This story is from July 28, 2008

Writer Sachin turns director

Roshni Mukherjee / Jul 28, 2008, 00:45 IST

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Sachin Yardi, who makes his debut as director, tells that he did not rope in big names deliberately for his venture, because a star with baggage would not have gone well with his realistic plot

You were the writer for Traffic Signal and Kya Kool Hai Hum. What prompted you to debut as director with C Kkompany?
I always harboured the intention of directing a film. I come from an ad background where the ad duration lasts betwen 30 to 40 seconds. Directing a film is completely different. Hence, I thought of starting off with writing since I had had experiences with the pen.It helped me to understand how a script gets transformed on canvas.
So, being a writer-director helps?
It does. When one is writing, you tend to visualise the scenes and characters too. The nitty gritties are better understood. But when the script is narrted to the director, it might be lost in translation. Naturally, the director has his

visualisation of the same and not always the scriptwriter��s thoughts get translated on screen. But this isunderstanding disappears when the writer dons the director��s hat too.
That means you are the writer for this film too?
I am.
You said in an interview that there isn��t any research work involved in C Kkompany though the characters are quite real. Isn��t it contradictory?
n By research, I meant intense research. In case of Traffic Signal, there was research involved interms on the modus operandi. Afterall, you have to realise how the underbelly of society functions. In C Kkompany, the groundwork is more character oriented.

Coming to the characters, you haven��t roped in any big names to essay the roles...
The story about the unheroic underdogs, hinges on the real. I did not want a star with his baggage. For a Mumbai centric story, I had no use of a hero with pink cheeks once you made him stand in the sun. When the hero tag is attached to a name, the focus shifts too. As for Anupam Kher, Rajpal Yadav and Tusshar, their roles are at par with each other.
Raima Sen seems to be the only female lead...
The story centres around middle class characters with everyday problems. in fact, Raima prompts Tusshar to take the step that he does which, in turn, lands them as the talk of the nation.
There��s also a Bengali connect in Mithun Chakraborty in the film. Why did you zero in on Raima and Mithun?
I wanted a girl-next-door look for Tusshar��s love interest and Raima fit the bill. She has the Ayesha Julka kind of look that she flaunted in Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander. As for Mithun Chakraborty, dada plays don Dattu Satellite in the film. His character is comical as well as some one who is a principle threat to the three characters. I wanted someone with excellent comic timing as well as one who could evoke fear.
At a time when stars cater to the USP of a film, will this cast pull the audience?
I agree that stars are crucial in getting an opening for a film. Maybe people will not throng in huge
numbers in the first week, but I am counting on word of mouth.
What will be your selling point of the film?
That it has an unconventional and at times whacky story line and the fact that it is a slice of life. Also, the humour doesn��t resort to gags or gimmicks. To top it there are a host of special appearances by Karan Johar, Ektaa Kapoor and Mahesh Bhatt.
Special appearances are always kept as surprise packages but you seem to be drawing heavily on them prior to the release...
More than the selling point, I think there is an intrigue factor attached to it. People want to see Ekta before the camera for the first time. Karan plays the host of a game show while Mahesh Bhatt hosts a talk show titled Bhatt Seriously.
On a more serious note, there was a buzz that Ram Gopal Varma had put in some suggestions for the promos.
First thing is Sarkar Raj was distributed by Balaji. Secondly, the name suggests that C Kkompany seems to be a spoof of D Company. But fact is, the film is neither a spoof on any don or on the underworld. Once that became clear, the idea fell through.
roshni.mukherjee@timesgroup.com

About the Author

Roshni Mukherjee

Roshni Mukherjee is chief copy editor-cum-correspondent at Calcutta Times. Her work includes editing and writing. She writes primarily on Tollywood. Films are an area of interest for her – she likes to catch up on the latest, whether it's Tollywood or Bollywood. Good music and any books that make for an interesting read will find a taker in her.

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