used to charge and
motivate people,” says
an elated Aditya, who’s
also written the film. “We
knew we were making
a special film because
it was dedicated to the
army. But we never
imagined it would reach
this level,” he states. The
most beautiful thing, he
cherishes, is the love
and respect the film
received. “Soldiers and
their families applauded
the film because we’ve
highlighted their sacrifices
and what all they go
through daily to
protect the country,”
he elaborates.
A
ditya went
through
several
setbacks
in the past
decade
before he finally made it.
His first job with Vidhu
Vinod Chopra was a
matter of luck-by-chance
when the filmmaker’s
assistant abruptly left for
the US. Aditya grabbed
the opportunity and
went on to assist Vidhu
on Eklavya (2007). He
was then to debut with
Fox Star Studios in
2009 but the project
was shelved. In 2011,
he was to direct Vishal
Bhardwaj’s Lucknow,
based on a short story of
Ruskin Bond, which also
fell through. In 2013, he
was to direct a film, Sufi,
for Dharma Productions,
which never saw the light
of day. A dejected Aditya
was enthused when he
was asked to direct Raat
Baaki with Katrina Kaif
and Fawad Khan. As
luck would have it, the
Uri attack happened just
then, leading to the ban
on Pakistani artistes in
India. “Just 10 days after
the Uri attack, the Indian
Army carried out the
surgical strike. I thought
yeh kahani better soundkar rahi hai,” recalls
Aditya on how he found
the silver lining. “I was
always fascinated by the
army. Being a Kashmiri,
I’ve been familiar with
terrorism since I was a
kid. I’d always wonder
hum Pakistan mein ghus
kar badla kyun nahin
lete,” he says.
Aditya began an
inspective research
on the attack but such
classified information
wasn’t easy to crack. He
managed to complete the
script and pitched it to
the producers. Ronnie
Screwvala, head honcho
of the production house
RSVP, read it on a flight
to Vizag. When he landed,
he informed his team that
they’d be doing the film.
Aditya had three things
in mind. “First, I wanted
an actor, who was so good
that he could give takkar
to anyone else. Second,
he had to be as hungry as
I was to prove himself.Third, he should be able
to dedicate about six-eight
months to train before the
shoot. Vicky (Kaushal)
fit the bill perfectly,” he
explains his lead choice.
Aditya believes he
couldn’t have got a better
producer. “Ronnie backed
a first-time filmmaker
with such a momentous
subject and an actor, who
hadn’t done a commercial
film. For him, content is
the winner,” says he.
Initially, Aditya wanted
to join the army but not
being good in studies
he couldn’t get in. His
upbringing was enriched
by artistic influences as
his mother, Dr Sunita
Dhar, is a classical
musician. He began
doing theatre at the age
of 11. “I liked acting but
I found the director’s job
fascinating,” says Aditya,
who credits Ram Gopal
Varma’s Shiva as a film
that inspired him.
He shares that even
while he was an assistant
to Rohan Sippy and
Vishal Bhardwaj, he kept
writing his own scripts.
“Now, I’m ready with nine
of them,” smiles Aditya,
who’s currently working
on his second film,
Ashwatthama. Produced
by RSVP, the war-drama
will have his favourite,
Vicky Kaushal, play the
mythological character
from Mahabharata.
“Ronnie gave me a break.
So it’s ethical that I do my
second film with him.
I hope we stay the same as
persons because our films
are a representation of us.
If we change, the quality
of our films will change.
I don’t want to take
that risk,” says Aditya
for whom upholding
principles is a priority. FOR URI, I WANTED AN ACTOR WHO COULD GIVE TAKKAR TO ANYONE
ELSE. HE HAD TO BE AS HUNGRY AS I WAS TO PROVE MYSELF. AND HE
HAD TO DEDICATE ABOUT SIX MONTHS TO TRAIN BEFORE THE SHOOT.
VICKY KAUSHAL FIT THE BILLWith Vicky Kaushal on the set of Uri