Last week’s ZEE5 release Despatch has been spinning up a lot of conversations. Not just about Manoj Bajpayee’s superlative performance as a firebrand crime reporter of a daily newspaper in the 2010s, but also filmmaker Kanu Behl’s incisive understanding of the rot that Indian media is in. The director, however, describes Despatch as more of a character portrait of a rather self-centered man, who refuses to acknowledge his crumbling personal life in his obsession to break stories.
Known for his films like Titli (2014) and Agra (2023), Kanu has co-written the script of Despatch with Ishani Banerjee. The movie also stars Santosh fame Shahana Goswami, debutante Arrchita Agarwaal, and Rituparna Sen, alongside Riju Bajaj, Jitendra Vashishth, Mamik Singh, and Kabir Sadanand in supporting roles. Despatch is produced by Ronnie Screwvala, under RSVP Movies.
In an exclusive conversation with The Movie Mail recently, Kanu spoke at length about the making of the character of Joy Bag, collaborating with Manoj, the relevance of the film in today’s India, his take on the status of indie cinema, the OTT challenge, and more. Excerpts:
Q. You’ve made a film about fearless journalism at a time when investigative journalism or crime reporting is almost dead in India. How would you describe its relevance today?
A. I think it’s more relevant today than ever. We are living in an atmosphere where journalism is getting increasingly corporatised. So, hopefully, this sort of film can start a conversation about what is happening in the world of media.
Q. You mentioned earlier that researching for Despatch took you about 18 months. Out of that, how much time did you spend in edit meetings or in a newsroom to understand what goes on in a newspaper office, and the impact a digital transition can have on journalists’ psyche?
A. That’s difficult to answer. Because if you ask me, how much time did we actually spend in edit meetings, I would say that kind of access is limited when you’re in a newspaper office. A lot of things are very sensitive, and you may not be able to be present at every place that you would like to be. That said, we did speak with a lot of people who gave us great insights into how it might be to be in spaces like that. So, exploring human beings and how they are thinking also tells you, to a large extent, about their headspace and the conversations that they engage in, in those places.
We made our research the base and on top of that tried to treat everybody as a human being and imagined what that space would be like. I would say about 70% of our research was based on long, exhaustive conversations with the various stakeholders in a world like this, and the remaining 30% was about trying to physically be in these spaces and garner as much of the rhythms of those places as possible. Additionally, we also paid attention to how people behave and what they are made up of, their preoccupations, and stuff like that.
Also read: Despatch review: Manoj Bajpayee slays as a firebrand crime reporter in Kanu Behl’s pulsating media procedural
Q. Although Joy Bag is shown as an unflinching crime reporter that one may aspire to become, throughout the film you have also tried to constantly expose his greys, particularly his flawed personal life. What can you tell us about the thought process behind the characterisation?
A. In many ways, it’s a story about modern cowardice. He exhibits a certain spinelessness, and the reason we wanted to explore that kind of journey was twofold. First, when we met people during our research, we realised that externally everybody was saying more or less the same thing to us – that the world world of journalism has now become so foggy and obtuse that it’s difficult to even say, ‘kaun, kahan, kab, kya kar raha hai’, and it’s almost impossible to find out who the real culprits are. So if externally, you’re looking at a hazy world, what you would naturally be inclined to do is to try and understand how this world has gotten built and what contributed to it being the way it is right now.
The moment you start delving into it, you realise that very often we tend to generalise this by saying that ‘system kharab hai isliye’. There is this vague identity called the ‘system’ which is screwing everything up. But isn’t the system made up of individuals like us? Are we not the ones who are creating the state of the world as we see it around us? So, the moment you start talking about this ‘individual’ responsibility within the system, you are looking at very flawed and fragile people, who are pressed down by their own compulsions, desires, and their own need for a justifiable personal life.
Thus, when we reached a realisation of the ‘individual’, we decided that this is how the character of Joy Bag should be. There is no other way he can be, because he is equally contributing to this world. We are not trying to make a ‘heroic’ film, where one man is fighting against the system and finally wins the battle. And if we are not going to sing that lullaby to the audience, we might as well put them in the shoes of this guy, who is equally responsible for this situation. That realisation gave birth to the seed feelings that Joy’s character is fighting within the film.
Q. How was it to work with Manoj Bajpayee? Any defining traits of him as an actor that you would like to mention?
A. All I can say is that it was an extremely collaborative process. And as much as I would like to tell you something earth-shattering or give you some great insight into how he works, I think the biggest strength that the man has is that he’s very normal; his process is very normal. Manoj is quite heavily into meditation. He takes out a lot of time for himself. So, I think more than being obsessed with himself as an actor, he’s obsessed with himself as a human being. He’s constantly pushing himself to get better as a human being, which contributes to what he brings to the table as an actor.
So, in terms of his process on the set, nothing seems extraordinary or special externally. I think everything goes on in his head, and it is driven toward finding the character he’s playing within that moment; being as honest and truthful to the moment that he’s trying to create within that scene. From the outside, it may seem extremely simple. But he has an innate ability to unmask the innermost feelings and vulnerabilities of a character. He reaches places that are otherwise difficult for a human being to go to. And then, he plugs into all those aspects as an actor, who is in service to his character.
Q. While Manoj Bajpayee plays the pivotal role in Despatch, the film also features an array of unforgettable female characters – from Shahana Goswami and Arrchita Agarwaal to Rii Sen and Hansa Singh. Can you throw some light on that too?
A. To be honest, when Ishani and I were penning the script, we were not trying to write male characters or female characters. Instead, the focus was on writing human beings that are as 3D as possible, ensuring that they have their own agency and lives outside of the film. If you are exploring characters that are fully rounded human beings – who are not just at the service of the protagonist; who have their own worldview; and are on their own journeys – this sort of image of strength can come in. But again, we were just trying to write comprehensive characters.
Additionally, in Despatch, there is also this curious thing that the protagonist is a non-listener, who is deeply patriarchal in his own way. Joy has a sense of the way he sees the world and the way everybody else should be in that world. He’s not ready to listen to any alternate point of view on that. ‘Usko bas jo chahiye, woh chahiye’, and all the women in the film sense that. They figure that he’s just a stuck-up person, who’s not really in a relationship with any of them. He’s in a relationship with himself. That realisation also reflects very well within the female characters, because they can see that about Joy. There’s an extra distance from him, which gives them more agency because they can see through him. And so, they automatically feel stronger.
Q. From the mention of Neelkanth in a conversation to Gandhi’s wise words ‘Live as if you were to die tomorrow…’ appearing on a wall, the film includes some very curious elements as part of its production design. How did you compose them to contribute to the central narrative?
A. In terms of production design, during our early conversations, what we were talking about was our gaze on this world and how it should be dirty. So, that dirt, muck, and unclean imagery was what we were going for at every point in time with every scene. The intention was to ‘unconsciously’ give the audience a hazy feeling, as if this whole world is full of that haze. Then obviously, with elements in production design, we were trying to create as much spiritual depth for the film as possible. A part of it also comes from just observation. Like when we visited one of the CBI cells, we found certain references, which we then tweaked to blend them thematically with what we were trying to say. The idea was to do a very Faustian kind of piece… About a man who’s out to sell his soul. As I said earlier, a piece on modern cowardice. So, the whole production design was geared toward that. And not just the production design, even the cinematography, the way we were picking the costume – all the elements of the film were designed to put you right in the middle of that world.
Q. Although Despatch spotlights the 2G spectrum case as well as the T20 scam, the story also has an uncanny resemblance to the Saradha chit fund scam that surfaced in 2013. What do you have to say about that?
A. For me, Despatch is more of a procedural than a thriller. It’s a character piece, to be precise. While working on the central ideas within the film, we realised very early on that ‘yeh film koi bhi ek scam se kafi badi hai…’ So, it should not just be 2G or Saradha or anything. It is an examination of this world that we are building for ourselves; what we are creating around us. The central impulse of the film is not so much to talk about scam A, B, or C. It is more to talk about how all these scams are happening in this world, and how are you as an individual linked to this world being created. And, after a point, that too is of no consequence within the film.
In fact, that is one of the aspects that excited us about this film… ‘Agar ground pe sab log abhi yeh bol rahe hain ke jo aap dhundh rahe ho woh kabhi pata chal hi nahi sakta’, that is really a new insight into this world. So, why follow the push that it is this or that scam? You are freed of that narrative push, you don’t need to anymore, because that just becomes a ruse to explore the people within this world and their frailties, and that is what the human connection within the film is.
Q. What do you have to say about the status of independent cinema in India today? Just recently we saw Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine as Light bagging two Golden Globe nominations, among other awards…
A. I think we are in the thick of a huge crisis, as far as Indian independent cinema is concerned. And the film that you are talking about [Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine as Light] is not an Indian film. ‘Yeh toh Indians ki khasiyat hai ki jab kuch mile toh sab uth ke khade ho jate hain credit lene ke liye…’ But tell me what relationship does that film have with India? It’s majorly financed outside of India. So, when it comes to independent filmmaking in the country, we’re in the middle of a crisis. We are almost on the brink of extinction. First, because the market forces are becoming what they are, and second, many seem to be keen on the dumbing down of narrative all around us. They are interested in killing nuance so that we become a country full of donkeys who cannot think for themselves and are easily shepherded in the direction they want. And so, everything is contributing to creating a landscape where all that we talk about is numbers, or how well a film has done at the box office. There is no critical or artistic conversation around a film.
Cinema has a much larger purpose. It is a community experience, where you can come in with other people. But what’s amazing is that at the same time, it is also an intensely solo experience. Once the lights go out in the middle of a theatre, you are alone with just yourself. That time with yourself can prove to be a time of deep reflection and healing, and that healing comes from first acknowledging your scars. But if we start treating cinema only as entertainment or as an opportunity to go buy popcorn with your kids and look at the screen mindlessly (which somehow is being encouraged these days), we are doing a huge disservice to not just our society but also our coming generation. I feel it is a time of deep crisis, and we need to sit down together and reflect on it.
Q. Lately, many Indie directors have also been flagging the challenges they face while trying to release their movies on OTT. Your comments?
A. OTT is just turning into TV++, and I think we shouldn’t be under any illusion regarding that. Streaming platforms are not here for a cinematic revolution. They are first, tech companies who are looking for profits for their stakeholders. In fact, they were never really here to bring about any revolution in the first place. That’s just how it was sold to us when they were beginning their journey in India and needed more ‘intelligent subscribers’ from Tier 1 cities. Now that they’ve gotten their core subscribers from those places and have moved on to Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, all they are doing is shipping out more content that they think people from these centres want to watch – which, according to them, is dumbed-down ‘Bollywoodised’ content. That’s their aim, and that’s what they’re doing. None of these people were here to be the harbingers of great cinema ever.
Q. Your future projects…
A. I’m in the early development stage of a couple of projects – one is a stoner sci-fi comedy and the other is kind of a bizarre spiritual horror piece.
