Q – How would you describe Rann?

A –  ‘Rann’ as a word means ‘Battle’. In today’s world there is so much competition between various channels for TRP ratings. So the battle for the top spot comes at the expense of the public.  Truth seeking has become secondary, while the business aspect takes top priority. That’s what ‘Rann’ deals with.

Q – In the US, the news media is taken very seriously and credibility is key… I guess that’s not the case in India?

A – Absolutely not! And what’s worse is, they can make a story out of everything and anything. The whole point is to entertain people. That is why scandals and scams are in the forefront today. If there is nothing worth reporting, they will make news. Even if it provokes innocent people and creates riots. Anything can happen.

Q – How does that figure in Rann?

A – Amitabh Bachchan plays a man who started a news channel 25 - 30 years ago. He stands for the ethics of journalism, but finds it very tough to survive in today’s competitive news arena. Other channels  are doing far better covering scandals, etc.  His son looks at it as a business enterprise, he can’t take it that an ex-employee is on another channel getting much better ratings.  So suddenly, it looks like running a news channel is like running any another business enterprise.  How they fight back, how politicians use the media and how media increases their power by supporting powerful politicians. This is the nexus that ‘Rann’ tries to expose.

Q - Every time you and Amitabh Bachchan come together, audience expectations go up. What can we expect this time?

A - For Rann, I cast Amitabh Bachchan because I needed a man of that stature. His image represents the conscious of the country.  And his performance has once again exceeded my expectations.

Q – Many say the promos remind them of ‘Sarkar’ & ‘Sarkar Raaj’?

A – I wouldn’t say that because ‘Sarkar’ was very different compared to ‘Rann’.  That was about strong political leaders, this deals with a different kind of genre. Mr. Bachchan’s role is much more complex in ‘Rann’.  He’s a man caught between two worlds. He has to be practical yet,  he dreams of an idealistic world. That “in-between” is played very subtly and wonderfully.

Q – This is an ensamble cast. Tell us about the other players?

A – Ritesh has always been a comic actor, but in person he is a very serious and intense person.  He is one of the most serious individuals I know in the industry.  So I though it will be interesting to show him the way he is in real life.  Paresh Rawal is also better known for comedies with films like Hera Pheri. I wanted to break that perception and bring back his dramatic excellence.  As a matter of fact, all the actors are going against their image in this film.

Q – The media has a love / hate relationship with you based on your hits and flops. How does that make you feel?

A – Yeah that’s ok. Eventually it’s about an opinion and as long as I am a part of this industry, I have to take the good with the bad.

Q – Hard hitting drama’s like ‘Satya’, ‘Sarkar’ & perhaps ‘Rann’ is what fans seem to want from you. Why do you still continue making films like ‘Agyaat’?

A – See a film is like a conversation. At the end of the day people either connect with your movie or they don’t. Some will love it and some will hate it. Unless I do it, I won’t know.  I am the kind of guy who constantly keeps shifting genres, unlike most directors who will stick to the same space. I’ll do a musical,  suspense,  horror  or a gangster film. I  keep  jumping genres.  Some of them will turn out right and some will not.

Q – You had launched Rann’s publicity with a new rendering of India’s national anthem. What happened to ‘Jana Gana Rann’?

A – The tune of Jana Gana Rann did not go well with the sensors. It would be a waste of time fighting with them, so we changed it to Vande Matram.

Q – How’s the response to the promos and publicity so far?

A – Great. Our movie is out there for everybody. People are very curious to see how much it exposes the media and how much the media exposes ‘Rann’.

Q – Any final message to your fans?

A – ‘Rann’ is a very hard hitting yet, entertaining film.  It is entertaining because if you look at it very closely, the media itself is entertaining .