21 Years of Asambhav EXCLUSIVE: “Priyanka Chopra was upcoming at that time and I could see that she was going to be a STAR…Doordarshan didn’t like the ‘President-Of-India-kidnapped’ angle; never aired it; they said that though film is not anti-national, it is AGAINST their policies” – Rajiv Rai

The stylish entertainer Asambhav (2004), starring Arjun Rampal, Priyanka Chopra and Naseeruddin Shah, completed 21 years on July 23. It is directed by Rajiv Rai of Gupt (1997) and Mohra (1994) fame. In August last year, Bollywood Hungama exclusively spoke to the prolific director, who incidentally is gearing up for his latest release Zora at present, about Asambhav and a lot more.

As per IMDB, Esha Deol was considered for the role of Priyanka Chopra… IMDb contains misinformation about everything. I am trying to get somebody to rectify it. I had never approached anybody in my life and got a ‘No’ for an answer. Why would anybody say ‘No’ to me? I have never struggled with casting ever. I don’t take big stars as I don’t have the budgets to afford them. Moreover, my father (Gulshan Rai) and our banner (Trimurti Films Pvt Ltd) had a name. Hence, people were alright working with us.

I did meet Aishwarya Rai once for a film with Shabbir Boxwala. But after that, I never pursued anything. She also said that she’d love to work with me in the future. But nothing came around it. It was just a general talk of each other promising to work someday. That’s it.

It is also said that John Abraham was the original choice for the role played by Naseeruddin Shah… John had come to my office long before he started his career as a film actor. I did want to work with him. But it never materialized and it’s not like we discussed any script. Also, Naseer’s role was negative. So, if I had ever cast John in my life, I would have cast him in a positive character. Later, we once met on a flight. We greeted each other and he showed me some pictures. We didn’t discuss work and spoke for 10 minutes.

Though Asambhav was shot in Switzerland, it made for a fresh experience as you didn’t shoot in the over-explored shooting locations. Was that a conscious decision? You are right and that’s a good question. It was a calculated move. I knew the Swiss consulate people and I realized I could secure work permits and visas for everyone. Also, it’s a beautiful country. I saw that films of James Bond and the Mission: Impossible series use pretty locations in action scenes. Bollywood, however, was using Switzerland for romance. And I am not a romantic sort of director! I scanned the country and I found that the southern part of the country, bordering Italy, was unexplored. It was also rugged and hence, I realized it would look good in an action thriller. Switzerland has 26 cantons or states. And you need to approach the canton where you want to shoot rather than approaching the central government for permission.

I shot in the state of Ticino, which is very beautiful and has an Italian influence. And it looked different, as not many people had shot there. Most of them shoot in the beautiful Gstaad; even Mr Yash Chopra shot in that region. It also has Alps, Jungfrau, etc.

How was it shooting with Priyanka Chopra? It was one of her first films… Shooting with her is very easy as she’s a professional. She was always on time and worked hard. She was upcoming at that time and I could see that she was going to be a star. So, I had a very good experience and had no complaints at all. She speaks good Hindi and English as well.

Asambhav received an ‘A’ rating, though it didn’t have adult content as such. Your thoughts? I really don’t understand why we were given that rating. I didn’t find too much.

Do you think that the film could have come at a better time? Maybe then it would have had a better box office outcome… Yes, the timing was a bit off. I don’t think I planned it too well as I didn’t live here. I should have planned it better in a way that the film gets noticed. Somehow, it went a little unnoticed. It was saddening as I put a lot of hard work into it. It was not easy to put these split-screen scenes. And nobody even acknowledged it.

In fact, you were among the first ones to do so, after which many got inspired and incorporated it into their films… A few years later, people appreciated it, but at that point, it went over them. They felt that it was not a very cool thing to do. But I felt that it was a very cool thing to do! I didn’t argue with whatever comments people had. But that’s fine. You should take the criticism as it comes. Sometimes, people don’t like what you do.

Has there been a change in attitude for Asambhav now? It’s very odd. A lot of people now talk positively about Asambhav, which surprises me. They also remark that technically, it was a bit ahead of its time. I am glad that there is some audience for the film.

In your earlier films, the music achieved cult status, but the same didn’t happen with Asambhav. How did that feel? I agree that the music didn’t do too well. Probably, since it wasn’t a romantic film, it didn’t strike a chord. But I feel it was one of the better soundtracks in my life. When some things go unnoticed, you accept it. At the end of the day, the audience is the judge and you can’t argue about it. You learn your lesson and you move on.

It's refreshing to see that at one point, films like Asambhav referenced Pervez Musharraf, Lalu Prasad Yadav, etc, and it used to get passed without any problem. Moreover, the plot of the film was also so unique. The President of India is shown getting kidnapped and again it got passed… Doordarshan didn’t like this plot point and hence, they never aired it, though it was a positive film. They said that though the film is not anti-national, it is against their policies. It’s not that the enemies win. But I don’t know what the hell they were thinking and I didn’t care. People fill their ears and they get scared. Hence, it’s a film that got misunderstood.

Also Read: 28 Years of Gupt: Rajiv Rai on casting, Kajol-Manisha dynamics and the twist that shocked a generation

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