FITOOR – Q & A With Director Abhishek Kapoor
UTV Motion Pictures in association with Guy In The Sky Pictures present FITOOR, starring Aditya Roy Kapur, Katrina Kaif and Tabu and Directed by Abhishek Kapoor.
Abhishek Kapoor Q&A
With Kashmir as the backdrop for films, there’s always been a stigma attached. Are you anywhere near trying to break that image?
We are not making any political statement in Fitoor. There are a lot of films being made around the current state of Kashmir, politics in the state, the anti-establishment scenario and I feel that I am not qualified to make that statement. I think Kashmir, and India in itself, is such a complex, layered ball of contradictions. I am not qualified enough to comment on it. I did it in ‘Kai Po Che’ but even there, I didn’t take any stand. I only kept the facts out there. There were riots but we didn’t get into who did what and who was wrong or right. That’s not my place and I am not qualified for it. In Fitoor also, I am using Kashmir only for its fantastical nature and unique beauty, which is as unique as the story of the film. That’s where the buck stops.
A lot has also been said and written about Fitoor. Do you think these pre-release controversies work in favour of the film?
My focus is on the film. I am just telling you a story. My mind does not wander in any other direction but to make this movie a great experience. That’s it. Controversies come and go. To make a movie is as it is so difficult; every day is a battle. So sometimes you have to move on. You have got a final destination and you have to keep your eye on that and not pay heed to controversies that come in the way.
Does the director’s work end with ‘pack-up’ or is there more to it?
Well, a mother’s job does not stop until the child goes to sleep. And once he does, she has to plan for the next day. So a director has responsibility until the movie is out there for viewers to watch, box office collections take place and stars feel content.
What would be the main selling points of Fitoor that will make it a successful movie?
Touching love story, the way we have made it, chemistry between the three actors and the wonderful music we have.
What was it like to work with Tabu?
Tabu is one of the few actors who can mould herself according to the character. She is a dream for a director. She never looks into the mirror or monitor and always trusts the crew on sets. I am thankful to Tabu who stepped in at the last moment and got into the skin of the character within three to four days.
Synopsis:
This story follows a young Kashmiri boy Noor, his muse Firdaus and a mercurial Begum, through love lost and realized over the course of two generations.
Thirteen-year-old Noor, an impressionable shikara boy living by the piers of Kashmir’s Dal Lake, is lured into the world of the Begum – the wealthiest woman in town.
Young Noor falls in love with the Begum’s daughter, Firdaus – a beautiful child who has been raised to break hearts. Suffering from a broken heart herself, the Begum finds her mark in Noor.
Noor begins to obsess over Firdaus, someone who belongs to a world completely different from his. Seasons change and Noor leaves his hometown to move to the city of Delhi to build his career as an artist. He strives to be accepted into the sophisticated social circles that Firdaus is a part of in a quest to win her love, while the Begum plots retribution on their young and innocent love.
Watch the trailer of Fitoor below.
Key Cast: Aditya Roy Kapur, Katrina Kaif and Tabu
Director: Abhishek Kapoor
Producers: Siddharth Roy Kapur and Abhishek Kapoor
Adapted For The Screen by: Supratik Sen and Abhishek Kapoor
Cinematography: Anay Goswamy
Editor: Deepa Bhatia
Music: Amit Trivedi
Lyrics: Swanand Kirkire
Dialogue: Supratik Sen
Art Director: Mayur Sharma
Production Design: Sukant Panigrahy, Shashank Tere and Nidhi Rungta (Kashmir)