How Zubaan found its voice in Vicky Kaushal
Zubaan has been a nine year odyssey for me. I spent seven years developing it, and it has been in the making for two years. During those seven years there were many rejections and setbacks.
Sometimes the actors I approached wanted to know who the producer was and at other times the producers wanted to know who the actors were. And at all times, because I didn't have big names attached to the film, I was almost always politely declined or then made to wait endlessley for a call that never came. Lots of empty promises.
Although it was an incredibly trying time for me, I learnt some invaluable, precious lessons, the most relevant one being that if I want to make the film, I should make it not with the biggest but the best talent.
So I stopped chasing stars and instead decided to find one. My casting director, Mukesh Chabbra was a big support to me. He set up extensive auditions in my office and thus began the process of finding the actor who would play the lead in Zubaan.
Little did I know at that time that this process would carry on for an excruciating and terribly frustrating eight months. By the end of these eight months I had rejected 300 actors and I was at my wits end, dejected and wallowing in misery but still not ready to give up: I'm a sucker for hope.
The rest of the film had been cast. Sarah Jane Dias nailed the part in one audition. Manish Chaudhri and Meghna Malik and Raaghav Chanana were also cast immediately but Dilsher, the character who carries the film remained an elusive ghost. And then one of my producers Guneet Monga suggested Vicky Kaushal's name to me. He had had some experience as an assistant director and had also acted in a short film, which Guneet told me to review. I saw the film and felt a spark so I called him in for an audition.
I remember it was late in the evening and I was on edge. Vicky was standing before me, nervous, humble and terribly sincere. We spoke for a little bit. I asked him if he could speak in Punjabi. It was a pre-requisite for the part. He started rattling off long, intricate sentences in Punjabi with such elan that I laughed. Beneath all that humility was a performer.
Then I asked him if he could sing. Another pre-requisite for the part. He said he couldn't hold a tune to save his life. I felt my heart drop. And then I gave him scenes from the film to read and my assitant director switched the camera on. Vicky electrified the room. He was so good that he left me dumbstruck. And he filled me with an exquiste terror. The terror any director feels when he knows that no matter what, now his film will happen. That I could feel in my gut.
I tested Vicky continously for the next week. I wanted to be doubly sure. He got better with each audition. Then I did a look test with Sarah and him. They looked amazing together. A few months later we began filming Zubaan. The stars had aligned. My two incredible producers, Guneet and Shaan, were also the producers on Masaan. We had completed 80 per cent of Zubaan and had taken a pause for the seasons to change as we needed the winter, and Vicky shot for Masaan and debuted with it.
He won the Stardust best debut male award for Masaan and today the responsibility of launching a new face is no longer mine. Everyone already knows who Vicky Kaushal is. Today, his accomplishments and his credibility walk into the room before he does. Soon, stardrom will follow.
I remember some people discouraging me from giving the lead role to a brand new actor. They said I should work with a star. They said I was taking a huge gamble. Today, Vicky is being lauded as the next best thing. And I know he's thrilled, but I am proud. I was the first director to give him a leading role and he ran with it, like the wind. He proved me right.
I believed in Vicky because I decided to believe in myself.
I found Vicky and I found my voice, my Zubaan.
A few behind the scenes footage:
1) Finding Vicky
2) Sham Kaushal and Vicky Kaushal work together for the first time
(Zubaan releases March 4, 2016 all over.)