Rajma Chawal director Leena Yadav on working with Rishi Kapoor, and shooting in Chandni Chowk

Director Leena Yadav’s fourth film Rajma Chawal is a complete departure from her previous works – Shabd, Teen Patti and Parched. While the Sanjay Dutt-Aishwarya Rai starrer Shabd, and Teen Patti with Amitabh Bachchan and Shraddha Kapoor were thrillers, Radhika Apte’s Parched was a hard-hitting film on women empowerment. Rajma Chawal is a slice-of-life family film that explores a father-son relationship, wherein the father (played by Rishi Kapoor) attempts to reconnect with his estranged son (debutant actor Anirudh Tanwar) through social media.

“I like going into different worlds. I want to do every genre possible and hope to keep surprising the audience with every film I make. Nobody can predict what I will make next. Rajma Chawal is my first lighthearted film. I have never laughed so much; it was such a funny team,” said the director who was taken aback with Kapoor’s honesty when she went to narrate the story to him. “I didn’t have the title for the film when I first met Rishi, and the very first thing he told me was a disclaimer on why I shouldn’t be working with him. There were a few dos and don’ts, one being that he would never come for the shoot before 11 am. I loved that about him and told him that I would definitely like to work with someone who is so honest," said Yadav.

Not just the film’s title, but Kapoor, says the director, came up with ideas on every aspect of the film, especially on the theme of fatherhood. “When I mentioned the generation gap, he immediately said that he, too, has a different relationship with his son and that they communicate only when its needed, depending upon how much they want to communicate and open up. He further told me that he sees the relationship between other father and sons quite different as compared to theirs’ but this is the way it works for him and Ranbir,” said the director. “Rishi asks a lot of questions and despite having so much wisdom because of his years of experience, he is like a child, and I feel all great actors have a child alive in them. He was a realistic actor even in the 1970s when others were more into stylised acting. He used to be very real in the characters he portrayed. Now he fits into the scene perfectly because now we have more and more realistic cinema getting made,” said Yadav.

“Rishi heard the script and immediately said that the film should be called Rajma Chawal. There is a scene in the film which is connected to the generation gap. The new generation is eating Rajma Chawal with a spoon whereas the older generation feels that it is best to eat it with hands to get that taste and flavour. Also, thematically, Rajma Chawal gives the feeling of togetherness, comfort and it suited the film beautifully,” she added.

The director is extremely happy about the film releasing on Netflix. She feels rather than a theatrical release, the digital platform is the perfect match for her film. “I feel the journey is longer for any film releasing on Netflix. It feels I am starting a relation with the audience which will be a long term one with this film. Also, how many times does a family actually make it to the theatres, together? I myself have personal stories of my father trying to get on to Facebook to stay in touch with us. When I heard it, I realised this was a universally relevant story today,” she said.

The film’s male lead Anirudh Tanwar had assisted Yadav on her previous film, Parched and the latter was keen on launching Tanwar as an actor. “I was looking for a story and when writer Vivek Anchalia came up with this idea, it felt like everybody’s story being told. Then, Manu Rishi Chadha came on board and brought a lot of Delhi flavour to the film, but the most difficult part,” said Yadav, “was casting the female lead played by Amyra Dastur. I had to subject Amyra to three to four auditions. I auditioned her first, called other girls, then I called Amyra back for another audition. That character is very loaded; from the exterior she looks different but she is something else inside. I was trying to find that balance. Amyra brought such an amazing quality to her part,” she said.

And even as Yadav thought shooting in Chandni Chowk would be a challenge, they had a blast as they were given a warm welcome by the people living there. “A lot of films have merely shown Chandni Chowk but they haven’t been able to shoot for a longer duration, but we had a blast. The people over there have a lot of patience. The haveli where we shot was right inside and all of us, including Rishi, would walk through the lanes and by-lanes to reach there. He would stop at several spots to chat with people and then it became a regular affair. People knew that he would pass by every day.”

Rajma Chawal is currently streaming on Netflix.