Visit to the 9/11 memorial in the US inspired Rahul Dholakia to make ‘Agni’

Mumbai, Nov 29 (PTI) Filmmaker Rahul Dholakia says his upcoming film “Agni” was a story waiting to be told and he hopes that the movie inspires new respect for firefighters, who put their lives on the line to save others.

The National award-winning filmmaker, known for films such as “Parzania” and “Raees”, said the germ of the idea for the movie, starring Pratik Gandhi, Divyenndu and Saiyami Kher, came up during one of his visits to the 9/11 memorial in the US.

“We just forgot about them, we never talked about them. There is no film made about them (in India). When I was in America, I went to the 9/11 memorial and there I saw photographs of firefighters.

“Every time you visit the West or any country like the UK or Europe and especially America, you see that there’s immense pride, respect, and honour given to firefighters. Every time a firefighter goes by, you tend to salute them,” the director told PTI in an interview.

Billed as India’s first film on firefighters, the Hindi movie revolves around a fireman and a policeman, who are investigating a mysterious surge in fire incidents in the city.

Dholakia said it is upsetting that one never thought about making a film about these unsung heroes.

“It’s about time that we recognise their effort. There’s a line in our film, ‘Galti kisi ki bhi ho jaan humari jaati hai’ (We lose our lives no matter whose fault it is). So, it’s because of our carelessness that fire occurs and they come to rescue us and we don’t recognise them. We don’t have to be victims to respect them but how we respect cops or other forces, we can do that with them.”

Dholakia – who shuttles between New Jersey and Mumbai – revealed that he was going to shoot for his debut film, “Kehtaa Hai Dil Baar Baar”, at the World Trade Centre, the target of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, on the day of the incident.

“The day 9/11 happened, Jimmy Shergill, Paresh Rawal and I were going to shoot over there, under the World Trade Centre for our film, ‘Kehtaa Hai Dil Baar Baar’. But because of the Visa and some issues we had to change our schedule, and that day, we shot in New Jersey. We didn’t get that location (World Trade Centre).

“When we came home after the shoot, we saw the plane crash into the twin towers. Most of the crew members were from New York. So, it was disheartening and shocking.”

Dholakia dedicated three years to research and script the story of “Agni”, ensuring that the portrayal of firefighters was both authentic and respectful in his film, which also stars Sai Tamhankar, Jitendra Joshi, Udit Arora, and Kabir Shah in pivotal roles.

Shooting for “Agni” commenced in August 2022 and was wrapped up a few months later in October. However, post-production proved to be a lengthy process, primarily due to the complexities involved in the film’s visual effects, the director informed.

“A lot of planning and detailing (was needed for the film). Also, simple things like, I wanted fire to travel in a particular (direction). Most people think if you deal with fire then just fire it up, but its fire, it can travel somewhere, like straight or cross or on the cloth, etc.

“So, we had to work on the VFX to make sure this is how the fire sequence should look because it’s not just like, ‘Aag lag rahi hai’. We were shooting with real fire, it was uncontrollable. We had to control the fire through VFX, it’s about set extensions, how we build fire on four floors, there are different types of fires like there’s actual fire, smoke, etc,” the director said.

Lead actors Divyenndu and Pratik Gandhi were cast after Dholakia saw their work in “Mirzapur” and “Scam 1992” respectively.

Excel Entertainment’s CEO, Vishal Ramchandani, played a pivotal role in bringing Divyenndu on board for “Agni” after witnessing the actor’s exceptional performance in the crime drama series, “Mirzapur”, the director said.

“I really loved him in that show, then we met and I loved him more, and then we shot for this film and I love him more,” Dholakia said, adding, he saw Gandhi’s work in “Scam 1992” and later cast him for his film.

For the role of Gandhi’s wife in “Agni”, Dholakia said he cast Sai Tamhankar as he needed someone who could speak Marathi fluently.

“She surprised all of us, and the nuances that she brings to the role are like, ‘Shit, I didn’t think of this, of what she did’. Some scenes are brilliant and she has done it in her way.”

“Agni” will start streaming on Prime Video on December 6.