How does it feel to get such an overwhelming response to your first preview of Mithya?

Rajat: Terrific! It feels great to sit with the audience and watch your film. Moreover, the audience was a mix of film regulars as well as seasoned filmmakers. The response was terrific – an overfull auditorium laughing and crying at the right times, who are all praise for your work. When you see your own film with an audience, the entire creative process of making a film comes a full circle, and believe me, it’s a feeling difficult to put in words.

It is said that you had written Mithya over 8 years back. How does it feel to finally see it on the big screen?

Rajat: Mithya has gone to almost all the Producers in Mumbai, both big and small, and I am so glad that it finally got made. In a way, I am glad that I didn’t make it way back then. I think that as a filmmaker, it was important for me to make Raghu Romeo and Mixed Doubles before I got to make Mithya. It gave me some experience that I think was needed for making Mithya, which can become a tricky genre to handle.

Your protégé, Sagar Bellary, has found success with his very first film, Bheja Fry. Reema Kagti assisted you on your first film and now your assistant director from Raghu Romeo, Sharat, is set to direct his first film too. How does it feel to be a mentor to such budding new talent?

Rajat: Bheja Fry’s success is overwhelming. I would give complete credit to Sagar for its success. It was entirely his vision. I would not like to call Reema, Sagar or Sharat my protégés. They are creative people in their own right. It is very difficult to find your own voice as a Director after you have assisted someone else. It takes a while to come out of his/her shadow and come into your own. Even I took time. And I am so glad that all of them have already begun finding their own voice!

Mithya seems to be generating immense interest in both, the domestic film circuit and the international film festivals. How do you think this will help the film finally when it releases?

Rajat: Festivals screenings do not directly translate into ticket sales. The reason that I attend these Festivals is to connect with film connoisseurs from across the world, to meet with like-minded and even diverse people, to see some of the best international cinema. Just being on that platform is a high. Of course, the excitement of a commercially successful film is always there but it’s of a different kind. I don’t think there is any direct connection between film festival selections and commercial success of a film. If a film can manage both, then great! But it’s a difficult combination..

You are an alumnus of FTII. How important do you think is formal education in filmmaking to become a good filmmaker today?

Rajat: Formal educational always helps. I learnt a lot of technical things at FTII. However, there is no thumb rule that says that people who are not trained in a film school cannot be good filmmakers. What drives a good filmmaker is passion, and that only comes naturally. There are some very talented directors in India, like Anurag Kashyap, who have no formal training. But that doesn’t seem to deter them from making good films! Observation and experience come very handy to people who never went to a film school. At the end of the day, a good director is one with vision and an ability to achieve that vision.

You direct plays as well. How do you like the theatre culture in Mumbai?

Rajat: Directing plays is great fun. I think Mumbai has great theatre culture, unlike other big cities like Delhi. The audience here is large and the appreciation wide. I would give a lot of credit for this to places like NCPA and Prithvi. I have spent a lot of time in Prithvi and for most of the regulars there, it is more of a habit than anything else. It’s great when our shows go house-full. My play C For Clown has been running for over 8 years now, with more than 100 performances, and the audience is still loving it! What more could a director and the actors ask for? I am planning to direct a new play next year, which might probably be a new escapade for my clown gang from C For Clown!

The multiplex culture has given a chance to many films that would have otherwise gone unnoticed. How important do you think this change is to the new-age filmmakers as well as cinegoers?

Rajat: This entire phenomenon is like a dream come true. Years ago, directors like me could only pray that this happens soon. Now, with the multiplexes, most films can at least be assured of a release. It is another issue whether or not a film works. Directors like me only ask for this much – a chance to release the films we believe in and have worked so hard in making. All we needed was to put our foot in the door, and now that we have, I am so glad! So many films that wouldn’t have otherwise seen the light of the day, are now getting released and what’s more, even working more than some big-budget commercial films!

How was the experience working with Planman Motion Pictures for Mithya?

Rajat:I am happy that they decided to produce Mithya. Believe me, I have roamed around with this script for so long! And it’s funny when everyone tells you that “It’s a great script, but we cannot make it.” Whatever does that mean? I was so happy to have found Planman Motion Pictures who showed belief in my subject. The best part was that once the film began, there were no creative interferences at all. I was given complete liberty to make Mithya the way I wanted to. That’s the way it should be.

What is next in line, after Mithya?

Rajat:I have just signed a 5-film contract with a leading production house. I will direct one of them and be the Executive Producer on the remaining four. So currently, I am immersed in reading scripts all day, in between dubbing for some of my films and shooting for a few others. There is so much to do and I am loving it!