interesting faces and stories to tell. There is a life lived in those faces; they are not sauna-bath-steam faces. They are real people and that reflects in their presence.” Remind him that he has done roles in a couple of films earlier and he says,“Well I used to act because an actor had not come. I just stood there to make up for his absence. It wasn’t intentional,” laughs the director.

Things seem to be looking up for Mishra,who has just finished the shoot of his next film — Yeh Saali Zindagi. Starring Chitrangda Singh and Irrfan,the film will release in February 2011. Among his upcoming films there is Dhruv starring Katrina Kaif and Farhan Akhtar. “The film will go on the floors only after Farhan finishes filming Don-2,” says Mishra. The filmmaker also plans to direct a film produced by Prakash Jha. Come June 2011 and hopes to start work on Hitman with Shiney Ahuja. “I like Shiney and will work with him,but only once he’s cleared by the court. I have no idea about the leading lady. She is being finalised as we speak,” he says.