‘Ishqiya’ director moves from badlands to city

Abhishek Choubey, who took his plot and characters in “Ishqiya” to the rural badlands of North India, is moving into a suburban setting for his second directorial venture. He says the woman’s part would again be central to the script, though far more sophisticated and mysterious than in the previous film.

“My second film is set in Mumbai. I want to run the script by my writer and director friends in Mumbai to see if I’ve got the nuances right,” said Choubey.

The challenge for him is to take the female protagonist beyond Vidya Balan in “Ishqiya” and Priyanka Chopra in “7 Khoon Maaf”.

“The woman in my next film is not just delicious in her provocative attitude, she is also deeply mysterious. I can’t say if she is unique. But she’s certainly arresting and in no way like the typical heroines,” he said.

The film is a city-based thriller with dark yet humorous overtones.

“Yes, I’m making a dark thriller. Since it’s a whodunit, the title has to be just right. My producer and mentor Vishal Bhardwaj had given me a fantastic title in ‘Ishqiya’. I’ll have to lean on him again this time for a title,” he said.

The young director apparently wants to cast Vidya Balan, who was the central character in “Ishqiya”, in the central part again. But he is reluctant to reveal anything right now.

“All I can tell you is I can’t have Naseer saab back in my second, much as I’d like to. There’s no protagonist of that age in my second film. As for Vidya and Arshad Warsi, it is too early to talk,” he said.

But he said Gulzar will write the lyrics and Bhardwaj will score the music.

“I can’t imagine making a film without them. Look at the impact of ‘Dil to bachcha hai jee’. I am quite happy to see Madhur Bhandarkar has named his film after my song,” he said.