Suparn Varma Exclusive Interview: ‘When it comes to Emraan, it was also breaking his image and forcing him to rediscover himself’
Emraan Hashmi and Yami Gautam starrer HAQ has been receiving a positive response from audiences after its release. Inspired by the Shah Bano vs Ahmad Khan case, HAQ is helmed by Suparn Varma, who previously proved his mettle with Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai, The Family Man Season 2, Rana Naidu, and others. In an exclusive interview with Pinkvilla, Suparn Varma shared insights on Yami Gautam and Emraan Hashmi’s nuanced performances, while expressing his excitement for The Family Man Season 3.
Excerpts from the interview:
The Shah Bano case is such a vast subject that could easily be adapted into a web series. It must be very difficult for you and your team to compile all of it in a 2-hour 16-minute film. So, how did you decide what to keep in the movie and what to avoid?
We went with the heart of Shazia Bano (a character inspired by Shah Bano). For me, it was a story of a marriage that went wrong. A domestic dispute that escalated into a national controversy. And when I took that route, for me, it became a very, very personal story. For me, Shazia and Abbas (a character inspired by Ahmad Khan) were the two singular characters around whom the whole world would revolve and come around. One is fighting for her right to dignity. The other was fighting for what he thought was his right to faith, but misinterpreted it for his own use. So, they came from completely different spectrums, and she was trying to fight a system that was normalized at that period.
And the more we delved in depth, we realized that nothing really has changed for women over these centuries or decades either. Women still live in a man’s world. It’s the same gender bias. It’s the same glass ceiling. It’s the same struggles, the same issues. And maybe there is more awareness in a percentage-wise, but that is it.
How did you keep a balanced approach towards Bano and Khan’s characters?
The fact is that I don’t see the world in black and white. I see the world in grays. Everybody acts a certain way, given the timing. You could do the right thing at the wrong time, the wrong thing at the right time. You could be a hero in one moment and a villain in the next. And it is, when you get into the story, that you see it for what it is. For example, you can see a man saving a dog’s life and then going and k*lling somebody. Now, if I just change the sequence of events, he can be a hero or a villain.
So, it’s a matter of perspective. So, my job as a filmmaker is to have a conversation with my audience. And that is what I’ve been doing with Bandaa and HAQ: talking about people interpreting things for you. It doesn’t allow you room to think or to judge for yourself. Similarly, if a filmmaker is deciding good and bad for you, then what is the conversation he’s having with you as an audience? He’s telling you stuff. He’s selling you stuff. This is a different genre. Here, you need to understand all sides so that you can make the best judgment for yourself rather than painting people into binaries of black and white, which doesn’t work. The only way to have a conversation is to give you a point of view of two people. So that way, there are three versions of truth.
Be it Yami or Emraan, both actors did a great job. One can imagine Yami in such a hard-hitting role, but for Emraan, the audience has a different perception. How did you decide that he would fit into this character?
First of all, Yami has never played a character like this before. I mean, nothing this intense, something that needed to plumb the depths of emotional intensity.
When it comes to Emraan, it was also breaking his image and forcing him to rediscover himself as the intensely dramatic actor that he is. And I have seen the intensity in Emraan’s work all through the years. He plays things with panache and charm. I wanted to use that charm and that intensity of his in a way where he is justified in whatever he’s doing in his head.
HAQ is receiving praise from the audience. However, there are some voices that are opposing the film and asking to even ban it. What would you like to say on that?
So far, the only voices that have spoken about the film or against it have been those in favor of it, with no mention of a ban or anything similar. They are of the view that there’s a different kind of agenda. And my thing is, I speak from the truth. What agenda Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai had? None. HAQ has no agenda either. I come from a place of honesty and truth and from a place of emotional balance and a lot of research. And for those who are having issues with it, please see the film. The questions will be answered.
I heard that you shot this film in Lucknow and nearby locations like Hardoi and Sitapur. How was your experience shooting there?
We shot the entire film in 32 days, primarily in and around Lucknow. I shot in Sandila, Kakori, and Unnao, and spent two days shooting in Lucknow. We were shooting 3-3 hours every day of travel. Literally, we used to go in the morning and return at night. But for me, I needed to shoot the whole film there because of the authenticity. So, it was such that no set in the world could give me that.
My production designers, Abhijit and Sonam, literally converted havelis that were falling apart and created a whole world for me out there in and around Lucknow in the most beautiful fashion. They gave it a sense of realism and authenticity that it doesn’t really need, and it brought it to life, visually.
You also directed Family Man Season 2 along with Raj & DK. And now the third season is dropping soon. Were you involved in the third season as well, in any capacity?
No, in the third season, I was not involved at all. I was shooting Rana Naidu 2, and then HAQ while they were making The Family Man Season 3. But I’ve seen the trailer, and I really enjoyed it. I can’t wait for the Tiwari family to be in more trouble. And then for Srikant and JK to build them out.
You have been active in the industry for so long. Before becoming a director, you were serving as the screenwriter. What is closer to you, writing or direction?
Both are close to me. Both are forms of creation. Writing is more painful than directing because writing involves staring at a piece of blank paper and then bleeding blood on it. But both are fun. Both are fun in their own respect. So I enjoy it. As long as I get to create, I’m happy.
You are also a producer, so what is more important to you: box office success or critical appreciation?
Box office, always. Critical appreciation is a bonus. At the end of the day, this is the business of filmmaking, and you should think of yourself as a stakeholder in this business, where you need to generate returns for your producers, studios, exhibitors, and distributors.
Is there anything you have planned for your next?
Agle chaar-paanch hafte jab tak HAQ theaters me chal rahi hai, main usko promote kar raha hoon. Uske baad aage ka sochunga. (I’m promoting HAQ for the next four or five weeks while it’s running in theaters. After that, I’ll think about the future.)
Stay tuned to Pinkvilla for more.
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