Straight Answers

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal"><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Govind Menon </span>Film director On <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Khwahish </span>and other projects<br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">''It is an attempt to break Bollywood’s nepotism'' What was the genesis of </span><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="" font-style:="" italic="">Khwahish</span><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">?</span><br /><br />Survival was the only intent behind <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Khwahish</span>.We were just a bunch of guys who’ve come from the bottom rungs without any godfather who just wanted to make a decent film. I am an assistant of Santosh Sivan, my choreographer was Farha Khan’s assistant, my editor was the second editor on <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Dil Chahta Hai </span>and my music director made his debut in the film. So, <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Khwahish </span>was an attempt to break Bollywood’s nepotism. I like to make offbeat films, which is what I attempted in my debut film Danger, a song less thriller, which unfortunately didn’t reach the masses.<br /><br />With Khwahish I wanted to break in and make an offbeat film that fit in the commercial parameters of Bollywood. The posters might be hot and glam but at the same time the film raises pertinent issues about the expression of female sexuality.<br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Did the script demand newcomers or established stars weren’t ready to do the film?</span><br /><br />Well, I would have loved to have Shah Rukh Khan in the film but he was not exactly beating my front door. Newcomers suited me since the whole set up was by new comers. We decided to start a Bollywood concept of a new star cast launch film.<br /><br />The idea was to prove a point, which we have since our film has completely stormed the box office and has got the year’s biggest opening in comparison to the Amitabh-Anil Kapoor-Preity Zinta starrer Armaan which didn’t even get a decent opening.<br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">What is your next film all about?</span><br /><br />I want to go deep inside the psyche of the traditional Indian woman and pull out the darker secrets from behind her purdah. I want to unmask the façade of traditionalism that women have to wear in our society when in reality they have a darker and crazy side to them. Once again you are working with Mallika Sherawat. This is both a business as well as a conscious decision. She has delivered as an actress and I feel she could do justice to the film since she’s a little desi and also because she has a good tuning with the team.</div> </div>