BERLIN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2022

La 72esima edizione del Berlin International Film Festival si svolge dal 10 al 20 febbraio 2022. M. Night Shyamalan è il presidente della giuria internazionale. Questa sera Gangubai Kathiawadi verrà proiettato in prima mondiale nell'ambito dell'evento Berlinale Special Gala. Alia Bhatt e Sanjay Leela Bhansali sono attualmente a Berlino. Per Alia questa è la terza partecipazione alla manifestazione: l'attrice aveva presenziato alle prime mondiali di Highway, nel 2014, e di Gully Boy, nel 2019.

RASSEGNA STAMPA/VIDEO (aggiornata al 2 marzo 2022)

- Video Berlinale: conferenza stampa

- Alia Bhatt on ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi,’ and why her life lessons are through her characters and films, Anuj Kumar, The Hindu, 23 febbraio 2022:

'Cinema pundits [esperti] often say that you have to experience life to depict it. But then we have Alia Bhatt. The actor grew up in a privileged, protective environment, predictably debuted with a young romance at 17 with Student of the Year, but soon graduated to the top league with a series of roles that belied her age, training, and background. (...) “All my exposure to life has been through my characters and films,” says Alia Bhatt. (...) There are many things that you like about Alia, but honesty perhaps tops the list. “Even a sense of struggle and hardships that I have experienced is through my characters. I believe life is essentially a struggle; it is interspersed with some moments of joy, but mainly it is a struggle. In terms of the variety of struggle, I guess I have experienced it all,” says Alia. (...) Growing up, she says, the conversations at home were very candid. “We weren’t scared of talking about fears and what the real world is like. My father doesn’t sugarcoat it for anyone. It was not like he sat me down and had a talk, but I could imbibe from the conversations that he had with other people. It was a very honest atmosphere,” she remembers. But atmosphere needs to be put into practice, isn’t it? Alia says if we get to know how it happens, there is no fun. “I didn’t care about duniya main kya cha raha hai (what’s going on) as I was more concerned about my world, but it opened up my window of empathy and understanding. So now when I portray a character, if I empathise with the person, I can imagine the situation.” Empathy with the character, she insists, is the crux. “It channels into your body and reflects through your eyes,” she explains. Curiously, she doesn’t need to visit spaces, or meet the people whose stories she portrays. “If I understand the perspective of the person I am playing and where they are coming from, I can picturise the person by simply talking to the director,” says Alia.

Alia Bhatt e Sanjay Leela Bhansali - Berlino, 2022

Here she talks about the challenges of playing a sex worker who went on to become a mafia queen, and working with Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

Edited excerpts:

Why make a biopic that glorifies a sex worker, who went on to become a mafia queen?

You make biopics on people who questioned the status quo, changed things, and made an impact. Gangubai is one of them. The famous speech that she gave in Mumbai’s Azad Maidan was about the level of discrimination that these women face and brought the hypocrisy of society to the fore. She made waves with her statements without social media. The film clearly states that she was not great, but she wasn’t a devil either. Of course, as a mafia queen, she played the game, but the focus is on the kind of people Gangubai encounters and the person she becomes by the end of it all. (...) It is essentially the story of a fighter; gender has little to do with it. Gangubai fights for a space she didn’t want to be part of. She didn’t choose the people for whom she fights a pitched battle. She makes providing them respect her purpose and that is why she was loved. The songs and dances are situational, providing a break from dialogues.

Does the film suggest legalisation of the sex work?

The film very pointedly says this as Gangubai wanted sex work to be legalised. Her perspective was simple and extremely clear. If it is the oldest profession and will exist as long as society exists, we might well legalise it.

Do you have an opinion on it?

It doesn’t matter whether I agree with it or not. What matters is the approach with which we generally approach contentious issues. The debate on every situation these days becomes very one-sided. We are so quick to judge and make strong opinions without ever trying to understand the opposite side.

In popular cinema, there is always a danger of romanticising sex work...

It is not about romanticising her pain. The pain only lingers through in the background and so do the bitter-sweet experiences. The idea is to underline the acceptance of who she is. Gangubai is not a courtesan. In fact, when a journalist met her after she had risen a bit on the social ladder, she introduced herself as a prostitute. It is very important today to accept who you are. Everybody is trying to become what he or she is not... or we are trying to get acceptance on platforms that are far from reality.

With so many avenues for instant gratification available for the youth, could it might get reduced to just a period film?

I must say it is a cool, badass period film! It has the retro appeal that is so much in demand these days. And in terms of thought, it is very relevant because we are still having the same conversations. For instance, the debate around surnames. Gangubai asks us if the mother’s name not enough.

Creating a canvas around a real person, who lived not too far back, is new for Sanjay Leela Bhansali as well...

It is, but the story comes from a very personal space that Sanjay sir once inhabited. He grew up two lanes away from Kamathipura, watching these women. When he was on the sets, he would get very nostalgic. He has personal memories there and feels strongly for these women and the hardships that they faced.

Still, he went on to design  a larger-than-life space for something so real...

That is his style. As an audience, we should not question it. His films are a visual experience and he has tried to design the world according to the story and emotions.

How did you create the character?

The research was all in the mind; I relied on what Sanjay sir said. The character emerged through the conversations that we had, from the pages of the script, and his experiences and understanding of the people in the area. As it is a linear story, where Gangubai comes straight from Gujarat to Kamathipura, he felt it would be good if I didn’t have an idea of the space. It worked for me, as like Gangubai, I didn’t know where I have landed.

How is performing a character different in a Sanjay Leela Bhansali film?

There is a certain theatrical element to it which is more like playing on the front foot. The character also required a slightly higher pitch. However, at the same time, Sanjay sir demands that nothing is put on; rather, it is felt. He enjoys dynamics a lot. Sometimes even in a single sentence, there are several nuances. He looks for subtle things... like one raised hand, one shake of the head, or the batting of an eyelid. He totally enjoys that.

Having worked with some of the most talented filmmakers of this generation, didn’t you find it old-school?

As I said, it is more theatrical but this andaaz [stile], as they call it, provides a more collective experience. Sometimes, in trying to make things more current, there is no style left. The mixture of humour and sarcasm is very today, but overall it provides a very mohalla [comunità]-kind of experience.

Did you have to learn something for the role?

Because of the background I come from, my body language was a bit restrained. There is not much abandon to it. I had to work on it to bring the freedom that you get when you hit rock bottom, when you have nothing to lose and no perception to deal with.

In female-centric films, actors tend to imbibe traits that they used to find fault with, in the male-dominated space...

I feel gender should not be important while writing a character. It will have a bit of masculinity and a bit of femininity. And, of course, a bit of style. Only when you portray it, that you put gender into it. If this film were to do well at the box-office, it would be an example of how a film was driven by a character rather than a gender. As for the traits, it depends on the genre. For instance, a larger-than-life entry for the protagonist. To me, they are just fun to watch. I have met people who wish for some background music to play when they enter a room. That is a genre thing, not a trope.

Your growth from teenage romances to mature roles has been swift. Is it by chance or design?

I loved the song and dance as they are comfort watches, but I can’t do them all the time. I like to mix it up. As a person, I get bored easily.

Do Ranbir [Kapoor] and you bond over cinema as well?

Our love for cinema is common, but our approach to acting is not necessarily the same. He is many years my senior and has introduced me to a variety of cinema. As a co-actor, he is the least method person I have come across. You can never guess what Ranbir is thinking before he gives a shot. He is so unassuming. I also like to keep it as spontaneous as possible. I don’t like to know where the shot is supposed to go'.

- Sanjay Leela Bhansali On How Alia Bhatt Became His Gangubai Kathiawadi, Anupama Chopra, Film Companion, 2 marzo 2022. Intervista concessa da Bhansali:

'Alia told me that she met you when she was 9 years old and she did an audition for Black. Then you cast her in Inshallah, which got shelved. At what point did you start to see her as Gangubai and what did you do to extract this performance?

I saw a very powerful person walking into my house when she was 9 years old. I was sitting by the dining table and my main door was right in front when this kid walked in with her mother. Her eyes reached me. She had come to audition for Black for the small girl’s role. I told Amita Sehgal, the casting director, ‘Not her. I want to save her for a film’. I think this was a big heroine and a big star who’s walked in. She had a tiny build and curly hair, and there was something very special about her. She kept looking at me and I kept looking at her, and I felt there was some karmic connection I had with this girl. Then, we went inside the [audition] room, I asked Soni [Razdan] [attrice e madre di Alia] to sit, and told Alia to dance to “Dola Re Dola.” I wanted to see how much of a heroine she had in her, how much was she comfortable with the mainstream. At that age you don’t, but today’s kids are very well-versed. She came out with flying colors. Then I made her dress up and asked Ranbir [Kapoor], who was assisting me in Black at that time, to sit with her and take some pictures. I asked her to put her head on his shoulder and she said no, because she was feeling shy. Then I was talking to Soni when I suddenly saw her head go on to his shoulder. I have that picture of the two of them, which I sent her during her last birthday. It was a little black and white copy.

Coming down to Inshallah, it didn’t happen and I realized that I had blocked her dates and a lot of her time. She was very excited about working with me. So, I thought of doing Gangubai. I had written the script seven years ago. I wanted to make it before Ram Leela. So, I took that out and we started writing. A few people around the table looked at me and said, “But Alia?” And I said yes. They thought she wouldn’t accept the role, but I wanted to narrate it to her first. When she came and heard the script, she was flabbergasted. She said, “What is this? I want to be your heroine where it’s glamour, gloss and big dance routines. Do you think I’ll be able to do it?” I said, “Of course you will be. Trust me on this.” She told me she’ll get back to me on it the next day and literally ran out with her bag. So, I told the people in my office that this was not going to happen. The next morning, she came and we were looking out for options when she said, “I’ll do exactly what you tell me to do. Do you believe in it? Then I’ll believe in it.” I kept seeing Gangubai [in her] and the whole world, everyone, including the people in the office, felt that she was not Gangubai. But I said that she was, because here was a face that exudes so much power in the eyes. During the workshops, I asked her to go to Kamathipura, think of the attitude of people, the way they speak, the way they look, the way they stand and walk. There were lots of references given to her to bring the note down.

She said you wanted her to watch Pakeezah (1972) but also Memoirs Of A Geisha (2005).

There was a very nice documentary called Born Into Brothels (2004). There was a French director who had shot Kamathipura. I didn’t want to take her there because somewhere, for her, as a character, when she goes there and sees the world for the first time, it should reflect on her face. I wanted her to explore. She even started following the way I spoke to people. She understood that I lived one lane away from Kamathipura, so for me, that world was something that I have absorbed for 30 years. I think we had a great chemistry. She understood exactly what I wanted. There was a little bit of discomfort that she faced on the first day, the first time she did a dialogue scene. She wasn’t understanding what I was trying to get in terms of the attitude because it was a very hard world. It was [about] a very hard, solid woman who speaks with an attitude. That’s how she controls the area. But after that first day, we never looked back. Then she was just flowing and feeling every bit of it.

Initially, when we would discuss the scenes, she would observe my tonality, attitude, what happens to my eyes. Besides that, I would make her participate, asking her about her take on a situation. Suddenly, she started contributing to how she wanted to do a scene, where she would want to do it. I cannot tell you how to do it; I’ll give you some text, I’ll give you the ideas, I’ll talk about stories from the past which has some relevance. Those are the things you give to an intelligent actor - a great actor - like her. When she started becoming Gangu completely, there was very little exchange. When you give an actor the freedom to think, to contribute, to become that person, because finally in front of the camera, it is her who was standing and saying the lines. It’s important that she contributes. That contribution is very valuable too. I improvise a lot, so after a point, she stopped memorizing the lines and play it my way. She never questioned it. If I said, ‘Alia, jump from here to there,’ she would jump with that conviction with which I would want her as an actor to. No questions asked. It was just her belief in the director and my belief in the actor because I know when she’ll jump, there’ll be something special that she will do to it. Every time I throw an ace at her, I’d get two aces thrown back at me. It was a great experience of working for 150 days with an actor who is just there, without the excess baggage of being a star.

Sanjay, the truth is that you saw that she could be Gangu but even when that first teaser came out a year ago, a lot of us were like, “But she looks like a child.” So you say it was just pure guts? You just knew she could be there?

The whole idea was that a 16-year-old girl gets trapped into this business, discovers this sordid world and gets up and says, ‘No, I have a voice, I have my rights.’ I wanted that passion in the eyes. This girl [Bhatt] has very powerful eyes, there’s a certain amount of vocal power that she has when she explodes. There’s a scene in the film where she talks to her mother and explodes on the operator. Look at that. When she was preparing for that scene, she was sitting on a chair and I wanted a certain atmosphere. Suddenly, I saw some of my staff were laughing or giggling. I presume that they were laughing at me and I exploded. The whole atmosphere on the set became quiet. It was my way of making those vibes reach to her, of feeling the nerves, of calling the mother, of getting that anger filled and at what note it should explode. I have never told her [about this], even to date. As a director, I don’t like to give direct instructions to people because it limits the actor’s imagination. An actor like her should be given briefs of a certain way where you create what the audience has to feel, but how do you do it has to come from you. I feel that’s the kind of belief that I had in her. When she exploded on the phone and emoted, I said, “My choice was right.”

It took a lot of time for the people to [realize this]. When they saw her on the screen for the first time, that’s when they realized. I was having the last laugh. I believe that you have to look at an actor and say, “I can make you do this.” It is the job of the director to make you realize that, ‘Alia, you have so much potential. You can go global. You have that potential to make India proud. Leave those things that you’ve done, you have done very good films, but this is hardcore. This is a piece of my heart, of all the grime, grunge, humiliation and everything that I have witnessed in my life. I’m now going to let those demons flow out. Be a part of it’ - without having to say these words. She just went along with me and started discovering something about her. I saw this actor blossom. She found the full potential of what Alia Bhatt is all about'.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali e Carlo Chatrian - Berlino, 2022