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Kanu Behl is gearing up for his upcoming Zee5 release, Despatch, starring Manoj Bajpayee in the lead role. The filmmaker, whose investigative drama was recently featured at MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2024, is known for his unconventional films such as Titli and Agra. He speaks about his film based on the life of an investigative journalist, independent cinema and more in an exclusive interaction with Hindustan Times. Excerpts from the interview. (Also read: Agra director Kanu Behl: ‘It is not a matter of the audience’s taste or need, its more on the gatekeepers’)
Kanu Behl on the inspiration behind Despatch
When asked about the inspiration behind the story of Despatch, which intrigued him to work on this project, Kanu states, “I started researching and developing this film around 2016. It took me a couple of years to write the film. The basic impulse started with me thinking about the world of journalism along with the co-writer Ishani. We started thinking about it, and we thought that only these specific films about journalism were made. It’s basically about this hero figure who is a journalist, and they end up solving these crimes for altruistic purposes. Very few films explore what a journalist’s life is like outside of the idea of them trying to work on a story they are working on.”
He further says, “I was also noticing the crimes that were happening against journalists. The Gauri Lankesh Murder was a very strong case. It also troubles us that the world around you is becoming so opaque that you never really know by whom and why the crime has been committed. We wanted to try somehow to subvert the thriller format that is artificially made with these kinds of films. I wanted to do more of a character piece on a journalist as a human being than just his workspace. Once these ideas started colliding and coming together, we knew we had a very interesting film at hand. That’s when we started writing the version of the film closer to the one we eventually made.”
Kanu Behl on Despatch’s relevance in today’s times
When questioned if the story of Despatch is more relevant in today’s scenario about freedom of speech and the right to truth, the filmmaker points out, “Since the world is becoming more and more opaque, power is being concentrated in the hands of a few elites, and they seem like becoming more and more unreachable in the hands of the law or the common man. Everything is becoming foggy for the common man. We hear about this or that case, but in very few cases, we know the real culprit. There is someone who becomes a bali ka bakra (scapegoat), but the real culprits are now all across the planet, all hidden. They are these chalices of poison which are like Amrit, but now the modern Amrit is poison only. Everybody is drinking it, and they are pretty happy with it. While dealing with the world today, you compromise with what you believe in. There is no other way. That creates a very interesting dichotomy, which I wanted to explore with the protagonist’s character, played by Manoj (Bajpayee). The character’s name is Joy Bag.”
He further says, “I have always wondered today what the individual’s responsibility is. You can blame the system and also the unseen power elites. It is also about giving up some part of our responsibility so the world may become like this today. So, I also wanted this film to explore that responsibility. What is the individual’s responsibility? What are the small decisions that we make in our daily lives? This interplay was also important to me; part of that was what I wanted to explore through the film.”
Kanu Behl on working with Manoj Bajpayee
While reflecting on his experience working with Manoj Bajpayee, Kanu states, “I don’t have much to say about this because Manoj’s body of work speaks for itself over the years. What was most surprising to me was the kind of body of work he has done over the years; he is still hungry and so much in love with cinema. He is an actor who is a director’s dream because he is involved in just the film. Nothing else is happening on set, which can sometimes be the case with actors who are more known or have reached a certain stature. That was the thing that immediately surprised me.”
He further says, “He was excited about the film and only thinking about it, and he wanted it to be the best possible version of what it could be. Once you have a collaborator like that, you don’t have to worry about anything. It is about exploring the character and its different aspects within the workshop and prepping for the part so that when it comes down to shooting, you know the character inside out and have the freedom to do whatever you want with it.”
Kanu Behl praises Shahana Goswami
Shahana Goswami, known for her versatile characters, also plays a crucial role in Despatch. When questioned about what aspect of her portrayal intrigued him while she was performing on-screen, the filmmaker says, “First of all, it was really kind of Shahana to agree to do this part. I just had to make one call to her and ask her if she would be willing to play this part, and she was immediately on board. I must thank her profusely for having that faith in me and the film. As regards Shahana, I think she is the only actor who is so thorough in her preparation for the part before she comes on set and yet while she is shooting, she is so intuitive and immensely in the moment. So, I haven’t seen within an actor a great combination of hard work and preparation and yet when the camera is rolling, it feels like she is in the moment. That is the most amazing thing about Shahana as an actor.”
Kanu Behl on depicting reality of journalism
When quizzed about the possible reason behind very few content-driven cinemas on journalism despite India being a diverse country with many everyday stories, the filmmaker points out, “No filmmaker sets out to do a film about the world of journalism or crime journalism per se. You have to have something bigger to say about the human condition. This idea of fustian exploration of the central character, where he is fighting against their greed and impulses, trying to achieve something in life and being pinned down by the world around him changing, could be done in any context. Many thoughts and impulses have to come together to want to make a film and then set it in a particular world. It could just be a factor of that.”
Kanu Behl weighs in on censorship
When asked if he had any apprehensions about the subject of Despatch, since a lot of films face challenges with censor board which deal with sensitive themes, Kanu says, “Not at all; in the context of this, I had a really good experience with the censor board of late, even on my other film Agra. It was a difficult film about sexuality, but I got a censor certificate and minimal cuts. So, I feel as long as you are making a film which is about human beings and the human condition and looks at all human beings with empathy and balance and as long as the film is not trying to push any agenda beyond the people and their feelings of what they are going through with each other. It will not end up facing any difficulties. I was not at all aware of this while making this film.”
Kanu Behl on independent cinema
When asked what kind of push the film festivals give to independent cinema or films based on unconventional subjects, Kanu says, “I think the film festival ecosystem is an important outlet for filmmakers, especially for small films, as it immediately gives them a platform. It helps to make the film more known. Those small-budgeted, independent films are not much seen or heard about outside the festival ecosystem. So, everybody knows your film when you are at a prestigious festival like MAMI. It makes the film bigger than the sheer size of it by helping it to be more out there in the world. Even bigger films are pushing the boundaries, and being at a film festival helps legitimise that attempt.”
