Don't need jingoism cards to sell 'Raazi': Meghna Gulzar
Filmmaker Meghna Gulzar at a "success" press conference of her film "Raazi" says the story is about patriotism and not bashing Pakistan. She said, "The story is such a powerful one that we don't need planks of placard carrying jingoism to sell the movie," adding, "The acceptance of 'Raazi' shows that the audience is ready to see anything that's different and breaking the stereotype."
Pakistanis are human too: Meghana
When asked about her approach of showing Pakistanis through a humane lens and not with hostility, Meghna said they are humans too. "We don't need to show someone as bad to show ourselves as good. You don't need slogan cheering for that," she said. She added that they did not feel the need to add various things to make the story spicy and saleable.
I needed to be mad about the character: Alia
Alia Bhatt, who plays Indian spy Sehmat in the film, said the vulnerability of her character was challenging. "In this film, I needed to be mad about the character...when your director gets and loves your madness, there's nothing better than that," she said. She added at such moments Meghna would warmly tell her that she isn't alone and they are in this together.
Gulzar's praises for Meghna leaves her teary-eyed
Meghna's father, the legendary poet and writer Gulzar, who was present at the conference said that, as a father, nothing is bigger than to be in the midst of his daughter's audience, which made Meghna teary-eyed. Gulzar also wrote the lyrics of the film's songs. Other cast members Vicky Kaushal, Soni Razdan, and Jaideep Ahlawat were also present at the conference.