‘Irrfan & I Were Working On A Biopic On K Asif’: Tigmanshu Dhulia On 21 Years Of Charas

Your sophomore film Charas was not as well received as your first film Haasil. Was that a disappointment?

It was twenty one years ago my second film Charas got released. Expectations were high. But it did not come close to the kind of admiration my debut film Haasil received.

Was Charas a challenge to make?

I loved making it. Visually it is one of my best works because the canvas was enormous. I think it was ahead of its times. The plot was too thick and twisted many just did not get it. It happens when the filmmaker is trying too hard and feeling superior to his audience. My bad.

This is the first time I’ve heard a filmmaker has admitted to a superiority complex?

I rate Charas as one of my best. Charas was being made while we were waiting for Haasil to get released.

Tell me about working with Irrfan?

Irrfan Khan and Jimmy Shergil were common to both the films and we were all anxiously waiting for Haasil to hit the screens. During the making, Irrfan had started shooting for Vishal Bhardwaj’s Maqbool and had grown a beard for the part.

Continuity problems with Irrfan’s beard, just like Rajesh Khanna shooting with a beard for Yash Chopra’s Ittefaq and without a beard for Raj Khosla’s Do Raaste?

I remember we tried hiding Irrfan’s face for an action sequence where he was supposed to be clean shaven, but it shows in the film.

You and Irrfan had decided to do many films together?

A day after Charas released me and Irrfan started shooting another film called Killing Of A Porn Filmmaker. It got shelved, the producer made some wrong calculations. Our friendship and collaboration grew and we did two other film Paan Singh Tomar and Saheb Biwi and Gangster.

You saw Irrfan evolve as an actor?

I saw him evolve as a person from a nervous, unsure and anxious person to a calmer mature and minimalistic artist. We were talking about working on K. Asif’s biopic. I am working on it now. Wish you were here.

Your next?

Just finished and delivered a film called Ghamasan with Arshad Warsi and Prateek Gandhi.

You are seen in a new series Black White & Grey where you play a temporarily blinded cop. Which do you enjoy more, acting or direction?

Hemal Thakkar, who is the producer for Black White and Grey, also produced a show called Garmi for Sony Liv which I had directed so he offered me the role of the blinded cop, and I said yes; no major thought behind it. I have heard great reviews and the show is doing pretty well. I act for money It’s directing that I enjoy more than anything else.