30 years of Oh Darling Yeh Hai India: Ketan Mehta recalls, "I was called anti-national and all sorts of names"

Filmmaker Ketan Mehta’s Oh Darling Yeh Hai India completed 30 years on August 11. The experimental film starred Shah Rukh Khan, Deepa Sahi, Jaaved Jaaferi, Anupam Kher and Amrish Puri. On its 30th anniversary, Mehta looked back at the movie in an interview with us.

Ketan, 30 years of your zany, quirky, wild and audacious Oh Darling Ye Hai India 30 years? I mean, was it released in 1995? It doesn't seem like it, does it? Doesn't seem like it at all. Chalo, Zindabad.

But this was unique. Well, I mean, in a way, in a sense, all your films are unique. But this one was unique because it was so musical. I mean, almost the entire film is a story in a musical format It was futuristic and it was wild and it was wacky. It was surreal and it was as wild as it can get. The sale of India was really the crux of the matter and that is exactly what was happening at that time in India.

Right, right, right. But, you know, looking at it now, it's quite obvious that you couldn't have gotten away with this at this moment. Aaj ke din mein? I guess we had more of a sense of humour in those days. But actually, I was quite reviled for it. I was called anti-national and all sorts of name.

I remember all that. But kam se kam banane toh diya na, Ketan… Today, you wouldn't even be allowed to make it. Forget release it. That is true. That is true. I guess we’ve all lost our sense of humour.

But going back to it, tell me a bit about its inception. How did this completely crazy film happen? Well, I was travelling to Dhanbad or some place for a documentary film and my wife (Deepa Sahi) said, “Bring back a gift for me”. And I said, “What would you like as a gift?” And she said, “A bright idea for a film.” How sweet is that! So, while coming back, you came up with this. And saved yourself some money (laughs).

And the idea was simple. An out-of-work actor meets an overworked streetwalker. Right. And they strike a deal. The deal is food for fun. So, he promises to entertain her through the night for food. And in the meanwhile, there is a don named Don Quixote (Amrish Puri) who is trying to capture India. And auction it. And the jobless actor and the streetwalker end up saving India. While having fun. I mean, that was the basic crux of the film.

Well, all thanks to them, I guess, we are still alive. But, on a more serious note, you know, you had an amazing cast in the film. Of course, Deepa Sahi … Shah Rukh was so raw at that time This was my second film with Shah Rukh and Deepa after Maya Memsaab. Shah Rukh was all raw energy eager and enthusiastic. Really high energy, extremely cooperative. We were shooting on the streets for over a hundred nights. And then, right through the night. Luckily, it was the Shah Rukh Khan of those days when he was relatively unknown. Otherwise, I would have never been able to shoot with him on the streets. So, he was out on the streets without vanity vans. I mean, actually, at times he had... Without vanity vans.

And without vanity? Yeah. Perfectly put, yeah. That's right. Everyone was there for the sake of making a film that they believed in. No egos. No egos and raw energy. Yes, lots of that. And they were amazing. Apart from these main cast like Deepa and Shah Rukh. Amrish Puri and Anupam Kher. Javed Jaffrey. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Apart from these, there was also an amazing ensemble cast.

And Ranjit Barot's music? Crazy music too. It didn't sound like what Hindi film music sounded at that time. If you compare it with the score of Maya Memsaab, then I think it would probably be the opposite.

I have told you this repeatedly, your music in Maya Memsaab, Lata ji was at her sublimest Absolutely. Absolutely. She was the soul of the film. She was! And Hridaynath Mangeshkar’s compositions were superb. Gulzar ne likhe bhi bahut khoob. Oh Darling Yeh Hai India was a totally different world and that was the challenge and that was the excitement. For the first time, rap songs were being used.

Do you actually think that this one came before its time? I have been accused of that again and again, so I don't realise. I mean, the idea came at that point of time, so it had to be made at that point of time. There was no proper plot. There was no... The characters were completely crazy and unprecedented. It is on one of the OTT platforms.

Have you ever watched it since its release? Not recently but it is one of my favourite films. Mirch Masala and Maya Memsaab are the two favourites of mine in that sense. Right.

After these two films Maya Memsaab and Oh Darling Yeh Hai India, you never worked with Shah Rukh Khan Yeah, he moved on after the films didn't do well. Right. I mean, I've burnt myself doing Oh Darling Yeh Hai India. It was an amazing experience. While it lasted. Good while it lasted.

What are you thinking of? Stop thinking and please start doing… One is a science fiction thriller. And the other is a historical epic. I can't tell you what it is right now. But you will be the first to know.

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