INTERVIEW: Director: Leena Yadav

Interview: Jamie Hailstone

Director Leena Yadav is one of a new breed of directors working in India, combining traditional storytelling and cutting edge production values. Her new film, Teen Patti, is a fast moving thriller starring two bona fide legends - Academy Award winner Sir Ben Kingsley and Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan - and it will appeal to Western and Indian audiences alike. Set in both England and India, it’s a classic tale of greed, card games and mathematics…

Teen Patti is not your average Bollywood flick is it?
Leena: I don’t like bracketing films into Bollywood or Hollywood. I think Teen Patti has a storyline that should translate to people across all kinds of boundaries.

You had two very well known leading men in this film. What were they like to work with?
Mr Bachchan is a legend in India. He’s a brilliant actor and very professional. He’s very into the craft. It was interesting to have him work with Sir Ben Kingsley, who comes from across the globe. That’s why I feel that cinema is a language that can transcend every type of boundary. He’s another legend. Indians relate to Sir Ben Kingsley a lot, because of Gandhi. It was amazing to see them work. Strangely, when we shooting with the two of them, we had a mixed crew – half Indian, half British. It was brilliant, because we didn’t see the difference.

What was the most technically challenging thing to do on this film as a director?
I had an amazing technical team on the film, but I think the most challenging thing was shooting in the real locations in Bombay. As a director, I don’t like shooting too much on set. I have this mental block. I feel you can tell a set from a real location. So, the challenging part was shooting in Bombay, which is a city that does not sleep.

How did you prepare for the card games?
Teen Patti is like poker. It’s a game we play at a festival here. It’s a game that the Indian crowd will be extremely familiar with. For that, we consulted a lot of card experts. We had some on set when I was shooting the game. But in the film, the gambling becomes a metaphor in the lives of the characters. So, the film does not go into the technicalities too much.

Is there a powerful soundtrack to go along with the film?
We have a very interesting soundtrack. The music director of the film, Salim Sulaiman, did the songs. It’s a very interesting mix of genres. We have rock number, we have a cabaret/tango number, and it’s very supportive of the narrative. None of the songs are for the songs sake - they take the story forward. The sound and the feel of the song are dictated by the story, location and situation. That is why we have such a mix of genres. I think Salim has done an outstanding job.

Slumdog Millionaire was a massive success in the West. Has it opened a lot of doors for Bollywood films?
I think it was an interesting film. You had somebody (Danny Boyle) who was not Indian come down and make this extremely Indian film. He gave it his own interpretation. People all over the world appreciated it and connected emotionally with the film. I think that’s the biggest thing that Slumdog… did. It reinforced my belief that films have to connect through the story, and the world is definitely becoming a much smaller place. We are so much more aware of each other’s art, mindsets and cultures.
    Teen Patti was a mixed bag. We had a fight director from Germany. We had an editor from LA, Hughes Winborne, who edited Crash and won an Oscar for it. I was extremely apprehensive about it, but what I found we spoke one language. He was brilliant with the timing. He totally connected with it.

What first made you want to become a director?
Well, I’m not of those people who thought when I was 8 I was going to be in films. I think life guided me in this direction. When I look back, I think it’s the storyteller in me. I used to so spin yarns as a child. It’s about now sharing stories in a powerful medium. I’m fascinated with every aspect of it. I think each and every element that comes into a film is amazing.

What will you be working on for your next film?
Right now, I’m going to take a long break! It’s been a long journey with Teen Patti. I have a couple of ideas floating around in my head. I hope to come up with a completely new genre next time round. But what I’m attracted to human drama. I like conflict, both internal and external. I’m very drawn to the internal journey of my characters. JH