Power Play

“I know the title is contradictory in nature,for the premise is a political thriller and chase. I gave this title for it’s the Shanghai of our dreams. We all think we are far from the politics and corruption,but in reality,we are at the receiving end of it,everyday. There are people who have this exceptional degree of control over our lives and we are unconsciously running it according to them,” explains Banerjee.

The book,for the uninitiated,is itself based on the events surrounding the assassination of democratic Greek politician Grigoris Lambraskis in 1963. The film,by Costa-Gavros,presents a fictionalised account of the events,a satirical view of Greek politics underlining it with a dark sense of humour. It also captures the outrage of the military dictatorship that ruled Greece at the time of its making. “Costa left Greece in the ‘60s as political exile and went to France,” tells Dibakar,for whom,the central incident of the book was the trigger point for conceiving the script along with Urmi Juvekar. Set in a nameless town,the film,according to Banerjee,will have many layers. “It’s is about violence,the one we feel. It’s about a small town,the various classes of Indian society caught up in turmoil of money and politics,about the ruler and the ruled,about belief and death. It’s a heart-in-mouth thriller,and there will be no moment for the audience to breathe,” he avers. Going by the book,Z is primarily a chase,through a maze of facts,alibis and official corruption,how moral victories are corrupted.

“I will be breaking some stereotypes and presumptions with this film. There will be no serial kisser Emraan Hashmi in leather jackets,suave bars and foreign locales with guns and girls. In this film,he’s a lonely small town wheeler dealer at the bottom rung of society. He is a poser looking for his ticket out of this rut. He is also a man in love,on a broken down scooter,shooting sleazy videos and on the run for his life,” Dibakar has given Emraan a complete image makeover. In fact,this part was offered to Imraan Khan who,turned it down,for he wanted to do a romcom. When it comes to Abhay,he too is set to shock. “He is a negative,cold,almost vicious character. He is not a rogue,rebel,or young turk. He is instead a member of the establishment,of the ruling class,an ego-centric powerful man.” There is also a rollicking item song by Emraan,and he may even sing it.