The countdown has begun and the debutant director of Baar Baar Dekho, Nitya Mehra, is comfortably numb and going through the motion, as the release date of the “unique love” story is just four days away.
Mehra, along with the cast of the film, Sidharth Malhotra and Katrina Kaif, was in Chandigarh on Monday to promote the film, a love saga between Diya (Kaif) and Jai (Malhotra), told through time travel. “There’s a lot riding on the film and I hope it finds place in the audience’s hearts,” said Mehra, who was born in Amritsar and brought up in a non-filmi household.
With a passion to tell stories and fascinated by the medium of sound, Mehra said she wrote plays and it was a course in video production that ignited her interest in the medium of films.
“We had shifted to Delhi, where many foreign film crews came and I joined the bandwagon, learning everything on the job and the essential basics in New York as part of the course. Film appreciation played a huge role in making me understand the process of cinema and being an assistant director. Being an assistant director to Mira Nair, Farhan Akhtar, gave a different dimension to my work,” said Mehra.
Baar Baar Dekho is special to Mehra for many reasons. At first she was apprehensive about taking up the project, for the story was set in America, and she wanted to tell stories that were rooted and definitely about love, but which were different.
“For any story to be believable, you need to ground the characters. Most important are characters, you need to believe them and go along. And that’s what we worked on, as I got the concept, and worked on the script. I believe in love, human relationships and cherish these.
The theme of this film is unusual, for it takes you through time. When you look back and retrospect, you think of all the things that you should have said to your loved ones and I hope this film becomes a game-changer,” said Mehra.
Motivated, passionate, Mehra said she has aesthetically enjoyed working on every aspect of the film, using colours to the hilt, and hopes the movie will be a game changer.
“It’s like a roller-coaster, like life, and will take people on a journey, one that has so many nuances. Fiction has no barriers and I love hyper-realities, experimenting with music, sounds, and feeling the emotions. I hope the film reminds people of their life, and learn something from it too,” said Mehra, adding how the film shows the lead character what the future holds for him, and how he has the courage to relive his life, changing his decisions to make it all right and worthwhile.
The film, added Mehra, is about real life, how sometimes we prioritise work over relationships or vice-versa, as I have personally experienced while struggling in Mumbai.
Malhotra said: “What comes with this journey is the fact that life is all about balance and I relate totally to the character and live it. Ambiguity in life has taught me a lot, and I feel audiences will be surprised and touched by the film. Katrina and I were in a comfort zone, and it was wonderful to work with a professional like her. Baar Baar Dekho is a creative and collaborative effort and I hope our fans love it as much as we did.”
Online Source