When director J P
Dutta, best known for making war films like Border, LoC and Refugee, turns to something like Umrao
Jaan, the speculation and interest are evident.
Not bothered by comparisons to Muzaffar Ali's 1981 adaptation of the
same name, the 55-year-old director measures his film by Mirza Mohammed
Haadi Ruswa's Urdu novel, Umrao Jaan Ada. And, as he tells
Syed Firdaus Ashraf and Priyanka Jain, he hates the word
'remake.'
You've been away for some time now. How did this film bring you out
of hibernation?
There's a difference between a tiger and a donkey: A tiger hunts when
he is hungry, and once he has eaten he takes a break and goes into his
cave. He comes out only when he is hungry. I love to work when I feel
excited about something.
I am not worried about how many films I do in how many years, but I
must give a 110%. One should be ready physically and mentally to do a
film. It is difficult to recharge your batteries, therefore I didn't make
a film for that long.
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