Instep: Interesting title of the film..what does it mean?
Omar Khan: I originally wrote a script that contained five loosely connected short stories and I wanted to find a name that was the equivalent of a pentagon in Urdu or Arabic. I found a word called Mauthala or Mathala which I found catchy enough to make a nifty title and given a maut ki twist, ended up with Mauthala. However since then, the script has seen two of the five shorts being chopped off so we are down to three stories.
Instep: What's the theme of the film? Could you give us a little peek?
OK: I wrote the thing leisurely over the last three years or so, ever since Zibahkhana (ZK) was set loose. Once again it is not your 'hero-heroine' wallah chakkar at all, nor is it the politically correct, socially relevant award winning chakkar…its just me dealing with my own obsessions once more and this time it comes together as a loving throwback to the days of the 'compendium' films that enjoyed a period of notoriety with Amicus in the early '70's - Amicus being a studio that churned out little gems like The House That Dripped Blood and Dr. Terror's House of Horrors as well as Asylum, The Vault of Horror and the brilliant early '70's Tales from the Crypt.
 Mauthala is set in present day Pakistan amidst all the turmoil, the double standards, the hypocrisy, the lunacy, the self righteousness, the corruption, the sleaze…the setting is a flea-pit traveling fun fair on the lines of a Z-grade Lucky Irani Circus kind of thing with the emphasis on the freakshow elements rather than the circus elements - but with a desi twist naturally. All the characters from the three fragmented stories converge at this mela where they are stranded for a while due to some temporary accident.
Instep: What kind of people and cast are you looking for?
OK: It's a character based script so fortunately I don't have to look for "hero and heroine" material. One of the three fragments is about a young westernized city couple and I reckon Islamabad's flourishing theatre scene might well provide a couple of fresh faces after we go through the audition process. For the rest of the characters I will once again look at theatre performers in Lahore, TV artists who may not demand vast sums of money and come with ridiculously oversized ego issues, and film stars of yesteryear who have fallen by the wayside. I would love to cast someone like Madame Sangeeta in an important role for example, but she has mostly stopped acting these days and I am not sure a strange horror script is likely to catch her fancy. I would love to have the opportunity to work with stars like Shaan for example but there is no way we could afford his services even if we could probably offer him a part totally different from any other he has played thus far. There is one malevolent character written for which Tariq Amin would be a dream, but who knows if he is inclined at all. There is a colleague at FM89 and an acting major who doesn't know it yet, but I have her in mind for one of the roles of a reporter. I also know what I don't want, and that is the stylized acting manner that is so prevalent in our dramas and in Bollywood where people speak with deliberate pauses and breaths and intonation, it's so hideously cliché. Shall we call it the Amitabh Bachchan/Shahrukh Khan School of acting? It may be most people's cuppa, just not mine.
Instep: Would you like to collaborate with the local creative industry, like try to rope in local bands to do the music score, for instance? Your previous film, Zibahkhana, had a model as the lead, any other people from the fashion industry lending a hand? Perhaps get in an upcoming designer for the costumes etc?
OK: Adnan Malik was our Drew Barrymore for Zibahkhana and had to endure stuff that Drew would'nt even dream of in her worst nightmares! Yet he did the ZK role as a friend after we had ridiculously tried to have the Burqaman kill Saif Ali Khan initially but our talks didn't even reach the talking stage alas. Then we found a mole who knew where Moammar Rana worked out and was going to approach him for the Drew Barrymore part but that turned out to be hot air and no more, so we then targeted poor Adnan, who we reckon makes a fine Janet Leigh cum Drew Barrymore (re: Psycho/ Scream for those too young!).
I would love to include local bands and have the film scored at home in Pakistan rather than anywhere else but the issue is finding somebody to work with who would love the opportunity to work away from the usual rock/pop scenario and create a score based on the films requirements. There is plenty of talent out there in Pakistan, the problem is that much of that talent comes with egos and attitudes that make it a nightmare to deal with. I have actually already approached Farhad Humayun whom I have not yet met but have a great deal of respect for artistically to consider scoring Mauthala and I am hoping that after we have a chat about it, that will come through. Likewise I would be delighted to hear from actors young and old or perhaps pop music acts who might want a song to feature as part of the non-scored soundtrack for which there will be some scope.
Instep: Where will you shoot (you mentioned bringing the crumbling studios of yore)?
OK: I am hoping to shoot the film at the old crumbling studios for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the history that is steeped in each yard of Evernew and Bari -.to be able to create a film there before it crumbles to dust is something I am itching to do. Secondly the security situation in the country is such that it is now virtually impossible to shoot anywhere but in a studio. Also, after the Zibahkhana experience which was at times tortuous, I think it is wise to be in a situation where there is an infrastructure of sorts that is able to cater to your needs….for example if we need an outfit or a wig or some fake blood, it is likely that it can be conjured up in minutes at the studio while otherwise, these things slow you down.
Instep: When will you begin shooting? When will production cease? Do you have a tentative release date?
OK: The script has been going through fine tuning which still continues. The next step is to announce auditions which should be in a matter of weeks rather than months. I reckon a two month schedule sometime around November and December at the end of the year with post production to be done by our Mondo Macabro friends in the UK including the editing by Andy Starke of Zibahkhana as well as stuff like the foley sound and the audio mix, the titles etc. Which should probably translate to a Halloween release 2011 if all goes well. We have a special bond with the Festival at Sitges (near Barcelona) in Spain and I would be delighted to have a world premiere of any film that I produce at their festival. At home, we have learned to avoid the conglomerates that will swallow an indie film like ours for breakfast and burp you out for tea! So, it has to be the indie route which means the film will be released like a rock concert tour with specific dates booked at Universities and auditoriums. On the other hand if Cinepax who have been a pleasure to do business with choose to offer us a deal if and when the time comes, we would be delighted to be able to share our film with audiences Pakistan wide.
Instep: How will you promote the film?
OK: Again, with the changing nature of the way things are done these days, we will have to sit down and plan a strategy but Zibahkhana made considerable waves on the international film festival circuit winning two best film awards along the way (eat your heart out Khuda Ke Liye!) as well as one for best gore! We also headlined the Trash Film Festival in Tokyo and played at the Andy Warhol Museum, I believe a first for a Pakistani flick? The only negative for Zibahkhana was the fallout from the Mumbai terror attacks which fatally derailed the film's Indian release when it was all set to stun audiences with its shockingly low budget and production values, total lack of gloss and glamour and visceral, upfront brutality. After watching the aesthetically soothing Khuda Key Liye, and the sublimely subtle Ramchand Pakistani, Zibahkhana would have come as a refreshing slap in the face, but alas it was not to be. With Zibahkhana in Pakistan we had initial test screenings in Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi which were wildly successful, we then struck a deal with Cinepax but ultimately I committed a horrendous folly by going 'corporate', a decision I shall forever regret. Also there is piracy and illegal net downloads that are a crippling factor when it comes to earning money on either music or film in Pakistan. If I had a dollar for every time Zibahkhana has been watched illegally I would have already financed another two movies! It's flattering and galling at the same time.
Instep: What has your experience from Zibahkhana taught you in terms of a market for desi horror?
OK: That without any shadow of a doubt young people would come out to watch a fun horror flick. Zibahkhana ran with zero publicity and one pathetic little poster that I begged the Cinepax management to put up on their display area. A film with zero stars, zero publicity and one tatty poster defied all the odds and went on to run for eleven full weeks and along the way I got calls from the Cinepax management congratulating us on house-fulls on consecutive weekends and one weekend we got a call informing us that we had out-grossed Khuda Ke Liye which was astonishing. All this on the strength of word of mouth though to be fair the theatre ushers told me that some patrons would leave the theatre after ZK shouting expletives because they hated it so much. Which is fine, so long as they paid for a ticket first. The horrible pity is that the release of Zibahkhana in both Lahore and Karachi was botched in the most criminal manner: the film never even played a single show in Lahore and in Karachi things weren't much better with the single cinema showing Zibahkhana not even displaying either a poster or even its show times at any spot in the cinema foyer or poster display area downstairs. It is a miracle that people still came (using extra sensory perception) for the few weeks that it ran. Very disappointing indeed.
Instep: Would you like to take Mauthala across the border (vis a vis Aman ki Asha hype) or try to get in someone prominent from India for a cameo as an effort towards peace and the artistes uniting for peace initiatives?
OK: It's certainly a thought. Actually the good old Ramsay Brothers who are legends in the realm of Bollywood horror have been in touch with us and are keen to have one of their old hits reworked for today's audience. They reckon something like Purana Mandir can be remade for the youth today and have mentioned the idea. I reckon we might approach them with Mauthala and see if it might interest them and if it is the case then there will be an Indian connection and quite possibly some of the cast as well, but this is mere conjecture at this stage.
Anyway, red tape in Pakistan is such that casting or using somebody Indian in your film is an instant headache (check censor board website) and I don't have the big wig connections to pick up the phone and have the way cleared for my film from all the problems and hurdles officialdom will no doubt create. To have Govinda jiggle his sexy-baady hips with a thumka and pelvic thrust or two for my film it would be worth the effort just for that, and to be "banned", well then we would be made |
