Exclusive: Ali Fazal, Wamiqa Gabbi breakdown Khufiya, a regular day on a Vishal Bhardwaj set & more

After nailing Shakespeare adaptations, Vishal Bhardwaj turns to the espionage novel Escape to Nowhere by Amar Bhushan with Khufiya. Featuring a stellar cast line-up that includes Tabu, Ali Fazal and Wamiqa Gabbi, the film revolves around an R&AW operative who is tasked with tracking down a mole in the agency. Signing up for the film was a no-brainer for Wamiqa and Ali who play on screen partners.

In an exclusive interview with Filmfare, the stars opened up about their nuanced characters and what a day on a Vishal Bhardwaj set looks like.

What was the audition process like for Khufiya?

Wamiqa: My audition for Midnight’s Children happened but the show wasn’t made. In 2019 I was completely in the mindset that I didn’t want to work in this industry. Maybe I’m not meant to do this anymore and I should move on and leave. Some of my Punjabi films were released and I thought I’d do a few more films. I’ll travel the world with the money I make and I’d figure out what my passion was because I wasn’t enjoying it. That’s when the Midnight’s Children audition happened. I didn’t think that I’d become a Vishal Bhardwaj heroine. I just gave the audition thinking, “Kaunsa milne wala hai!”. And I got selected. For me, it was like Vishal Bhardwaj ki validation mil gayi. And suddenly that gave me confidence. I think it was because I was just relaxed since I was so sure I wouldn’t get it. My whole focus was on enjoying the scene that was given to me. I got really excited about these scenes that I didn’t really get to do elsewhere. When the show wasn’t made we all were really bummed out. I remember when Vishal sir called me next I was already shooting for Jubilee. I was in Mussoorie and I went to meet him at his home there. He spoke about this film. In my head, I was already thinking, “Please cast me.”

Ali: I just remembered sending him a text randomly. Socha waise toh kaam karne milega nahi. I told him I love your work and I hope our paths cross one day. I don’t know how but he watched some film that has not been released yet. I shot it during the pandemic. I think he also saw Mirzapur. And he said I’m sending you the script. There are two projects, but we’re doing this first. I had some meetings that I cancelled. I read it there and then only called him back and shamelessly, I said, “Sir, I’m in.” I had already thought about it. There’s no two ways about it.

What does a normal day on a Vishal Bhardwaj set look like?

Wamiqa: It’s never the same. It’s not like “Aaj bhi, haan chalo shooting karte hain.” I personally always get excited that you’ve done your preparation, you know what’s going to happen but it always gets exciting on set. Vishal sir is very calm, very soft-spoken and has a great sense of humour. It’s not that you are stressed around the director… you know what I mean? You feel very comfortable. You’re only looking forward to what you’re going to do in the scene. And every time it always got more exciting.

Ali: Yeah, his sets are very compassionate. You can try things and he’ll get work done. That’s just really enriching for every actor who gets a chance to work with him.

There’s a tense confrontation scene in Khufiya. Tell us about what went into that.

Ali: Yeah, that took a lot of planning. It’s a long sequence and it took two days to shoot. We did a lot of takes because of logistical reasons. We shot a scene again because of technical issues. But we had to keep the emotions up. That was hard and stressful. We went in a chronological order with these characters and it was very cathartic.

Wamiqa: But we really enjoyed it. My heart was racing, my heart rate was on another level. It was stressful character-wise because what these two people go through is very heartbreaking.

Wamiqa, what went into filming the dance sequence in your introduction?

Wamiqa: I’ve never done something like this before. I was always hesitant. It’s not like I was not asked, ki accha iss film mein kissing scenes hai ya iss film mein intimacy hai uss level ki. I never was able to say yes. I always ask if it’s necessary. I don’t want it to look like it’s just been added. But because this was a Vishal Bhardwaj film and he’s so nice. He spoke to me about every single detail. He said we have a few scenes so you let me know what you’re comfortable with even after it’s shot. In the edit, if you think you aren’t comfortable we’ll edit it out. I felt so relieved. But I said I was okay with whatever was happening in the film with the character because I knew that it was just gonna add to it. It’s just gonna make you feel for her more. This intimacy will just make you understand their equation more. Even in the song her drastic personality shifts between when she’s with her family and when she’s alone, that was such a good way to understand her within just a minute or so of a song. I had so much fun doing that sequence.

Ali, what was it about your character that got you onboard?

Ali: I think it was his humanness that appealed to me. No matter who you are, you are the protagonist in your life. Every action of his life is justified. There’s a reason that he’s doing something. The perception of that in the context of the working of the R&AW is suddenly wrong. And he thinks, koi mujhe samajh nahi raha, meri soch aage hai. And I thought this is the same person who has a loving family. He’s a very loving husband, he loves his mother, he loves his son, he loves his wife and loves his job. Suddenly in this one night, everything goes wrong when he realises that he’s being watched. The beauty of Vishal Bhardwaj is that he’s also trying to capture somebody who does not know that she’s being watched with Wamiqa’s character. It’s in her privacy and then when you realise that you’re being watched in your private space, then “fit hits the shan” hahaha. Then you see the other side.

What was it like working with Tabu?

Wamiqa: In our first scene together, we’re in an auto and she’s holding me. And I was like pehle din hi Tabu ji ki baahon mein. I’ve always admired her as an actor and as a beauty. I’m so happy that I had the chance to work with her. Whenever she was on set, it was amazing. I’m so glad all our scenes went well. And I did not make her feel awkward at all. I made sure she didn’t know anything.

Ali: Richa embarrassed me on my birthday. She openly announced in front of the whole set ki yeh pagal hai aapki mohabbat mein. She’s amazing but in my first big scene with her, I had to pin her against the wall. I ended up pressing her neck a little too hard. She was like stop stop. But she’s lovely, such a good actress and our job becomes so much easier when the other person is great.

What is your biggest takeaway from this project?

Ali: Everything. Coolness. Like if you could add a BGM to your life, we have Dhan ta nan. And the new one which is the whistle score of the film. We should start our showreels with that.

Wamiqa: If I’m emailing anyone my profile. I’ll add it to my biodata. It’ll start with Dhan ta nan and end with the Khufiya whistle score.

Khufiya is set to release on October 5, 2023 on OTT.