Actor Ankush Hazra shares with us the challenges of becoming a film producer and choosing a gangster action drama, Mirza, as the maiden project.
You have turned film producer for Mirza. What has been the experience like?
Ankush Hazra: The experience was really great. I learned and gained a lot of knowledge. I got to understand the different aspects and challenges of film production. Producing such a huge project for the first time was a significant learning curve for me, and I underwent extensive training for it. Despite facing numerous hurdles, I was able to release the film, which I feel is one of the toughest jobs. Overall, it was a truly rewarding journey!
What did you like about the story of Mirza?
Ankush Hazra: Mirza is a gangster drama with plenty of twists and goosebump-inducing moments. The story starts with Sultan (Kaushik Ganguly) and Azhar (Shoaib Kaberr) running a drug racket across Bengal. That is when Mirza enters; he wants to join the gang. But why does he want to join? Does he want a position or is it something else? Along with Muskan (Oindrila Sen), the story unfolds gradually.
How challenging was it to do the stunt sequences in Mirza?
Ankush Hazra: The stunts were extremely difficult and I even ended up injuring my leg. It took a lot of effort to pull off everything, but I’m happy that we finally managed to do it. It’s been years since I have done any action, so it was quite a big feat for me.
The soundtrack of Mirza has caught on…
Ankush Hazra: People are loving the music of the film. It’s great to see how people are enjoying the songs of commercial cinema and it is quite satisfying to watch it. People are singing the songs and dancing to them. Even now, after the film’s release, when people dance to the songs in the theatres, it’s such a great sight… something we haven’t seen in commercial cinema and single screens for a long time.
Dance is an important part of Mirza, and your dance numbers always hit the sweet spot, like your last song Gobindo Daant Maaje Na. Are you a trained dancer?
Ankush Hazra: No, I am not a trained dancer. The aspects of dancing that I find important are attitude and style; these are things I have been trying out since childhood, and you could say they are innate.
What made you cast Oindrila Sen in the film?
Ankush Hazra: I have seen Oindrilla’s performance in her earlier projects. One of the main reasons for casting her is her acting talent. For Mirza, she has proved it with the kind of performance that was needed for this character. After the release of Mirza, people are saying they have got a female superstar! That's a huge achievement. It’s very satisfying to see this. We haven’t seen her like this before.
Oidrila and you have been dating for a long time. What are your plans?
Ankush Hazra: Right now, we are focused on our work. Oindrila is enjoying her film career, and that’s where her heart is. Yes, we do have personal plans for the future, but right now we are happy in our own space. We share many good moments and life is going well for us. We will think about marriage a bit later; for now, we want to concentrate on our work.
What is next?
Ankush Hazra: I haven’t planned anything specific yet; everything is revolving around Mirza for now. There are some projects lined up. Setting up a production house brings with it new thoughts and concerns about what kind of films our house will do, and what kind of work we will do with others. Right now, I am resting a bit and visualising it properly. Whatever I do next will be quality work.
