After being embroiled in multiple controversies, and having had a host of producers enter and exit the film, Kedarnath directed by Abhishek Kapoor is finally ready for release. It stars Sushant Singh Rajput and marks the debut of Saif Ali Khan and Amrita Singh’s daughter Sara Ali Khan. Pragya Kapoor, one of the producers on the film and also Abhishek’s better half, spoke to The Quint about the tumultuous journey of the film, having a child in between, and launching Sara.
It has been quite the roller coaster ride right? The change of producers, the ‘love jihad’ controversy, Sara’s date clashes with Simmba. Are you finally relieved that the film is releasing?
Pragya Kapoor: We are very happy, we’ve been waiting for this day for two years now, so we are all very excited. We have had a lot of ups and downs but I think it all just happened for the better. You know, it has been a learning experience to go through this but I am very happy that we have ended up with the way we have.
But, speaking of the constant change of producers from Prernaa Arora to Ekta Kapoor to Ronnie Screwvala, I recently read an interview of Abhishek’s (Kapoor) saying that maybe they were not qualified enough to make the film, or the right people for it. What went down exactly if you could articulate that?
I don’t think I am to say who was qualified or not qualified. But I think what happens when you make a film like this you have to believe in the project and you have to be able to go the distance, and not to try to short cut anyone or anything.Pragya Kapoor, Producer
You have to be committed when you make a film like this, because this is a film like none other out there. Nobody has tried to make a movie like this.
But was it also particularly more turbulent as you also had a child at this time when Kedarnath was facing these troubles?
PK: Yeah, I had my elder kid and then I had another baby in my tummy. And then I was making a third baby (the film). It was definitely very tough because when things started going south, I had just found out that I was pregnant. So there was a lot of pressure and anxiety around me. Not only did I have to focus on work but also had to take care of myself and my child at home. So it was definitely difficult to balance all three at that time. But I think my mother, mother-in-law, husband, father-in-law, all of them had been so supportive and had been there when I couldn’t be there. So that has definitely helped. And I think me and Gattu (Abhishek Kapoor) just knew that this film is going to happen no matter what and we are going to make it, even if we have to kill ourselves for it.
The film has found itself in a new controversy - with religious groups saying that it promotes love jihad. I have seen a couple of interviews where Abhishek (Kapoor) has defended the stance of the film, saying that it is a film about purity and we have the right intentions. What do you make of this atmosphere when a filmmaker has to repeatedly defend himself on his religious stance?
PK: First of all I think Gattu is a very sensitive filmmaker. He has dealt with the Hindu-Muslim angle in Kai Po Che. He would not want to hurt anyone in any way and I don’t believe we have with this movie. It has the purity and the humanity that he is talking about. But I do believe that maybe, over the years and in the past, there have been so many films where people might have felt like they were cheated and did not like the portrayal of their community. They don’t relate to how they are being presented. So I think that fear is there.
There has been a spotlight on Sara (Ali Khan), the paparazzi follows her everywhere and we have literally seen her growing up. Are there any apprehensions considering the explosion of the “nepotism” debate?
PK: I think when Gattu casts anyone for the films, he does not look at their background. His idea is always around his film and what he wants to say and if you can be a part of that. And I think you have seen that, in the films that he has done, Whether it is Rock On!! where he cast Prachi Desai who is from a television background, or in Kai Po Che where he had Sushant, who was also a television actor and did not have any filmy connections at all.
What is the feeling you get when you see her on screen?
PK: She is fabulous, you will not be able to tell that this is her first film. She has a certain confidence. Coming from a filmy background, that might just help because you have been on sets. She is definitely here for the long run.
She is a very bright girl. She has finished her education, is very well spoken. She is also very well read and I don’t think you see that in today’s youngsters.
You always see her carrying a book and she is always reading something. So it is quite interesting that someone like her, who has an interest in Bollywood also has an interest in the what’s happening in the world around her.
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