11 minutes agoAuthor: Ashish Tiwari/Bharti Dwivedi
- Copy link
In 2008, a film called ‘Aamir’ came. On the poster of that film, it was written- ‘Who says, the man writes his luck himself?’, But the writer-director Rajkumar Gupta, who wrote and produced this film, has written himself in the film industry. Rajkumar moved to Mumbai in the late 90s to make luck in Mayanagari, but his first film came in 2008.
What was achieved in the meantime was a struggle. Such a struggle, where two times after dinner, have to think for the next person. In the house where the sharing of the sharing, there were insects during the rainy days. Staying hungry and spent life among insects. Rajkumar, who has come out of this struggle to a place, is today the trend setter director of the industry.
Counting 6 films and a series in a career of nearly two decades. Films that have set trends in the industry.
The story of writer Rajkumar Gupta in today’s success story…
Interested in writing during college
My childhood was spent in Hazaribagh city of Jharkhand. Hazaribagh is a small city, about which people do not even know in a manner. I studied up to tenth from here. Bokaro went for the twelfth because Hazaribagh did not have good schools. After the twelfth, he had to go to Delhi for graduation as there was no good option for graduation here.
During graduation at Ramjas College, I woke up writing my interest. After finishing studies, I realized that I was fond of writing. During college, one of our seniors also lived in the colony where I lived with my friends. He was a copy writer in an advertising company. He once showed some of his writing. Seeing him, I felt that I could write this too.
All the answers are given wrong so that the bank does not get a job
In small towns, people wish for doctors, engineers and IAS-IPS. My father was a banker. My parents also wanted me to do a government job. Dad wanted that even if I do not become an IAS-IPS, at least I should become a banker. I was pressure on this.
In earlier times, children from small towns have to become a filmmaker, as they did not dream. I did not even know that I would become a filmmaker. The children of small cities, how to pass the tenth-outside, just think so.
After finishing the graduation, I gave an officer of the officer rank in the bank and took out the retin, but by that time I came to know that I was not made for a government or any kind of job. I had an interview in Chennai. I went there and whatever question I asked, I gave a different answer even after knowing. Then I thought of doing something in this field and came to Mumbai.
I came here and learned to write. Anurag was an associate director in Kashyap’s films. During this time too, I used to write for myself. I did not get my job due to that interview. I told this thing to my father after the premiere of my first film.
Called to Mumbai with two and a half thousand rupees
People from small towns used to watch Mumbai only in films. There was no awareness about the film industry. People could not see this place by linking it with career. It was just a place of entertainment for people like us. After graduation, I came here in the house without telling anyone. I had only two-and-a-half thousand rupees of Pokemon. I started my journey with those money.
I did not know anyone here. I met Anurag Kashyap in 1999 or 2000. When I met, he was not doing anything. His film became ‘five’ and was stuck for release. Anurag saw my work and he was impressed with me.
It was the era of the pager. Both of us lived in each other’s touch through pages. When Anurag made ‘Black Friday’ and ‘No Smoking’, I was an associate director in it. My struggle was going on with this. I was also working on my writing.
It was a privilege to get two meals
I will be 20-21, when the bus came to Mumbai with two and a half thousand. Limited was a budget, so I had to think for two times in the beginning. I had to decide whether to eat day food or night because there was not enough money that I could eat both times. During the days of struggles, Versova lived in the village. Used to live there in a small room with four-five people.
During the rainy days, that room used to become hell. After the water, insects used to crawl throughout the room. This was an important part of my struggle, but I was also my choice to come to Mumbai and make a career. I also put my head and face on bad days.
The housemates came without telling them, could not ask for money from them. Even after all the challenges, I had thought that now when I have left the house, I will not go back. Wherever the path of struggle took me, I was ready to go. I also learned many things from Struggle. I also learned the value of things.
Used to avoid meeting friends during unemployment era
My first film ‘Aamir’ came in 2008. The round of 2003-2006 was very difficult for me. When I came to Mumbai, I was 24-25 years old. At that time the TV industry was running well and money was also getting good there. My friends were doing a job of 60 thousand rupees at that time. Which will be 3-4 lakh rupees today.
Those people used to party a lot. I also used to call me sometimes to my parties, but I did not go. I wanted to avoid the question being raised by me in those parties. I did not make TV direction and writing my dream by not TV. What are you doing in those parties? Do not know when the film will be made or why not take a good job. Such things were heard.
All these things used to bother alone. Was scared of these things. Now it seems that if I had not trusted myself and had chosen an easy way, then my films would not have been made today.
I started working as an intern in the industry. Then joined Anurag, but his work was sometimes done, never. In such a situation, my friend Ritesh Sah, who was a big name in TV at that time. He used to give me the task of writing something. Those money used to pass some time. Used to do some freelance work to do survival. For many people, I also did ghost writing.
Gone to jeweler for first film ‘Aamir’
Before making ‘Aamir’, I wrote four more scripts, which I did not like. After reading his fifth script, he felt that it was written well. A film can be made on this. When I wanted to make ‘Aamir’, I did not know how many people went to the story. Nobody showed me trust in me.
People were seeing two problems with me. One, according to that time, the story of the film was a bit different. The second biggest problem was that I was a newcomer. I did not even release Anurag Kashyap’s two films till that time. People felt that what film would it make?
I wanted to make my film very strongly. In this affair, the broker, jewelers, went to private funds. I remember, I also told the story to a jeweler in Javeri Bagh so that he would put money in that film. He heard the story and said it is good, but did not invest money.
At that time people used to advise me to take a big star in it. Bring songs in heroine and film. Today, when I look back, it seems that every decision made about the film was correct.
Rajkumar Gupta during the shooting of his first film ‘Aamir’.
Not only mine, Aamir was a debut film of many people
After all the refusal, my film was produced by UTV Spotboy. Filmmaker Vikas Bahl was his head at that time. I first met Vikas through a common friend. We met Juhu at JW Marriage Coffee Shop. I narrated the whole story to Vikas. As soon as I finished the story, he said that we are making this film.
In this way the film’s journey started. The story was narrated several times inside UTV. Some people believed the story, some people not. Although the film was made. This film was not only my first film, many people who were associated with that film were their first task.
It was Vikas Bahl’s first film as a producer. Music composer Amit Trivedi started his career with this film. The cinematographer of the film, Alphons Roy, was his first film. Lyricist Amitabh Bhattacharya’s first film was.
Actor Rajiv Khandelwal also had a debut film. It was a debut film of countless people. The entire film was shot for 1 crore 75 lakhs within just 22 days. We used to shoot the film from seven in the morning to five in the evening.
Career’s first-second film made out of the box
After ‘Aamir’, I also made the second film ‘No One Killed Jessica’ with UTV. In 2011, it was very difficult to make a film with two female leads. People felt that the film without hero would not work. People were of the opinion that who would watch the female oriented film? But my perspective was completely different.
I never thought that I am making a picture with two female leads. I always saw him as the main lead of the film.
That film was so documentand, people knew a lot about that tragic incident. In such a situation, that subject was a challenge as a film. I met Sabrina ji during research. Today they are not in this world.
I became very emotional after the research was over. I did not know whether I would be able to write this or not, the shoot was very far away. Then I thought, let’s write, even if you write badly, people will not know. The beautiful thing about writing is that this is the process alone. After writing the first 14 pages, the story that came out, after that confidence came in me. After writing the whole story, when I told the story to people, everyone was surprised. This film, made in 9 crores, earned more than 47 crores at that time.
‘Ghanachakkar’ and ‘India Most Wanted’ premature films
I provided myself by making my first-second film successful. In 2013, I made ‘Ghanchakkar’ with Emraan Hashmi and Vidya Balan. This film was not a flop, but perhaps people did not understand so much. It was a pre -time film.
I am still said that if that film had been released at the moment, it would have been a hit. In 2019, I formed ‘India Most Wanted’ regarding Intelligence Agency. The film did not run at the box office at all, but its story was quite unique. For this, people tell me that if the masala had been a film, it would have gone. I made ‘India Most Wanted’ so that the real story was like that, I loved it.
‘Red’ stamped commercial success in career
I had chosen to walk out of the box in my career. In the year 2018, I made ‘Red’ with Ajay Devgan. In this, the hero is not doing any action. The songs were also very normal. Nor was there any such commercial element in which the hero wins the whole world and beats the villain. We just told a story and the audience took him head and forth.
The audience joined the emotional side of the characters. The film had carried out success flags at the box office. The success of this film encouraged me for Red-2. Red-2 recently released and it is also getting a lot of love from the audience.
——————————-
Read here last week’s success story …
The film ‘The Lunch Box’ showed a new face on screen with the late actor Irrfan Khan. The simple, without makeup, that face was printed on people’s minds. Yes, very few people know that before landing in millions of hearts, that face had worked hard for 13 years, rejections had also suffered. One film had healed every rejection wound that he met in the film industry. ‘The Lunch Box’ gave that face so much that the demand for the payment of that face is not only in Bollywood but also in Hollywood. Read the entire story here …
Source link
[ad_3]
