Meghna Gulzar, director of the upcoming spy drama Raazi, reveals interesting insights into the casting of her leading lady, Alia Bhatt. She shares, “Even before Bhavani Iyer (who wrote the screenplay with Meghna) and I had put a word on paper, I knew that a performance was needed to take Sehmat’s journey forward on screen. Also, the way I see her, she doesn’t suddenly turn into this indestructible superhero on a mission. There’s a vulnerability inherent in her character which she retains till the end and I’ve noticed that no matter how hard-hitting the characters she plays, there is a certain softness to Alia, physically and emotionally, that I was looking for.”

Alia was clearly an apt choice for the part and it was heartening for Meghna to see the dedication she brought to her work. “Once she connected with the character, she was consumed by her. Alia worked really hard on her prep — she took language sessions, learnt the Morse code and other training. By the time we sat for the readings, she knew all her lines and was even asking what I meant by underlined script cues like ‘gives a knowing look’, wanting me to explain what I meant by the ‘knowing look’!”

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The film was shot in beautiful, strife-torn Kashmir and Meghna maintains that from her interactions with the locals, the ordinary Kashmiri is genuine and completely affiliated to India. “They have just become helpless pawns because nobody is interested in resolving their problems. They are always defensive, constantly asking you, “I hope you are okay? Aapko kuch galat to nahin lagta yahan?” It’s so unfair!” Even when the film called for junior artistes, the helpful location manager would bring over family and friends. “They didn’t need to help us but they did. Kashmiriyat is still alive in the Valley,” she points out.

While her last, the thought-provoking Talvar based on the real life murder of Arushi Talwar, is still talked about, post Raazi Meghna will move on to a biopic on Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw and the real story of Laxmi Agarwal, an acid attack survivor. “I like making life tough for myself,” she laughs, adding that she has worked non-stop for 11 months “but even on a break I know the mind won’t sleep.” That’s the magic and the madness of cinema.