Raj Kanwar came to the city of dreams looking for gold.Like most men his age, he too wanted to hit the celluloid screen as a star. And he did. But not exactly how he had originally planned.Ten years later, Raj has ended up as one of Bollywood's most successful directors. And now he has made the big jump to producer with the soon-to-be-released Itihaas. "As a director, I was the captain of the ship but the film's rights and negatives were with the producer. I wanted to make a film which belonged entirely to me," says the bearded director. Kanwar first assisted Shekhar Kapur, who he claims is his mentor, during Mr India. Then he worked with older brother K Pappu, Sunil Hingorani, and finally Raj Kumar Santoshi for Ghayal. After which, Sunny Deol recommended his name to the producers of Deewana, and he landed his first independent project. Deewana was a runaway hit.During the making this film he also got two more projects Laadla and Kartavya, his bete noire, and his lone flop to date. Not one to be deterred, he erased the memory of that debacle with two consecutive hits, Jaan and Jeet. And this year, he's completed his hat-trick with Judaai which has been declared one of the biggest hits of the year, so far. But despite his successful streak, Kanwar keeps a low profile. Ask anyone outside the industry and they are most likely to say, "Kanwar, who?" And yet, they would immediately recognise his films. And that's the way, he prefers it. "I have spent most of my life in a village on the Punjab border. I have seen life very closely and I prefer to walk with my feet firmly on the ground," he says.And although, he believes that there is no formula for success, he seems to understand what the front-benchers want. "Your story must be close to the heart of the common man," he says.And Itihaas `the history of love written with the blood of a rebel', is no different. Kanwar claims that he has tried to give action-hero Ajay Devgan a change of image. And he admits that his sketch of an innocent man from a village who gets exposed to the big bad ways of the city has an autobiographical touch. After Itihaas, Kanwar plans to start his dream project Banjar, which draws a comparison between women and the earth. But his real dream is still a chance to act. As a director, much as he has been tempted to cast himself, he has refrained. Because, at heart, he is still a simple boy who lost his way and ended up in the city. He maintains, "After I am through with my work, I will go back to my village. That's where I really belong."
