'Memories are made every minute'

Among the many artistic hats that Rajat Kapoor dons, it’s his exploits behind the camera that actually keep him going. Having played a pivotal role in the changing trends of small-budget films in Bollywood, Rajat has dealt with many interesting subjects but not all of them have been taken very well by the audience. Today, with the ‘multiplex genre’ having grown so much, Rajat feels that the time has finally come for new wave cinema.

 “I feel this is the best time in 40 years to make independent films. In the 70s, new wave cinema came in. But it died in the mid-80s. Today, it’s a resurgence. Look at A Wednesday or Mumbai Meri Jaan. The multiplexes at least give you a chance to showcase your films. I had made a film in 1995 called Private Detective which nobody has seen, because we didn’t have theatres to show those films then,” says Rajat, who was in the City to perform in Atul Kumar’s play, The Blue Mug. Playing himself on stage for the first time is something he found extremely challenging. “Firstly, choosing the right kind of memories is a big challenge. That’s because memories are made every minute. There are big memories and small memories, even what my daughter asked me this morning is a memory by itself. And then going on stage and sharing that in a room filled with strangers is a challenge,” he says.

But everytime he plays a part, be it on stage or in front of the camera, the director in Rajat simply takes a backseat. Not once has he let both personalities entangle or even made suggestions. “The story is a director’s baby and I wouldn’t meddle with that. When I am acting in a film, I am simply a director’s actor, I play my role and leave. But when I am directing, I am a part of every single thing in the story,” he says.

For someone, who has been a part of so many small-budget films, will one ever see Rajat Kapoor making a big budget film? “I have been lucky enough to get an opportunity to make films of my sensibility. I can never see myself doing a Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham or a Kuch Kuch Hota Hain. I am happy where I am and believe that without spending unnecessary amounts of money, one can give quality cinema,” he comments.
As for the future, Rajat will be seen in Saurabh Shukla’s film I’m 24 with Ranvir Shorey; Bheja Fry dialogue-writer Sharad Kataria’s film Rangeen, which is said to be an adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Love To Obama. He has also completed shooting his next directorial venture, A Rectangular Love Story with Gul Panag, Ranvir Shorey and Purab Kohli.