'Gen Z was smitten more by Vicky Kaushal than Sam Manekshaw': Bollywood filmmaker Meghna Gulzar

It’s downtime for Meghna Gulzar. Three months after her well-loved movie Sam Bahadur, based on the life and times of Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, one of the most celebrated war heroes in Indian history, the accolades are still pouring in. The film, which opened to largely positive reviews from critics and audiences, has got a new lease of life with its release on streaming platform ZEE5 Global recently.

Meghna has been lauded for her restrained and humane portrayal of themes like nationalism and masculinity at a time when unbridled aggression and action are ruling supreme at the box office. But does the filmmaker herself make a conscious decision to stay away from overt violence or does the empathetic treatment of her characters define her natural filmmaking style? In this exclusive chat with City Times, Meghna Gulzar answers this question and more.

Sam Bahadur has garnered considerable acclaim, both critically and commercially. what are your predominant emotions? A sense of relief or satisfaction?

Relief is typically associated with the lifting of a burden, but no film is ever a burden! So, I wouldn't characterise it as relief. Satisfaction, on the other hand, seems too conclusive a term for the creation process. My current sentiment is more like witnessing the various stages of a child's growth – from infancy to kindergarten, school, and college. With the film now entering a new phase on the ZEE5 Global streaming platform, receiving messages from viewers who have seen it with fresh eyes and expressing their love for the film, is immensely gratifying.

As a director, are you able to view your creation dispassionately when the journey of a film is over?

The film's journey is inherently human and emotional. For me, that is the journey which is always looked back at fondly with a lot of anecdotes and nostalgia. On the other hand, assessing the craft comes with time and distance. It's not an immediate reaction. Perhaps, five years later, I would have a different perspective than now. This continuous evolution shapes my perspective on the craft.

As of now, has Sam Bahadur turned out exactly the way you envisioned it?

Of course, otherwise I would not have finalled the film!

Was it a challenge to decide what information on Sam Manekshaw to add and what to leave out?

I wish I could have put in everything! But we decided to include events that connected one episode of his life to another and also tell them in a way where you could see the progressive character arc and growth in terms of his age, personality and beliefs. It was also important to add well known anecdotes about him, otherwise the audiences would feel cheated.

The scale and scope of Sam Bahadur is pretty huge. How does that impact the filmmaking approach?

See, you can’t take ‘true life’ incidents lightly, particularly when you want to make it authentic and accurate. In fiction, that isn’t difficult as you are giving cues to the story, characters and plot points. In films based on true life, all these elements are already present, you just have to put them together cinematically.

How did you bring the balance between the intimate moments of his life while there were huge political, history-making events going on around him?

My objective was to show the man behind the uniform. You had to see the husband, father and son. For instance, I know he loved his dogs and he always had an Labrador and Alsatian. That’s why I have shown him brushing his dogs' teeth. He would stand on his jeep and order all the jawans and officers around him to not move from their posts until he said so. But he would also go home and get fired by his wife and not say a word! It’s these qualities that made him so human.

How important is it for a filmmaker to fall in love with the characters they portray?

Well, it’s pretty evident that I was totally in love with Sam Manekshaw, isn’t it? (laughs). I have not tried to hide! Basically, when you have adulation for a character, your eyes start looking at it differently. I have had adulation and empathy for my characters in Raazi or Chhapaak too, but here there was a sense of reverence and affection. My heart and eyes will look at him differently and so will my camera.

Is the way a female filmmaker writes a role of a strong man different from a male filmmaker?

Fortunately or unfortunately, I don’t filter storytelling through the lens of gender. I know it’s a frequent topic of conversation but my approach is profoundly human in stories, characters or script. I believe in sensitivity and empathy transcending gender when depicting characters. It’s the human lens which enables me to navigate the diverse narratives.

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