“What If The Monster Chasing You Is A Rumour?” Sudhir Mishra On His new Film

Afwah  is  the new ballsy thriller by the longevous  auteur of Indian cinema Sudhir Mishra. It is  among the most engaging works of Sudhir’s prolific career.

“It is  in the space  of my Iss Raat Ki Subah Nahin which came  25  years  ago. In Afwah we  have moved on. It  deals with issues that are contemporary, and yet there is  core of  universality in the storytelling in the structuring where characters are caught in a situation created by a rumour, ” says Sudhir as he waits for the audiences’ verdict on May 5.

“I hope they  will like it. I  think they will like it. It is  a thriller with  lots of unexpected twists and turns. It is a  time-bound story  about three protagonists  played by Bhumi Pednekar, Sumeet  Vyas and Nawazuddin  Siddiqui  trapped in a  crisis which is not of  their making. There is  another  plot thread about a  dumb-f…k  played by Sharib Hashmi who follows his master  blindly,” reveals  Sudhir.

So is Afwah as strong a political  film as some of Sudhir’s earlier films  like Hazaar Khwaishein Aisi and  Dharavi? “I wouldn’t say  so, though one of the protagonists  is  a politician. But the web  of deceit that forms the plot has nothing to do with  politics. Rumour is   used as  metaphor  in Afwah . Today in the era of  the social media a  rumour  can spread  like wildfire . It can destroy people’s  reputations. It destroyed  Shiney  Ahuja’s career!”

Sudhir gives  full marks to his actors  for making Afwah the powerful  thriller that it  is. “Nawaz, I’ve worked with before. I  know what he is capable of . But this was my first time  with Bhumi Pednekar  and I was surprised  by how well-prepared she comes  on the  set. It’s not just about, ‘Sudhir Sir I am so happy to work with you’. She actually asks the  right questions  during shooting. I don’t mind working with actors who ask questions.  In fact I welcome  them. I worked with Shabana  Azmi(in Dharavi) . She  was constantly questioning . It shows  the actor’s  involvement with the  project.”

When asked what the audience  should expect   from Sudhir Mishra this time, the auteur  director says, “A rollercoaster ride . The thriller element was so intrinsic to the plot, I only needed to focus on telling my  story the way it is written.”