Your sophomore film Charas was not as well received as your first film Haasil. Was that a disappointment?
It was twenty-one years ago that my second film Charas released. Expectations were high, but it did not come close to the kind of admiration that my debut film Haasil received.
21 Years of Charas: Tigmanshu Dhulia looks back with candour; reveals, “Irrfan and I were working on a biopic on K. Aasif”
Was Charas a challenge to make?
I loved making it. Visually, it’s one of my best works because the canvas was enormous. I think it was ahead of its time. The plot was too thick and twisted—many just didn’t get it. That happens when the filmmaker is trying too hard and feeling superior to the audience. My bad.
This is the first time I’ve heard a filmmaker admit to a superiority complex.
I still rate Charas as one of my best. It was being made while we were waiting for Haasil to get released.
Tell me about working with Irrfan.
Irrfan Khan and Jimmy Shergill were common to both the films, and we were all anxiously waiting for Haasil to hit the screens. During the making, Irrfan had started shooting for Vishal Bhardwaj’s Maqbool and had grown a beard for the part.
Continuity problems with Irrfan’s beard? Like Rajesh Khanna shooting with a beard for Yash Chopra’s Ittefaq and without one for Raj Khosla’s Do Raaste?
I remember we tried hiding Irrfan’s face for an action sequence where he was supposed to be clean-shaven—but it shows in the film.
You and Irrfan had decided to do many films together?
A day after Charas released, Irrfan and I started shooting another film called Killing of a Porn Filmmaker. It got shelved—the producer made some wrong calculations. But our friendship and collaboration grew, and we went on to do Paan Singh Tomar and Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster.
You saw Irrfan evolve as an actor?
I saw him evolve as a person—from a nervous, unsure, and anxious man to a calmer, more mature, and minimalistic artist. We were talking about working on K. Asif’s biopic. I’m working on it now. Wish you were here.
Your next project?
I’ve just finished and delivered a film called Ghamasan, with Arshad Warsi and Pratik Gandhi.
You’re seen in a new series Black White & Grey, where you play a temporarily blinded cop. Which do you enjoy more: acting or directing?
Hemal Thakkar, the producer of Black White & Grey, also produced a show called Garmi for SonyLIV, which I had directed. He offered me the role of the blinded cop, and I said yes—no major thought behind it. I’ve heard great reviews, and the show is doing pretty well. I act for the money. It’s directing that I enjoy more than anything else.
More Pages: Charas Box Office Collection , Charas Movie Review
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