Exclusive: Director duo Raj and DK opens up about the filming process of Guns and Gulaabs

With a filmography that includes breakthrough hits like Go Goa Gone, Stree, The Family Man, and Farzi, Raj and DK have a knack for tackling the wildest concepts. How else does one get Saif Ali Khan to play an unhinged zombie hunter or get Rajkummar Rao and Dulquer Salmaan to showcase their crazy sides in their most recent film Guns & Gulaabs? If you ask them, the grind is all about more writing and less moping. In an exclusive interview with Filmfare, the maverick duo opened up about their fascinating process, their equation with actors on set, and more.

What goes into balancing humour and violence in your work?

DK: This is something that we as filmmakers, after a couple of films, have slowly gotten the knack for. I first noticed this in Shor in the City. I distinctly remember this because the film was playing in theatres and we were watching audiences from the doorway at Chandan Theatre. There is a scene where these characters are going around the city trying to find a place to drop a bomb. It’s hilarious and satirical.

Audiences were having a laugh at their expense. Finally, they place the bomb, and it’s about to go off. We see a bicycle tyre enter the frame, followed by a child. And you can see the entire theatre’s mood go from funny to “oh no”. So that’s the fastest turn-around. It’s very effective as a tool. The more laughter, the greater the impact when something serious happens.

RAJ: Even in Stree, you’re scared for a second and laughing the next. You’re getting the satire at the same time. There’s a theme and depth to it. I think you’ll find a good balance of these elements to put across something fresh. Of course, it has to be authentic; you can’t force a joke.

Did you look at any ’90s movie influences for Guns & Gulaabs?

RAJ: More than specific movies that influenced us to go back and do this, it was the charm of creating a story that deals with simplicity, innocence and a hopeful world where there were no smartphones. One little element of a mobile phone, when you take it out, opens up a whole new romantic world. We had the freedom to make it larger than life and cinematic as compared to, say, The Family Man, which was very gritty and realistic.

DK: You can sense the innocence of most of the characters in the show. Inherently, the 1990s were a simpler time. It felt like it was the era the story should be set in. The start of it was the story, and everything else went from there, as opposed to us thinking, “Let’s make a retro film.”

What went into the casting of the series?

RAJ: This show is more about the character details, quirks and nuances than the overall plot. The gang wars only form the backdrop. So we needed the right actors to come and do this. Rajkummar Rao has a big range. Here he plays a lover boy who turns into a dreaded gangster but hilariously, he’s not owing it. It’s so fun that he could play with those layers. For Dulquer Salmaan’s character, we needed that swag. We needed a guy who would come from outside this small town and start to own it. He might look like a simple guy—a romantic guy with a wife and kids who listens to music. But there’s something more to him.

Similarly, Adarsh Gourav had to play this complicated character who is pretty inconsequential in the opening. He is under the shadow of his father and then he starts coming out on his own. He only worked on the quirks because there was only so much he could do. The scene where his assistant feeds him a samosa by hand was his idea. Gulshan Devaiah, of course, brings something edgy. Even though you know you’re styling him as Khalnayak, you still need to like him.

DK: He’s also the only character from Mumbai, so you see that filmy influence. He styles himself after Sanjay Dutt.

With so many talented actors at play, direction must have been a breeze?

RAJ: We focussed on smaller things, like Tippu’s run. He runs with his head held up. Just a run can make you laugh. It has to be built in. So it’s a small detail to tell your actor, but it builds character. That’s something refreshing.

DK: There’s a certain lack of swag or attitude in the run. He just wants to get there as fast as possible. Even Atmanram’s laugh, for example. He is this imposing villain, and looking at his personality, he would have a thundering laugh, but the idea here was different. The script reads, “Atmaram giggles.” That’s the word. His laugh is a funny giggle. It’s quite out of place because a guy who is so dangerous has this silly trait.

Lots of actors have said that they had a blast on your sets…

RAJ: On set, we keep it very simple. We don’t push the same. Even the mood is different. We both get into sync about what we need to do. It takes a little bit of a loop to get everyone—from the DOP to the actors—in the same zone, but after some time, we’re clear. I don’t know if I can explain it all that well.

RAJ: We approach it differently. I think it’s so great that we have that opportunity to do something so contrasting instead of doing the same thing all over again. We’d rather just go from one energy and one idea to another. You get challenged and new information flows.

Do you feel the pressure to always do something new and quirky?

RAJ: Earlier, we didn’t have that because it was easy. We did a film and we didn’t know which film was coming out next. Then, when people watched it, it was like, “Where did this come from?” For the last few years, viewers have been expecting something special or unique. So far, we haven’t had to worry about having a unique story. The stories and ideas we have are enough. I guess the pressure will mount going forward since the expectations are there from the last one. And we don’t want to do the last one. We want to do something new.

DK: I think it also helps that our projects are completely different from each other. Guns & Gulaabs is different from Farzi and so on. So while we still have the baggage of, say, The Family Man, perhaps you’re not comparing anymore. The comparison goes away once you start watching and enjoying it. The idea is to enjoy it on its own.

Viewers feel you guys put Easter eggs in your projects, referencing both future and past works…

DK: Usually it’s just a tiny wink-wink moment, and there’s nothing more than that. There are so many films in our filmography where our protagonist is working for a software company and if you notice, the name of the company can be the same. Just some trivia.

RAJ: We’re not looking at crisscrossing universes at this point. We’re focusing on creating new worlds. They’re all different worlds that don’t need to be interconnected. But what we tend to do as filmmakers is throw in some Easter eggs for fun. So that anyone who follows our work will get a kick out of it.

What kind of movies would you recommend to fans of your work?

DK: We always like to go back to the first films or breakthrough films of the directors we admire today. Like the first film by Christopher Nolan, David Fincher, and Quentin Tarantino. My recommendation would always be to make sure you’ve watched Kill Bill and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, but have you watched Reservoir Dogs? Go watch Swingers or Memento. Doug Liman is one of our favourites.

RAJ: It’s all about the first, because that’s when their voice was fresh. You get inspired by it.

DK: Later, they get into the Hollywood mould and start making bigger and bigger stuff. They’re still doing great stuff, but there’s a lot more to learn from what they did when they did not have Hollywood support behind them.

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