He is a man of many words and hardly pulls his punches. His frank, candid opinions can easily endear one to him. That's Mahesh Bhatt for you. In a freewheeling chat with hitlist, the filmmaker talks about his upcoming TV show, 'Naamkarann', how Barkha Bisht reminds him of late actress Smita Patil and why he doesn't expect daughters, Pooja and Alia, to follow moral codes.
Q. Is your new show a remake of your 1998 directorial venture, 'Zakhm', which was inspired by your life?
A. 'Zakhm' was fiercely autobiographical, based on my mother and my troubled life. But 'Naamkarann' is not a rehash. It takes off where Zakhm ends. It's drawn from my life, but isn't entirely my story. It isn't a sequel either. It's centered on a 10-year-old girl.
Q. Why did you decide to go back to TV instead of making a sequel?
A. Television today is the medium of mass entertainment. Filmmakers of great repute are on TV or making mini series, even in the West. There are so many characters in a story; you can't do justice to all of them in just 150 minutes.
Q. Television is run on the TRP game. Have you made the show keeping that in mind?
A. We have been given creative freedom by the channel. They gave us inputs and an understanding of what people want.
Q. Are you convinced with the choice of actors?
A. Barkha [Bisht] is a fascinating actress. She reminds me of Smita Patil.
Q. could have easily got a bigger name for the show.
A. I am not a slave to names. I am known to work with new people.
Q. Thriller and spooky shows are ruling the small screen. Do we have takers for a heartwarming story like this?
A. Why not, if they could embrace 'Janam' in 1984, Buniyaad in 1986 and 'Daddy' in 1989? If there's space for a 'Naagin' or an 'Udaan', there is space for Naamkarann too.
Q. What stereotypes does this show intend to break?
A. The stereotype that you need a male figure to establish your identity. It also asks a fundamental question: why elders preach what they don't practice. I have no business to ask Pooja or Alia to follow a morality code, which I myself never followed.
Q. Has Alia lent her voice to the show track?
A. No, Monali Thakur has sung the song composed by Anu Malik and written by Kausar Munir.
Q. When will we see Alia working in your films?
A. Only when I contribute to her brand. She will kick me out if I do not contribute to her growing stature. But, for emotional reasons, I don't work with stars; Alia is one. Nor do I use my children as my meal ticket. I am active, more relevant than them. Only when our mutual needs coincide, we might work.
Q. Hasn't she expressed interest to work with you?
A. After 'Hamari Adhuri Kahani', she told me, 'Papa you must write a film like that for me' and I wondered what had happened to her. I don't think she needs to hold her father's hand. Whenever she is at the crossroads, she texts me and we talk.
Q. Alia is more successful than Pooja...
A. That's because she is younger, more dedicated. But, Pooja has been a star; she chose to move away. She hasn't been able to establish herself as a filmmaker, but she is still in the driving seat. To me, she is far more successful because she has lived life on her own terms and has never leaned towards her father for a single penny. My daughters [Alia, Pooja and Shaheen] are standing on their feet.