Meghna Gulzar speaks about recreating the 1971 look in 2017

Director Meghna Gulzar’s espionage drama Raazi has kicked off with a bang at the box office. The film’s collections have exceeded expectations and nearly touch Rs 40 crore on Monday. Pundits even believe the film can touch the Rs 100 crore mark during its time in the theatres. While the movie is set in a laid-back Rawalpindi in Pakistan, recreating the appropriate 1971 look in 2017 was no bed of roses. In a recently unveiled Dharma Production video, Gulzar talks extensively of the film’s making and what it took to give the viewers a feel of originality.

“Recreating the Rawalpindi markets in Malerkotla is not easy, to be turning a real location of 2017 to a location in another country, Rawalpindi, in 1971”, Gulzar can be heard saying in the video. Besides Jammu and Kashmir, certain portions of the film were also shot in the interiors of Punjab. The director, cinematographer, art director of the film speak in depth about the film’s production, of how small elements of the set had to be handled with care so as to bring about 1970s era. Hand-painted banners were used to give the feel of the ‘correct zone’.

Gulzar also spoke about the use of vintage cars in her film. “Another challenge in making a period film is the picture maker. Because all these are vintage cars and most of the time these vehicles are not in a good condition. I think the picture vehicles in a period film are character by themselves”, she added.

The makers were very keen that Alia has a feminine look even though she plays a rough character. Gulzar spoke that the reason was to go against the stereotype that if a woman is doing action or playing a character that is going to do physical actions, she needs to be in masculine, tight or dark clothes.

Raazi is currently in theatres and the film is sure to give you the feels of patriotism even as it brings out the human emotion with every scene.