Nagesh is back with a bang!

doweshowbellyad=0; Nagesh Kukunoor (TOI Photo)Call him a recluse or just too madly in love with his work, Nagesh Kukunoor doesn't seem to mind the adjectives attached to his persona.
Hardly bothered about how people take his movies, he shoots straight from the lip: "I'm not going to pander to my audience. I make what I believe in." And perhaps this is what that sets this filmmaker apart.As he readies to release his latest venture Bombay to Bangkok (BTB) Kukunoor squeezes out time for an exclusive chat with us.
How's Bombay to Bangkok different?
After Iqbal and Dor, I wanted to venture into a genre that I hadn't explored for a while, which is when I decided to make a comedy. I've always been tempted to direct a movie in Thailand for the place reminds me of how India was some 20-25 years back.
This is your third film with Shreyas Talpade. Why?
Why not? There are filmmakers who keep repeating their favourite stars. Shreyas is my star. He's as enthusiastic and insane as me when it comes to work. Plus, he exudes that quality of being accessible and carries that boy-next-door image which has an instant connect with audiences.
Is BTB a move towards commercial cinema?
(laughs) My movies are a part of commercial cinema. But people don't buy that. In fact this was one question I was asked when I got on with Iqbal. Then they asked me the same thing when I started work on Dor. And now again! Though, yes about songs in BTB I can say they are closer to the usual peppy numbers.
So you agree that your films' music is not typically filmy?
(laughs again) There was always a market for this kind of music but someone has to serve it. Filmmakers till now had only been taking the patli gali and then we blame the audience for not liking such music. At least I'm never worried about what audience will like or not.
What makes your movies so away from the league?
Actually, I don't know myself. There's nothing special that I try. I've made movies with all the knowledge I had at that moment. And though it's nice to hear people exclaim, 'that's a typical Nagesh Kukunoor film' it is precisely this, which gets me thinking as to what's so typical about my movies? I don't want my movies to be categorised like this anymore.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
More than inspiration, I face a jolt when I watch incredible work happening around me. That's when I wonder: 'Oh God! How can someone make such a good movie? Compared to that what trash am I making!' And out of the 20-30 movies (mostly Hollywood) I watch a month, I get this thought at least 10 times. That puts me in my place and pushes me to get going with something better. And this is no stupid modesty.
Is making low budget cinema a conscious choice?
It can't be. If I'm able to tell my story in a lesser amount, I don't see the need of expanding my budget. My forthcoming movies Tasveer and Aashayein with Akshay Kumar and John Abraham respectively require me to expand my budget. Tasveer will be packed with action and SFX, and spending on it seems justified, so I will.
There seems to be an actor in you.
That's because no other director will cast me! I'm kidding! But yes, I enjoy acting. In fact I've studied acting more than I've studied anything else. So, in my movies also if I feel I'll justify a particular role, I plunge in. But acting comes a clear second to direction.
You've written for all your movies. How easily does writing come to you?
Writing is a process of love and hate and for the most part of it, I'm hating it. To write a good piece, I've to enter a strange mind space. Then when the story starts shaping up, it's exhilarating. But once I'm through, 99 per cent of the time I never want to write again!
And finally, your biggest compliment?
The fact that the filmmakers whom I admired, now pat my back. However, the biggest remains that someone like Hrishida allowed me to be a part of his elite group and spent good last three years of his life with me. The fact that he watched Iqbal five times back-to-back when I sent him a copy is one of my biggest compliments.