By: Contributing Writer WP
June 24, 2010
By: Simran Mody, India Correspondent
If sex sells, then debutant director Pravesh Bhardwaj has certainly selected the ideal situational storyline to focus on in his first-ever foray into Hindi cinema. By tackling the ever-changing realm of extra-marital affairs in Mr. Singh Mrs. Mehta, Pravesh’s film even introduced something Bollywood is going to have to quickly come to terms with: a topless lead actress. Indeed, the first-time director does not shy away from featuring his top actress, Aruna Shields of Prince and Ali G Indahouse fame, from flashing a little too much flesh. Yet, his film which barely earned the stamp of approval by India’s Censor Board, also dives right into the controversial issue of why married people seek sexual relations outside the sanctity of holy matrimony. A film that is based in London, scored by Grammy-nominated sitarist Ustad Shujaat Hussain Khan, and featuring Prashant Narayanan, Lucy Hassan and Naved Aslam opposite the British-Indian Aruna Shields, Pravesh talks about what his UTV Motion Pictures release, which hits screens this weekend, means to him.
“I have tried to portray on reel what happens in real life. I think audiences are mature enough to understand it,” Pravesh humbly told the press. “This is not the first time when an actress has bared all for a movie. People have accepted it earlier and I am hopeful they will accept it in my film, too.”
What Bollywood fans will have to accept is the tale of two spouses, played by Prashant and Aruna, who are aware of the other person’s extramarital escapades. In telling the tale of these two confused lovers, Pravesh managed to get a certification from India’s Censor Board despite Aruna bearing it all and the plot featuring 34 on-screen kissing scenes. Ironically enough, the one person who appears to be ardently waving a red flag is the director’s wife, Rajshri Productions’ Shruti Nagar.
Despite the opposition from his own wife, Pravesh still believes the rest of Bollywood will be open to his risqué film. Indeed, he says anyone who things Mr. Singh Mrs. Mehta is solely about kissing, nudity and sex is missing the big picture.
“The film is not only about kissing and nude scenes as thought of by many,” he informed the press. “It has got a lot more to offer like a different story, an unique treatment of the script, performances by the stars and music by Shujaat Husain Khan.”
And just what is that big picture message the debutant director tries to deliver with Mr. Singh Mrs. Mehta? Pravesh says it is simple: trying to keep up with the evolving nature of marriages in the twenty-first century.
“With time the institution of marriage has changed. In our society we still attach stigma to broken marriages/separations/divorces. The morality of this whole thing is evolving afresh every day. With Mr. Singh Mrs. Mehta I found an ideal vehicle to explore this issue,” the director observed. “While writing the script of Mr. Singh Mrs. Mehta the key thing I kept in mind was to present the characters in such a way that I don’t judge them for the audience. I did not look at them as the custodian of virtues. They are people like us caught in a situation.”
Of course, Pravesh, who idolizes one of the biggest names in Hollywood, has to be happy about the situation he is caught in – pursuing a career in film. Accordingly, in making a film exposing the lifestyle of two spouses caught in sexual despair, Pravesh says he is merely doing what he thinks all people in his position should be doing – developing original stories.
“I firmly believe that a true film maker ought to be an auteur and should have his or her own ideas to make a film,” he humbly told the press. “A big fan of Stanley Kubrik, I want to make films of almost all genres. An avid film watcher of almost all kinds of films I love to follow cinema of all kinds but shows a fascination towards world cinema.”
This weekend, Pravesh hopes fans both in Bollywood and international film are fascinated with his take on trying to get handle on the constantly blurred lines separating right from wrong when it comes to married couples.
By: Simran Mody, India Correspondent
If sex sells, then debutant director and Stanley Kubrik aficionado Pravesh Bhardwaj has certainly selected the ideal situational storyline to focus on in his first-ever foray into Hindi cinema. By tackling the ever-changing realm of extra-marital affairs in Mr. Singh Mrs. Mehta, Pravesh’s film even introduced something Bollywood is going to have to quickly come to terms with: a topless lead actress. Indeed, the first-time director does not shy away from featuring his top actress — Aruna Shields of Prince and Ali G Indahouse fame — from flashing a little too much flesh. Yet his film, which barely earned the stamp of approval by India’s Censor Board, also dives right into the controversial issue of why married people seek sexual relations outside the sanctity of holy matrimony. The film is based in London and scored by Grammy-nominated sitarist Ustad Shujaat Hussain Khan and features Prashant Narayanan, Lucy Hassan and Naved Aslam opposite the British-Indian Aruna Shields. Pravesh talks about what his UTV Motion Pictures release, which hits screens this weekend, means to him.
“I have tried to portray on reel what happens in real life. I think audiences are mature enough to understand it,” Pravesh humbly told the press. “This is not the first time an actress has bared all for a movie. People have accepted it earlier, and I am hopeful they will accept it in my film too.”
What Bollywood fans will have to accept is the tale of two spouses, played by Prashant and Aruna, who are aware of the other person’s extramarital escapades. In telling the tale of these two confused lovers, Pravesh managed to get a certification from India’s Censor Board, despite Aruna bearing it all and the plot featuring 34 on-screen kissing scenes. Ironically enough, the one person who appears to be ardently waving a red flag is the director’s wife, Rajshri Productions’ Shruti Nagar.
Despite the opposition from his own wife, Pravesh still believes the rest of Bollywood will be open to his risqué film. Indeed, he says anyone who thinks Mr. Singh Mrs. Mehta is solely about kissing, nudity, and sex is missing the big picture.
“The film is not only about kissing and nude scenes as thought by many,” he informed the press. “It has a lot more to offer, like a different story, an unique treatment of the script, performances by the stars, and music by Shujaat Husain Khan.”
And just what is that big-picture message the debutant director tries to deliver with Mr. Singh Mrs. Mehta? Pravesh says it is simple: trying to keep up with the evolving nature of marriages in the 21st century.
“With time, the institution of marriage has changed. In our society, we still attach stigma to broken marriages/separations/divorces. The morality of this whole thing is evolving afresh every day. With Mr. Singh Mrs. Mehta, I found an ideal vehicle to explore this issue,” the director observed. “While writing the script of Mr. Singh Mrs. Mehta, the key thing I kept in mind was to present the characters in such a way that I don’t judge them for the audience. I did not look at them as the custodian of virtues. They are people like us caught in a situation.”
Of course, Pravesh, who idolizes one of the biggest names in Hollywood, has to be happy about the situation he is caught in — pursuing a career in film. Accordingly, in making a film exposing the lifestyle of two spouses caught in sexual despair, Pravesh says he is merely doing what he thinks all people in his position should be doing — developing original stories.
“I firmly believe that a true filmmaker ought to be an auteur and should have his or her own ideas to make a film,” he humbly told the press. “A big fan of Stanley Kubrik, I want to make films of almost all genres. I love to follow cinema of all kinds that show a fascination toward world cinema.”
This weekend, Pravesh hopes fans, both in Bollywood and international film, are fascinated with his take on trying to get a handle on the constantly blurred lines separating right from wrong when it comes to married couples.
