Ibrahim Ali Khan was cast in Sarzameen while filling in for Ranveer Singh on Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani set, reveals Kayoze Irani: ‘Karan Johar thought his face is for the camera'

Indian Express

2 days ago

Kayoze Irani stole the show as Kaizad 'Sudo' Sodabottleopenerwala with his drunken monologue in the climax of Karan Johar's 2012 hit campus caper Student of the Year. For the uninitiated, he's also a filmmaker having helmed his first feature in Sarzameen, which dropped on JioHotstar last month. Starring Kajol, Prithviraj Sukumaran, and Ibrahim Ali Khan, Sarzameen has gotten its fair share of brickbats. In an exclusive interview with SCREEN, Irani decodes the film and its reception, why he cast Ibrahim, being launched as an actor and filmmaker by Johar, and his relationship with father and actor-director Boman Irani.
Sarzameen was supposed to be Ibrahim Ali Khan's first film. But Nadaaniyan released first. What was the reason behind the delay?
The film was massively delayed due to injuries. Prithvi sir had a few days off so he was finishing a shoot in Kerala. He broke his knee on a Malayalam film set. He was supposed to fly back to us, but then we had to cancel everything. He couldn't shoot, especially the action scenes. And I had a bit of a fall in the middle of the shoot. So I had a double slip disc and was on bed rest for a while.
Prithviraj was the first one to come on board, right? Can you take us through the casting process?
The first person we approached was Prithvi sir. We sent him a 50-page outline. He was shooting for Aadujeevitam: The Goat Life (2024) in Georgia. Karan sir emailed him the script. There was a sandstorm on set that day, so he had to hide in a car where he read the script on his phone. By the evening, he called up Karan sir and said, 'I love this. I'm on. Let's do this.' Kajol ma'am is someone I wanted since the day I read the script. I was very clear in my head. We went to her office for the narration. I'm a very pessimistic person so I didn't think she'd do this film with a cute, Parsi first-time director, like what would he know. In the evening, she called up and said, 'I love it. Let's do it.'
With Ibrahim, I was on the set of Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (2023). Ibrahim was an AD (Assistant Director). He was filling in for Ranveer Singh as they were setting up the shot. Karan sir and I both were sitting behind the monitor and we felt he's got a face for the camera. So we decided to launch him. We did an audition, readings, and a six-month workshop by Atul Mongia with him. That's how we brought him onboard.
What did this six-month workshop entail since this was the first time he was facing the camera?
The first thing Ibrahim did was he went for an army boot camp. He spent about a week in the jungle, where there was no cell phone or network. If he had to contact someone, he had to cycle to the nearby post office and post a letter. Then I started talking to him about his life and journey. Closer to the shoot, we went to Atul Mongia who has this brilliant ability to bring out the best of the actor because he believes in something known as 'inner world.' So he got Ibrahim to go deep into himself and find himself in the character. Ibrahim did a great job doing that. I also did a few test shoots with him because I wanted to see how it'd affect him to shoot against the backdrop with lights. Our first day of shoot with him was in Manali, the dining table scene with Prithvi sir and Kajol ma'am.
Do you feel Ibrahim found himself in the character? He's talked about his speech issues, which are also a part of his character's personality.
The speech issue was there in the film before Ibrahim was even a part of it. But I wanted the relatability to be there. I brought it out of him. Because the character needed to be vulnerable. In the non-aggressive scenes, I definitely wanted him to be vulnerable. So we designed the scenes around Ibrahim.
Sarzameen tries to comment on the current political situation involving Kashmir, where there's the tough father (India) in Prithviraj, the undercover mother (Pakistan) in Kajol, and the conflicted and brainwashed son (Kashmir) in Ibrahim. Was that what you were trying to go for?
Kashmir is obviously a very sensitive issue. I was very clear on not doing anything to offend anyone. The film does have a political touch to it, but that's brought out through a family drama. If you notice in the film, we've not mentioned any country or religion. That was very much by design. In fact, I had the script and the film vetted by the Indian Army. What you see in the characters is what's prevalent in that area of our country. But it's important to do so without hurting sentiments. Honestly, I wanted to make a commercial, front-footed, entertaining film. That was my idea behind it. I loved the thought of the film being about a family because when the audience internalizes the conflict, they find it relatable. When I externalize it, it's something you're watching instead of experiencing.
Are there any influences — Indian or Western — on Sarzameen?
My BGM (background music) is very influenced by Hans Zimmer. In terms of visual references, there's the show Obi-Wan Kenobi, also on JioHotstar. I'm a massive Star Wars fan. The climax of the show is a fight between Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi. That gave me the thought for our climax. If you think about it, Star Wars is also a father-son drama.
Of course, there's also the father and the son. But there's also a twist involving the mother in Sarzameen. A lot of critics have dismissed it as 'outrageous.' Did you anticipate that backlash?
I was definitely aware there'll be a certain section of the audience who may feel the twist is out of nowhere. I was cognizant of that fact while editing the film. This isn't an active character, she's quite passive. I did sprinkle breadcrumbs, albeit slightly simple, and there's also a recall to it in the epilogue. Everything is easier to understand in hindsight. So, if you ask me if I could've pushed the envelope a little bit more and given more context, maybe I could've but then I could've lost out on people predicting it's her. We did a lot of test screenings, in which people did turn around and said we predicted it was her. See, the audience is different and we live in a very diverse country. So there'll be criticisms that come. I can't go back and change the film right now, but it's important I take those criticisms, learn from them, and apply in my next.
Was there any other feedback from the test screenings you may have ignored but which makes more sense to you now?
We got a very positive feedback from the test screenings because we wanted regular people to be a part of them. I didn't want film people because everyone has an opinion. Even as a director myself, I'm not an unbiased audience. The only feedback I got that I thought about is a little contrary to the opinion out there that people found the first half an hour to be a little fast. From the feedback that's coming in now, people found that first half an hour slow. So, it's so all over the place that one can't really judge. Also, the critics feedback is very different from the regular audience's . The biggest plus I've gotten from the latter is the twist. My boss is the audience. They decide whether I make another film or not. You just have to put your best foot forward and hope for the best. You can't please everyone, but I'll try hopefully do that on the next. It's very important for me that whether I make one film or 20, I keep learning.
Do you think had Sarzameen been Ibrahim's first film, it would've ensured a smoother welcome for him? Or do you think he has a long way to go nonetheless?
Honestly, it doesn't matter if Sarzameen came first or Nadaaniyan. What matters is what's happening on your next Friday. I cast Ibrahim because I saw something in him. He'll have to work hard, like every single actor in the film. Prithvi sir had told him even if Sarzameen is a rocking success, he should remember it's only going to get harder from there. From what I've seen of the boy, I believe there's a future out there. Now that the door is open, it's upto him to enter the room and own it himself.
Your first stint as an AD was on Shakun Batra's directorial debut 2012 romantic comedy Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu. Then you switched to acting the same year with films like Karan Johar's Student of the Year. What brought you back to direction with the short film Ankahee in the 2021 Netflix India anthology Ajeeb Daastaans?
Acting was never on my radar. I joined Dharma Productions 15 years ago to do Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu. I knew Shakun from ad films because he used to be the first AD and I used to be the 2nd AD. When I met Karan in the office, he thought I had a very interesting face so he offered me Student of the Year. I took it up even though I was digressing from my dream of being a director. Because me being an actor and facing the camera in my debut film really helped me direct Ibrahim when he was debuting. But the minute that was over, my focus went back to being the director. Then I AD'd on Bombay Talkies (2013) and Lust Stories (2018). I was Karan sir's associate on Takht, which never got made. And then I directed Ankahee and Sarzameen. Let's put it this way — I'm now a retired actor and a full-time director.
There's a parallel between Ankahee and Sarzameen — of parents dealing with a disabled child differently. There's the mother (Shefali Shah, Kajol) asking the father (Tota Roy Chowdhury, Prithviraj) to understand their child instead of judging them. Do you know where does this theme come from?
There's nothing unhappy in my household, I've to tell you first (laughs). I love interpersonal stories. One of my favourite films is Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015). It has a large canvas and political messaging, but it's the story of a father and figuratively his daughter. It chokes me. I don't cry in life, but I cry at the movies. If you give me any subject, I get very excited by the family conflict. You'll think of Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013) as a friendship story, or Argo (2012) as a thriller, but I love the father-son stories in them because they're the soul of those films. It's not just father-son or family, but the human emotions which make the audience connect to the story.
You and your father Boman Irani turned directors in the same year. He directed The Mehta Boys, also a turbulent father-son story. Then he also popped up in a small role in your directorial debut. Do you exchange notes as filmmakers back at home?
Hundred percent. I read him the script and showed him the edit and he gave me feedback, and vice-versa. We are a full filmy family. My dad and I've grown up on cinema. We used to watch movies together on DVD. After watching, we'd start the movie again with the director's commentary to learn. We're a united team because we both see cinema as a temple. It's given us so much that we have to give it that respect.
We're a very united family. I live alone in Bandra. My parents live in Dadar. Four times a week, I'm at their home having dinner. We sit in the living room and we chat, laugh, gossip, and reminisce. We discuss food and films. It's my happy place. My father is my lucky charm. I have to have him in all my films. This isn't a role he would've ordinarily done, but I gave him no choice here.
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You've been trying your hand at direction for 15 years. But like you, your father is a late bloomer. He became a film actor at 45 and a director at 65. Does his journey give you confidence to stay at it?
My father started as a waiter at the Taj Mahal Hotel. He then became a shopkeeper selling wafers, then a photographer, then into theatre. He reluctantly joined movies. It wasn't something he was trying for. But what I take away from him is the man he is, not so much his achievements. In Sarzameen, there's a line that says, 'Maa se jitna bhi pyaar mile, banna wo apne baap jaisa hi chahta hai' (No matter how much love a mother can give, a son wants to be like his father). And that's very true for me.
Finally, even after being launched as an actor and a director by Karan Johar's Dharma Productions, and being Boman Irani's son, how has the tag of nepotism evaded you so far?
I suspected it'd happen after the release, but it hasn't. But I've worked very hard and paid my dues. The first day of my shoot, I was given a jhadu (broom) and I swept the floor at Yash Raj Studio. I didn't take anything lightly. Having said that, am I product of nepotism? Yes. Did doors open for me more easily? Yes. But now, it's my job to walk into that door and make it on my own. The audience decides what I do next. Also, I know Karan gets the brickbats for nepotism, but he's launched most first-time directors ever, and none of them come from nepotism.