Adnan Murad: Who came up with the idea for 7 Din Mohabbat In?
Farjad: The first film idea that Meenu and I worked on together was a film on Manto – the half-finished screenplay must be lying somewhere and this was alongside that. So this story became our masala film idea if we ever had the chance or the courage to make one. This was probably five years before Zinda Bhaag was released.
Meenu: It was one of the first ideas we ever discussed as a possible feature film. I actually clearly remember the moment Farjad narrated this story to me. It was in Lahore many years ago. Farjad has a neat way in which he can blend the fantastical and absurd into everyday life and 7DMI is exactly that – an everyday coming of age story told in a quirky and crazy way. When Dawn Films approached our Producer Mazhar Zaidi, we presented many of our ideas and they picked this one. They were very good producers to work with as they are not averse to taking risks and trying something new. We embrace all kinds of cinema – art, commercial, B-grade, documentary, experimental and try our hands at everything… so this is us trying our hand at a masala film.
AM: How is it different from Zinda Bhaag and Jeewan Hathi?
Meenu: People keep telling us this is our first ‘commercial’ film. Personally I don’t support the art film / commercial film separation because we think that every film wants to make its money back and is, by that definition, commercial. And on the other hand every film should be artistic in its own distinct way, whether it’s meant for a niche audience or a mass audience. In filmmaking there can’t really be an art for art’s sake argument as it’s such a capital-intensive enterprise. Probably only extremely rich filmmakers can survive making a film just for the sake of art. It takes a minimum of Rs. 4 crores (Rs. 40 million) in Pakistan to make a reasonable feature film nowadays. If ever I made a film that was not ‘commercial’, then I would go the ‘Third cinema’ way – where making the film is not capital-intensive and the distribution and exhibition is free. Beyond such a radical or revolutionary model, all other cinema – including art cinema – according to me is commercial. So the difference between Zinda Bhaag, Jeewan Hathi and 7DMI is essentially that the latter it is meant for a mass audience and so it’s treated to appeal to a greater number.
Farjad: Meenu and I are cinephiles and basically big Bollywood/Lollywood fans. So all our films will reference that content and treatment in some way. Zinda Bhaag had a sort of tribute going on for Lollywood and a lot of inter-textual references to films can be found in 7DMI as well. Art film followers were surprised by our use of lip sync songs and dance in Zinda Bhaag but basically we like to mix things up formally and work against strict commercial and art-house distinctions or expectations. 7DMI is also a mixed genre and has lot of the Meenu-Farjad elements going on – but as Meenu mentioned, is treated in a way that would appeal to larger masses of people.
AM: Over the last five years, the Pakistani audience’s tastes have changed as they have been exposed to a wide range of content. How do you think they will receive your film now?
Meenu: 7DMI is a mass-oriented film in that it is packed with entertainment – so essentially it’s a much simpler film to distribute than Zinda Bhaag. The challenge for a film like Zinda Bhaag is that it has to create a new audience for itself but a film like 7DMI will appeal to any regular cinemagoer because of its entertainment value, star cast etc.
I remember when we screened Zinda Bhaag for a local distributor, he was very unhappy about the film’s ending because he believed that people who come to the cinema to watch films come essentially to feel ‘good’. Most of them, as he went on to explain, have dinner plans after the film and an ending like Zinda Bhaag’s, in his opinion, ruins the taste of their burger or pizza! As I listened to him I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry back then. But actually he taught me one of the most important things about filmmaking within an ‘industry’ perspective. So since that conversation I have learnt that the best way to categorise a film is as ‘happy ending’, ‘sad ending’ and ‘no-closure’ ending. Happy ending films are the best according to an industry perspective, sad ending are also OK as long as there is a sentimental feel-good value that you are left with in the end. But there is no place for ‘no-closure’ endings because with them the audience leaves the cinema ‘thinking’ and that thinking might carry on for days and weeks after the film. So what the distributor was trying to tell us was that ‘thinking’ is just not acceptable and the anti-thesis of entertainment! Zinda Bhaag ran in cinemas for 8 weeks so a lot of people obviously disagreed with him. However we are addicted to no-closure endings and Zinda Bhaag had one, Jeewan Hathi had one and 7DMI has a happy ending but with a surprise second climax – which, of course, you have to go the cinema to figure out.
AM: Zinda Bhaag was set in Lahore and Jeewan Hathi was filmed in Karachi. In what city is your forthcoming film set? How do these cities represent the internal chaos of your on-screen characters? Also, when you are directing a film like 7 Din Mohabbat In, do you want to underline any peculiar trait of the city that it is based in?
Farjad: 7DMI is a quintessentially Karachi film. Its language, characters, absurdity and chaos all reflect the city. The film is a bit scary and unpredictable as well – again like Karachi. The magical elements in 7DMI needed a magical geography and for us the old parts of Karachi hold that allure, so we reached out to our heritage conservationist friend Marvi Mazhar, who helped us find some real gems. Therefore, parts shot in Saddar are more colourful and fantastical as compared to the more opulent yet visually bland parts of the city.
AM: 7 Din Mohabbat In has a glowing ensemble cast. Was it difficult to handle?
Meenu: In terms of logistics, of course: the dates and so on are more complicated with an ensemble cast, but credit goes to the entire team and by that I mean our crew, production and the commitment of the actors. Despite everything, we finished the film – barring a few bits in one stint. Rehearsals we insist on – not because it helps the actors but because it allows us to know the actors well, so that we know how to get the best out of them. So as a result, we are not figuring things out on set with the actors.
AM: You are a director duo. So, how do you manage to be consistent and keep your actors on task? Does it get difficult for the actors – essentially because they are being approached by two directors?
Farjad: I don’t know how it is for the actors, but for us it makes the entire process of filmmaking funner, lighter and more rewarding as result of doing it together. Meenu and I co-write. We are quite into each other’s heads, so by the time we reach the floor, we already know what the other is thinking. Also we have our strong points and depending on that, one or the other leads different aspects of the film process. For instance, background music is something of a passion for me. So in all our films, I physically am with the music director while it is being composed and Meenu is the person who reviews it with an objective distance and provides feedback. Similarly, it is primarily Meenu who works with the actors and I become the reviewer and the person who provides an objective eye. I think Meenu has quite a unique process and approach with the actors and also forges a very close relationship with them – which makes them feel safe and comfortable. This, I feel, works wonderfully each time, as the performances in our films are always something that people notice as being authentic.
AM: Finally, what is next after 7 Din Mohabbat In? Any other projects that you are working on?
Farjad: Meenu and Fasih are co-writing a project that was part of the Locarno Film Festival’s Open Doors Hub this year. I wrote a script which is Lahore-based and a lot of fun and, as Meenu mentioned, there are lots of ‘almost’ complete scripts – of which one is a mystery thriller and Meenu and I are very excited about trying that genre.
Meenu: Farjad is an excellent and a published children’s writer. And he has written a very sweet musical children’s film and it would be great if that were to be our next.
Farjad: The first film idea that Meenu and I worked on together was a film on Manto – the half-finished screenplay must be lying somewhere and this was alongside that. So this story became our masala film idea if we ever had the chance or the courage to make one. This was probably five years before Zinda Bhaag was released.
Meenu: It was one of the first ideas we ever discussed as a possible feature film. I actually clearly remember the moment Farjad narrated this story to me. It was in Lahore many years ago. Farjad has a neat way in which he can blend the fantastical and absurd into everyday life and 7DMI is exactly that – an everyday coming of age story told in a quirky and crazy way. When Dawn Films approached our Producer Mazhar Zaidi, we presented many of our ideas and they picked this one. They were very good producers to work with as they are not averse to taking risks and trying something new. We embrace all kinds of cinema – art, commercial, B-grade, documentary, experimental and try our hands at everything… so this is us trying our hand at a masala film.
AM: How is it different from Zinda Bhaag and Jeewan Hathi?
Meenu: People keep telling us this is our first ‘commercial’ film. Personally I don’t support the art film / commercial film separation because we think that every film wants to make its money back and is, by that definition, commercial. And on the other hand every film should be artistic in its own distinct way, whether it’s meant for a niche audience or a mass audience. In filmmaking there can’t really be an art for art’s sake argument as it’s such a capital-intensive enterprise. Probably only extremely rich filmmakers can survive making a film just for the sake of art. It takes a minimum of Rs. 4 crores (Rs. 40 million) in Pakistan to make a reasonable feature film nowadays. If ever I made a film that was not ‘commercial’, then I would go the ‘Third cinema’ way – where making the film is not capital-intensive and the distribution and exhibition is free. Beyond such a radical or revolutionary model, all other cinema – including art cinema – according to me is commercial. So the difference between Zinda Bhaag, Jeewan Hathi and 7DMI is essentially that the latter it is meant for a mass audience and so it’s treated to appeal to a greater number.
Farjad: Meenu and I are cinephiles and basically big Bollywood/Lollywood fans. So all our films will reference that content and treatment in some way. Zinda Bhaag had a sort of tribute going on for Lollywood and a lot of inter-textual references to films can be found in 7DMI as well. Art film followers were surprised by our use of lip sync songs and dance in Zinda Bhaag but basically we like to mix things up formally and work against strict commercial and art-house distinctions or expectations. 7DMI is also a mixed genre and has lot of the Meenu-Farjad elements going on – but as Meenu mentioned, is treated in a way that would appeal to larger masses of people.
AM: Over the last five years, the Pakistani audience’s tastes have changed as they have been exposed to a wide range of content. How do you think they will receive your film now?
Meenu: 7DMI is a mass-oriented film in that it is packed with entertainment – so essentially it’s a much simpler film to distribute than Zinda Bhaag. The challenge for a film like Zinda Bhaag is that it has to create a new audience for itself but a film like 7DMI will appeal to any regular cinemagoer because of its entertainment value, star cast etc.
I remember when we screened Zinda Bhaag for a local distributor, he was very unhappy about the film’s ending because he believed that people who come to the cinema to watch films come essentially to feel ‘good’. Most of them, as he went on to explain, have dinner plans after the film and an ending like Zinda Bhaag’s, in his opinion, ruins the taste of their burger or pizza! As I listened to him I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry back then. But actually he taught me one of the most important things about filmmaking within an ‘industry’ perspective. So since that conversation I have learnt that the best way to categorise a film is as ‘happy ending’, ‘sad ending’ and ‘no-closure’ ending. Happy ending films are the best according to an industry perspective, sad ending are also OK as long as there is a sentimental feel-good value that you are left with in the end. But there is no place for ‘no-closure’ endings because with them the audience leaves the cinema ‘thinking’ and that thinking might carry on for days and weeks after the film. So what the distributor was trying to tell us was that ‘thinking’ is just not acceptable and the anti-thesis of entertainment! Zinda Bhaag ran in cinemas for 8 weeks so a lot of people obviously disagreed with him. However we are addicted to no-closure endings and Zinda Bhaag had one, Jeewan Hathi had one and 7DMI has a happy ending but with a surprise second climax – which, of course, you have to go the cinema to figure out.
AM: Zinda Bhaag was set in Lahore and Jeewan Hathi was filmed in Karachi. In what city is your forthcoming film set? How do these cities represent the internal chaos of your on-screen characters? Also, when you are directing a film like 7 Din Mohabbat In, do you want to underline any peculiar trait of the city that it is based in?
Farjad: 7DMI is a quintessentially Karachi film. Its language, characters, absurdity and chaos all reflect the city. The film is a bit scary and unpredictable as well – again like Karachi. The magical elements in 7DMI needed a magical geography and for us the old parts of Karachi hold that allure, so we reached out to our heritage conservationist friend Marvi Mazhar, who helped us find some real gems. Therefore, parts shot in Saddar are more colourful and fantastical as compared to the more opulent yet visually bland parts of the city.
AM: 7 Din Mohabbat In has a glowing ensemble cast. Was it difficult to handle?
Meenu: In terms of logistics, of course: the dates and so on are more complicated with an ensemble cast, but credit goes to the entire team and by that I mean our crew, production and the commitment of the actors. Despite everything, we finished the film – barring a few bits in one stint. Rehearsals we insist on – not because it helps the actors but because it allows us to know the actors well, so that we know how to get the best out of them. So as a result, we are not figuring things out on set with the actors.
AM: You are a director duo. So, how do you manage to be consistent and keep your actors on task? Does it get difficult for the actors – essentially because they are being approached by two directors?
Farjad: I don’t know how it is for the actors, but for us it makes the entire process of filmmaking funner, lighter and more rewarding as result of doing it together. Meenu and I co-write. We are quite into each other’s heads, so by the time we reach the floor, we already know what the other is thinking. Also we have our strong points and depending on that, one or the other leads different aspects of the film process. For instance, background music is something of a passion for me. So in all our films, I physically am with the music director while it is being composed and Meenu is the person who reviews it with an objective distance and provides feedback. Similarly, it is primarily Meenu who works with the actors and I become the reviewer and the person who provides an objective eye. I think Meenu has quite a unique process and approach with the actors and also forges a very close relationship with them – which makes them feel safe and comfortable. This, I feel, works wonderfully each time, as the performances in our films are always something that people notice as being authentic.
AM: Finally, what is next after 7 Din Mohabbat In? Any other projects that you are working on?
Farjad: Meenu and Fasih are co-writing a project that was part of the Locarno Film Festival’s Open Doors Hub this year. I wrote a script which is Lahore-based and a lot of fun and, as Meenu mentioned, there are lots of ‘almost’ complete scripts – of which one is a mystery thriller and Meenu and I are very excited about trying that genre.
Meenu: Farjad is an excellent and a published children’s writer. And he has written a very sweet musical children’s film and it would be great if that were to be our next.