Prakash Jha used to carry real bricks and climb four floors in Matto Ki Saikil, says director M Gani

Filmmaker M Gani’s first feature film Matto Ki Saikil (2022) deals with the subject of a poor labourer facing tragedy after his cycle, his only means to transport, gets smashed in an accident. In a chat with Cinestaan.com, the director said that the subject of the film wasn’t challenging for him. 

“It would have been challenging if that particular world [shown in the film] is far from you,” he said. “[But] for me, it was near. [But] I had the usual fear of making a mainstream film in Mumbai for the first time.” 

Matto Ki Saikil review: Prakash Jha leads this sentimental saga of socio-economic inequality

The film features the veteran filmmaker Prakash Jha as Matto. Having a talk with him before going on floors gave Gani a lot of confidence. “He has given more than what I needed from him as an actor,” he shared. “I could have taken someone else and that person might have done what was required. But my experience has been such that there are some actors from theatre who feel that they know it all. There are times when they don’t live up to the expectations.” 

He added, “He got even the little things right. He had told me, ‘Gani, till the time you are not satisfied, keep taking retakes. I won’t refuse.’ He trusted me so much. And we both didn’t want to tamper with the storyline even a bit.”

Citing an example of Jha’s hard work, Gani said that he even did the physical labour work in order to get into the character and make it look authentic. “Only someone who carries 11 bricks on his head and climbs four floors would know,” he said. “We have seen this in films where they might have used artificial bricks. But he used to climb carrying real bricks. He used to do all the labour himself. There was no make-up either. He also carried heavy rods.” 

Matto Ki Saikil also stars Anita Choudhary, Aarohi Sharma, Idhika Roy and Dimpy Mishra. Speaking about their casting, Gani said, “Most of them are a part of the theatre group with whom I have done theatre.” 

Have started enjoying acting and its process, says Prakash Jha on Matto Ki Saikil

Gani took the theatre route before getting into short films and now Matto Ki Saikil. But he said he is still searching for his aim as an artiste.

“But the camera has always fascinated me since childhood,” he said. “I saw Stanley Ka Dabba (2011) and spoke with Amol Gupte. He gave me a lot of encouragement. Out of his recommendation, I bought a camera and made my first film. There were 150 scenes and it was a four or four-and-a-half-hour film.” 

Matto Ki Saikil is due to be released in theatres on 16 September. “I can assure you that when you see the film in the cinema hall, you won’t be disappointed,” Gani said.