Will release film abroad if government denies certificate: Imran Zahid

First helming Arth and Daddy’s stage avatar earlier this year to bagging the lead role in Janam’s remake, 2014 proved to be quite an interesting year for Imran Zahid. The Bokaro lad was in Ranchi on Tuesday on his way back to Delhi after a brief visit to his hometown. Despite his hectic schedule, the actor visited Ranchi Times office and talked about his upcoming projects.Excerpts:
2014 turned out to be quite a happening year for you…
Yeah! By god’s grace, Daddy’s theatrical adaptation was a huge success. Mahesh Bhatt saab and Puja Bhatt, both appreciated the play. Then Zakhm’s adaptation is on the cards as well as Janam’s remake. It has been a good year for me, proving my conviction into the path I have taken.
Going by your choice of plays and movies so far, are you averse to doing more commercial kind of cinema?
When I set out on this journey, I had made some rules for myself. The first one was that I would work in lead roles only; and the second one was that I will only work in meaningful cinema. I have always been this way and that is, perhaps the reason why I chose to make Delhi my base. Even in theatre, I have seen the vast difference between the Delhi and Mumbai circuit. Whereas the theatre circuit in Mumbai is commercially driven, with tickets costing as much as Rs 5,000 - 10,000, Delhi has mostly remained a hub for activists. Even veterans like Arvind Gaur have to fund the shows out of their own pockets, leave alone earning any profits out of it. Despite all that, I still feel at home and quite content in what I’m doing at the moment.
You seem to share great rapport with Mahesh Bhatt. Are you averse to the idea of working with other production houses?
It was Bhatt saab who brought me into the industry and hence I owe him a lot. Apart from that, he also trusted me with the theatrical adaptations of his landmark movies. Also, since I have not shifted to Mumbai, the idea of working with other banners doesn’t arise.
So is it important to have a godfather in the industry to achieve success?
As per my reading of the working style of Bollywood, I believe that the industry still doesn’t accept outsiders easily. If one will see the list of lead actors or actresses who had their debut in the past five years, you’ll see that they already had some sort of connection to the industry and were easily accepted by the producers and directors. This is also because of the investment required and keeps the brand value of a particular family intact. Keeping that in mind, having a godfather is always desirable.
You have chosen to make a movie on Tibetan issue.
Having lived in Delhi as a student, I had the chance to closely observe the Tibetan movement and I understand how important it is . It's an existential crisis for them and I was appalled by the way censor had blurred the Tibetan flag in the song from Rockstar. It was then that I had decided to make a movie on the Tibetan issue. I can’t understand that If you can make movies on Pakistan, Kashmir and even the anti Sikh riots, why is Tibet being kept out of bounds? Almost two generations of Tibetans have lived in our country and become a part of a composite culture. Now that things are rolling again, we hope to go on floor by January next year.
Aren’t you scared of running into trouble with censor board, given what happened in Rockstar episode?
I’ll not be bogged down by these issues. The story of Tibetans living in India needs to be told and with the kind of support I have been getting from all over the world, I will definitely go ahead with it. If the government stops me by refusing certification, I will release the film abroad.
You have a long standing association with theatre. Any plans to bring your plays to Ranchi?
We had tried contacting the cultural secretary, Government of Jharkhand to provide us a place to stage the show, which we would have done for free but they never replied. Even Bhatt saab is very keen to stage the play in Jharkhand. As soon as someone provides us with a place, we will bring Daddy to Ranchi.