It's all about Mani

Director Mani Shankar has made over 300 short films, including a film on the former President of United States Bill Clinton's visit to India and a music video (Gyara gulshan apka) on the terrorist outfit Hizbul Mujahideen.

He also received the Andhra Pradesh Government's prestigious Golden Nandi Award for Best Director and Best Screenplay for his Telugu telefilm, Manishi in 1991.

Mani has come a long way from his series of music videos called Mujhko Hai Aasha in 1994 to his first feature film, 16 December starring Milind Soman, Dipannita Sharma and Aditi Gowitrikar, which releases on March 22.

The 44-year-old director-scriptwriter speaks to Ronjita Kulkarni about the film.

How did a BITS (Birla Institute of Technology and Science), Pilani graduate like you get into films?

I always wanted to be a writer. But due to parental pressure, I enrolled for an engineering course at BITS Pilani. Later, I worked as a copywriter at a small ad agency in Chennai. Then, I debuted with the Telugu television series, Thenali Ram Krishna in 1986, which I directed and produced.

What was the inspiration behind 16 December?

16 December is a mind game thriller. I wanted to make a film that wouldn't insult the audience --- most Hindi films these days insult the intelligence of the audience. The only exception I can think of is Lagaan, which is a brilliant film. I wanted to make a film that has never been made before, in India or abroad.

Also, I have a nationalistic bend of mind and have made many films on the subject. In 1996, I directed a music video on the terrorist outfit Hizbul Mujahideen. The song, Gyara gulshan apka, had lyrics by P K Mishra (also the lyricist of 16 December). I had a firsthand glimpse into the minds of terrorists.

A lot of the film is centred around Dalal Street (Mumbai's financial district which houses the Bombay Stock Exchange)...

White-collar crime has always fascinated me. I always wanted to probe scams.

I did a lot of homework to find out the modus operandi. It wasn't difficult at all. I spoke to a lot of people in the police and paramilitary forces. I was determined to find out how black money worth millions of rupees moved from point to point.

I found something interesting --- black money comes to Mumbai from all over India in white, unmarked Ambassadors. There are usually two men in the car, who utter a secret code number to the person instructing them. This code is virtually impossible to crack, which is why they rarely get caught.

In 16 December, I used the Mumbai telephone directory as the base for my number code. For example, if the code is 395-25-2, it means that the address for the delivery of the money will be found on page 395, column 25 and line 2 of the telephone directory.

Very often, banks are also involved in these money-making scandals. This money is converted into American bonds in banks. So while the money is being counted, the chairman of the bank is held 'hostage'. He is treated very nicely, but a slight mistake would be dangerous for him.

How did you get hold of the photograph of the treaty between Pakistan and India that was signed on December 16, 1971?

Well, it is is available on the Internet. My team located it for me. Also, I digitally modified Danny Denzongpa and Gulshan Grover's faces to make them look 30 years younger. I have also created laser holograms and loads of other SFX.

All the effects are used to tell the story. The first scene has some dazzling effects, but they blend in well. The best effects are those which do not stand out. People must want to watch a film, not the effects.

I am a software engineer and, with my team of seven, we created the effects in my studio in Hyderabad. The making of 16 December will soon be aired on television.

Any special incidents while shooting?

In a song sequence in New Zealand, Milind (Soman) and Dipannita (Sharma) had to bungee jump. It was a 130-metre drop. Milind had done it before; Dipannita hadn't. She was extremely scared. Besides, she also suffers from vertigo. To assure them that their life wasn't in danger, I had to bungee jump. That worked. Then, to extract revenge, I made them to do the scene over and over again!

What made you ask Milind to sing a song in the film?

Throughout the shoot, Milind entertained everyone with his songs. He sang Hindi, Marathi and classical songs and bhajans [spiritual songs]. I was quite impressed. I recognised the professional singer in him.

Besides, I wanted a music video that would capture the soul of the film. That's how Dhooya dhooya happened.

Do you think the film will appeal to the masses?

Yes. [Distributor] Columbia Tristar wasn't sure the film would work. So they conducted a Dip Stick test, which means that they arranged a special preview of the film for the 'front bench' audience in Mumbai. After they had seen the film, the audience was grilled about it.

Surprisingly, all of them understood my film. They enjoyed it, too.