I believe I’m an average filmmaker - Homi Adajania

by | August 23, 2020, 17:25 IST

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I believe I’m an average filmmaker - Homi Adajania

He’d rather be deep-sea diving off Lakshadweep islands than make films or give interviews. Homi Adajania is more of a traveller, more of a sea creature than a filmmaker. One can say making films is a hobby and diving his vocation. Films came to him out of the blue. He says before Being Cyrus (2005), he didn’t know a thing about making movies. People thought of him as an ad filmmaker. But all he had done till then was shoot a prank video involving a bomb and two unsuspecting friends. He’s done some crazy things as a traveller, like living with a Vietnamese family for a bet. Also, he lived in Europe for four months working his way through odd jobs like babysitting, washing sofas, painting houses to save money to buy a ticket back home. These experiences taught him that it doesn’t matter what culture you come from. Human beings, at the core, have the same primal emotions, which help you both structure a story and sell it.

“A friend gave me a story and said it was being rejected everywhere because it’s full of profanities. I liked it and said I’d make a movie on it. My wife (Anaita Shroff Adajania, fashion stylist) and my friends were like, ‘Homi’s again going to do some f*****g shit,” he laughs at the memory today. The psychological drama, Being Cyrus, starred Saif Ali Khan, Naseeruddin Shah and Dimple Kapadia. “I have a visual mind. I can connect the emotional dots. These are my few strengths. Apart from that, I believe I’m an average filmmaker,” he states self-deprecatingly.


He’d rather be deep-sea diving off Lakshadweep islands than make films or give interviews. Homi Adajania is more of a traveller, more of a sea creature than a filmmaker. One can say making films is a hobby and diving his vocation. Films came to him out of the blue. He says before Being Cyrus (2005), he didn’t know a thing about making movies. People thought of him as an ad filmmaker. But all he had done till then was shoot a prank video involving a bomb and two unsuspecting friends. He’s done some crazy things as a traveller, like living with a Vietnamese family for a bet. Also, he lived in Europe for four months working his way through odd jobs like babysitting, washing sofas, painting houses to save money to buy a ticket back home. These experiences taught him that it doesn’t matter what culture you come from. Human beings, at the core, have the same primal emotions, which help you both structure a story and sell it. “A friend gave me a story and said it was being rejected everywhere because it’s full of profanities. I liked it and said I’d make a movie on it. My wife (Anaita Shroff Adajania, fashion stylist) and my friends were like, ‘Homi’s again going to do some f*****g shit,” he laughs at the memory today. The psychological drama, Being Cyrus, starred Saif Ali Khan, Naseeruddin Shah and Dimple Kapadia. “I have a visual mind. I can connect the emotional dots. These are my few strengths. Apart from that, I believe I’m an average filmmaker,” he states self-deprecatingly.

The Bollywood naach-gaana shenanigans excited him while making Cocktail (2012). He was scared of it and yet wanted to experience it all. The film, written by filmmaker Imtiaz Ali and produced by Saif Ali Khan and Dinesh Vijan under Illuminati Films, starred Saif, Deepika Padukone and Diana Penty. With regards to Finding Fanny (2014), he wanted it to be like an edible picture book. “I guess it went over a lot of people’s heads. But for me, it was a story about loneliness and longing. I wanted to shoot each frame, where I felt you wanted to pick out a piece and bite into it.” The satirical comedy starred old favourites Dimple, Deepika, Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapur and Arjun Kapoor.

The director was in news once again for his latest release Angrezi Medium. Saket Choudhary’s Hindi Medium, the first part of the franchise in 2017, was a social commentary on the flaws of the education system. Thematically, Angrezi Medium took the franchise forward. It’s about a girl’s desire to study abroad. Moreover, it’s a father-daughter story. The late Irrfan Khan, who had won the Filmfare Best Actor for Hindi Medium, was last seen in Angrezi Medium. The film features Radhika Madan, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Dimple Kapadia.

The universe of Angrezi Medium was something he was unfamiliar with. And that excited Homi greatly. “Udaipur was a new space for me. The characters were different. But underneath it all, the emotional core was something I could relate to,” he explains. Homi confides he’d never have made Angrezi Medium if it was just a sequel to Hindi Medium. It was the father-daughter (enacted by Irrfan and Radhika) relationship that attracted him. Being a father (to sons Zane and Zreh), he could identify with it. “As a parent you handhold your kid and take him through life. But one day you have to let go of that hand. For me, that’s going to be extremely painful. I’ll do it with pride but with also a lot of pain. Your love for your child is unconditional.”


The Bollywood naach-gaana shenanigans excited him while making Cocktail (2012). He was scared of it and yet wanted to experience it all. The film, written by filmmaker Imtiaz Ali and produced by Saif Ali Khan and Dinesh Vijan under Illuminati Films, starred Saif, Deepika Padukone and Diana Penty. With regards to Finding Fanny (2014), he wanted it to be like an edible picture book. “I guess it went over a lot of people’s heads. But for me, it was a story about loneliness and longing. I wanted to shoot each frame, where I felt you wanted to pick out a piece and bite into it.” The satirical comedy starred old favourites Dimple, Deepika, Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapur and Arjun Kapoor. The director was in news once again for his latest release Angrezi Medium. Saket Choudhary’s Hindi Medium, the first part of the franchise in 2017, was a social commentary on the flaws of the education system. Thematically, Angrezi Medium took the franchise forward. It’s about a girl’s desire to study abroad. Moreover, it’s a father-daughter story. The late Irrfan Khan, who had won the Filmfare Best Actor for Hindi Medium, was last seen in Angrezi Medium. The film features Radhika Madan, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Dimple Kapadia. The universe of Angrezi Medium was something he was unfamiliar with. And that excited Homi greatly. “Udaipur was a new space for me. The characters were different. But underneath it all, the emotional core was something I could relate to,” he explains. Homi confides he’d never have made Angrezi Medium if it was just a sequel to Hindi Medium. It was the father-daughter (enacted by Irrfan and Radhika) relationship that attracted him. Being a father (to sons Zane and Zreh), he could identify with it. “As a parent you handhold your kid and take him through life. But one day you have to let go of that hand. For me, that’s going to be extremely painful. I’ll do it with pride but with also a lot of pain. Your love for your child is unconditional.”


He adds that when you let go of that hand there’s also hope that one day your child will come back and hold it. That’s the nuance he wanted his writers to capture in Angrezi Medium. The film made people crack up with laughter. But there’s a difference between simply laughing and laughing heartily he points out. “People have experienced a full belly laugh with my film. To be able to give just that is extremely joyful. This is for the first time I’ve delved into a comedy, which also has soul. People laughed like mad. But they got the emotional gist as well.”

Angrezi Medium featured Kareena and Dimple essaying what can only be called ‘guest appearances’. He says neither Kareena or Dimple approached their roles like a guest appearance. “They said, ‘Hey, we want to do our bit. Because it’s crucial to the narrative’. That’s the bunch of people I had, extremely professional and secure actors.” He claims he’s never experienced a star tantrum. “I’d rather part ways amicably than change my story for anyone,” he asserts.  “I need to tell it the way I intend to. Actually, the story sort of becomes a person. The director merely holds its hand like a parent, making sure it’s on the right path. Finally, beyond a point you can’t guide its fate,” he reflects.

A particular picture of Homi from the sets of Angrezi Medium, where Irrfan Khan is seen leaning on his shoulder, created a stir on the internet when the actor passed away on 29 May. It spoke volumes about the bond they shares. “It’s not just me and Irrfan, there was so much love on the sets of Angrezi Medium, whether it was because of the circumstances... it was emotionally draining,” he muses. The whole journey has made him a lighter person. He realised he’s merely making films and not sending people to Mars. As a result, he has stopped sweating over small stuff. “We never tiptoed around the fact that Irrfan had cancer. We used to laugh about it, joke about it… Sometimes we’d talk about it seriously. He used to tell me that you’re such a f****r, you have no filter. You say anything. That’s what I love about you. Irrfan never wanted anyone’s sympathy, anyone’s pity.”

Homi’s full of admiration for Irrfan’s resilience and admits the actor was under a lot of pain while making the film. “My only thing with him was tell me as soon you want to stop. I don’t care if I get the scene right or not. Now when I look back, I’m like how did it all come together?”

To think of it, Being Cyrus, Cocktail, Finding Fanny and Angrezi Medium seem like works of different filmmakers. Homi says he’d get bored if he ever made a film in his comfort zone. He’d rather pick a project, which offers him something he’s unsure of. “I tell stories intuitively. I rely on my instincts. God forbid one day if I wake up and I don’t have that instinct, I don’t know what the f**k I’ll do. This approach keeps me engaged as it’s unpredictable.”

He underlines that the audience today has grown story-specific rather than being star-specific. You can’t fool the audience any longer. “It’s not as if they’re starved for a choice. There’s some brilliant stuff out there on different platforms. They’re more exposed. You have to give them the real deal. Otherwise, they’ll look for it elsewhere,” he says.

His next is the web series, Saas Bahu Aur Cocaine, about women running a cocaine cartel. The Kutch-based series, produced by Dinesh Vijan, is going to be a funny, gritty and bold show. He says with a glint of pride in his eyes, “What I love about Dinesh is that he pushes me into things, which he believes only I’ll be able to pull off.”



He adds that when you let go of that hand there’s also hope that one day your child will come back and hold it. That’s the nuance he wanted his writers to capture in Angrezi Medium. The film made people crack up with laughter. But there’s a difference between simply laughing and laughing heartily he points out. “People have experienced a full belly laugh with my film. To be able to give just that is extremely joyful. This is for the first time I’ve delved into a comedy, which also has soul. People laughed like mad. But they got the emotional gist as well.” Angrezi Medium featured Kareena and Dimple essaying what can only be called ‘guest appearances’. He says neither Kareena or Dimple approached their roles like a guest appearance. “They said, ‘Hey, we want to do our bit. Because it’s crucial to the narrative’. That’s the bunch of people I had, extremely professional and secure actors.” He claims he’s never experienced a star tantrum. “I’d rather part ways amicably than change my story for anyone,” he asserts. “I need to tell it the way I intend to. Actually, the story sort of becomes a person. The director merely holds its hand like a parent, making sure it’s on the right path. Finally, beyond a point you can’t guide its fate,” he reflects. A particular picture of Homi from the sets of Angrezi Medium, where Irrfan Khan is seen leaning on his shoulder, created a stir on the internet when the actor passed away on 29 May. It spoke volumes about the bond they shares. “It’s not just me and Irrfan, there was so much love on the sets of Angrezi Medium, whether it was because of the circumstances... it was emotionally draining,” he muses. The whole journey has made him a lighter person. He realised he’s merely making films and not sending people to Mars. As a result, he has stopped sweating over small stuff. “We never tiptoed around the fact that Irrfan had cancer. We used to laugh about it, joke about it… Sometimes we’d talk about it seriously. He used to tell me that you’re such a f****r, you have no filter. You say anything. That’s what I love about you. Irrfan never wanted anyone’s sympathy, anyone’s pity.” Homi’s full of admiration for Irrfan’s resilience and admits the actor was under a lot of pain while making the film. “My only thing with him was tell me as soon you want to stop. I don’t care if I get the scene right or not. Now when I look back, I’m like how did it all come together?” To think of it, Being Cyrus, Cocktail, Finding Fanny and Angrezi Medium seem like works of different filmmakers. Homi says he’d get bored if he ever made a film in his comfort zone. He’d rather pick a project, which offers him something he’s unsure of. “I tell stories intuitively. I rely on my instincts. God forbid one day if I wake up and I don’t have that instinct, I don’t know what the f**k I’ll do. This approach keeps me engaged as it’s unpredictable.” He underlines that the audience today has grown story-specific rather than being star-specific. You can’t fool the audience any longer. “It’s not as if they’re starved for a choice. There’s some brilliant stuff out there on different platforms. They’re more exposed. You have to give them the real deal. Otherwise, they’ll look for it elsewhere,” he says. His next is the web series, Saas Bahu Aur Cocaine, about women running a cocaine cartel. The Kutch-based series, produced by Dinesh Vijan, is going to be a funny, gritty and bold show. He says with a glint of pride in his eyes, “What I love about Dinesh is that he pushes me into things, which he believes only I’ll be able to pull off.”
More on: Homi Adajania, Irrfan Khan, Angrezi Medium