'Aamir loved Ship of Theseus'

'Aamir loved Ship of Theseus' Kiran Rao, in collaboration with UTV Motion Pictures, has decided to release director Anand Gandhi's critically acclaimed film Ship of Theseus in India. Sreya Basu chats up with the filmmaker in Mumbai on her latest project

What prompted you to take the responsibility to release Ship of Theseus in India?
I first heard of the film about two years ago. It was the same year when my film Dhobi Ghat (2011) had released. The director of the Toronto Film Festival wrote to me that he had seen 10 minutes of an incredible film Ship of Theseus by a filmmaker called Anand Gandhi, and suggested me to look at it.

The film then had a long journey ... it was completed last year (2012) and I finally got to see it in November at Enlighten Film Festival and had my mind blown away. It was then I decided that I have to be associated with this film some way or the other.

Did Aamir Khan (actor-producer, Kiran's husband) help you out with marketing tips for this film?
When Aamir saw the film he liked it very much. We were wanting to take his suggestions on this matter. He helped us a lot in the beginning.

He told me that you have to nurture a film like this and give it a special sort of release because if you arrange a broad-based release, the film will suffer as certain expectations from the film will built up which won't be met. We did take his advise from time-to-time but by and large he is just an outside supporter.

Is it true that Aamir is behind the poster of this film?
You can say that. Though the original poster was an apt representation of the film, we dedicated months on creating a more simplified poster.

We were discussing the new poster when Aamir walked into the room and said: `This poster is good. But where is the original poster and why aren't you using that? It's clutter-breaking and something that has never been used as a film poster anywhere. ` So we decided to go on with the original poster.



What are the criteria that you look for in order to promote a film or a script?
When I see a film, my immediate reaction is purely instinctive. Whenever I like a film, I keep thinking how can I take the flick forward or get associated with it. Same goes with scripts. When I read the script of Delhi Belly (2011), I found it very funny and immediately said this script should be made into a film.

Every film has a different journey and you learn something new from every film. I don't really have a plan that we will choose a film based on a set rules or some defined subjects. By chance if we come across a good script or see a good film, we get attached to it.

So are you planning a production house?
There is no long-term plan to present films or start a production house. I am still with Aamir Khan Productions, I still direct and produce for them. So there is no separate production house. This (releasing Ship of Theseus) is just me and it's just because I loved the film.