Leh: Even though filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra wasn't too convinced with the idea of making a documentary on 'Rang De Basanti' after five years of its official release, his wife PS Bharathi followed her heart. Bharathi, who had also edited the Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra film, knew that the impact of 'Rang De Basanti' was such that the viewers wouldn't face any difficulty in understanding 'Ru Ba Ru', which includes thought that went into making the film, the problems Rakeysh had to combat and the perspective of the film's cast.
Following the screening of her directorial debut 'Ru Ba Ru' at Ladakh International Film Festival 2014, PS Bharathi spoke exclusively to IBNLive.
"We started thinking of working on the documentary about five years after the film 'Rang De Basanti' was released. I felt the film left an immense impact on the people, which very few films have managed to do so far. And the longevity of 'Rang De Basanti' was another key determinant to make the documentary. My film 'Ru Ba Ru' not only focuses on the film's impact, but also talks about the different perspectives of the film's cast and crew, including the problem we had to combat to finish the film."
Since PS Bharathi had edited 'Rang De Basanti' she admits to have watched the film over a thousand times by now. "I was obviously the first person to watch 'Rang De Basanti'. There were sequences that brought lumps to my throat and made me cry. The fact that I had watched the film from its script level till it was shot, I must have watched it about thousand times by now," she explains.
While majority of the films of Rayesh Omprakash Mehra revolves around the country's socio-political situation, in his personal life, as his wife tell us, he is not only romantic, but also a perfect family man. "Yes, Rakeysh is very romantic. He is a family man, attends to daddies duties, is easy going and not at all demanding. He often tells kids, 'Padh ke kya karna hai ?' to which I react by retorting, "Don't say all this to kids. But he believes in doing what one is interested in. It is about doing whatever it takes to achieve your dreams," she says, adding, "And working on a love story like 'Mirziya', which is also his next film, has never been difficult for Rakeysh. He will handle romance his way, and never fluff a love story. It is all about love being played out the way he sees it. I will be editing his film 'Mirziya'."
Bharathi also shared with us the first time she met Rakeysh and how exactly the real life romance began. "I used to work with a gentleman called Prahlad Kakkar and Rakeshji's office was a floor above. He used to come to Prahald's office and use his editing room and that's where it started. I joined Prahlad as an intern. Since Rakeyshji was from Delhi, he would come when he had film to edit and go. And since they also wanted someone to help, someone they didn't have to pay, I was chosen as a slave to help Rakeyshji. And yes, Rakesyhji made the first move. We had a year-long courtship period. Since he was used to stay in Delhi, he later moved to a flat in Mumbai.
When asked about her forthcoming projects, she said, "I can't think of any other film right now. Right now, the focus is only on the documentary. Yes, I do have a couple of thoughts, but I'm not too sure if these will translate into projects."
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