When Midi, the child protagonist in Toolsidas Junior, is asked about his strategy ahead of his snooker finale against the seemingly invincible veteran Jimmy Tandon, the dauntless kid replies: “I’ll play”. For contrast, Tandon’s strategy is what it has always been: “I’ll win”. In the final running, Tandon, of course, does not win and David beats Goliath once more, but in a manner so heartwarming that instead of being just another sports film celebrating success against all odds, Toolsidas Junior becomes an understated classic, a worthy winner of the National Award for best feature film in Hindi in 2022.
Released on Netflix in late May, Toolsidas Junior is a tribute by its writer and director, Mridul Toolsidass, to his father Mahendra, the man “who I owe everything to”. We caught up with Mridul on winning the National Award, why he made a film on his own life story, and his Kolkata connection.
The Telegraph Online: The first alert we got to watch Toolsidas Junior was from Shantanu Moitra, who told us that it was “a beautiful film… a small film that deserves big eyeballs”. What kind of feedback have you been getting?
Mridul Toolsidass: Shanatanuda was my mentor and has always supported me. I used to live with him during my first few years in Mumbai. He and his family watched Toolsidas Junior and ended up crying.
What’s made me the happiest is the feedback I’ve received from kids. After this film, I’ve become better friends with many of my friends’ kids than I am with my friends themselves! I know this one girl who has watched the film 16 times. Many of them have said that they come back from school and rewatch the climax over lunch. They ask very specific questions also, such as why did Midi walk away during the quarter-final match? That’s been really heartening.
In what way do you hope a National Award for best feature film in Hindi is going to impact your filmmaking journey, considering that this is just your second film as director (after Missed Call in 2005)?
Mridul Toolsidass: I’ve always had the highest regard for the National Award. It’s the award. Now that I’ve won it, I’m still going to carry on with whatever I’ve been doing, but there’s definitely added responsibility. Winning the National Award means extra pressure to live up to a certain standard. But I like that, it’s always good to be under pressure.
The end credits show that Toolsidas Junior was inspired by your journey and the relationship you shared with your father. How much of what we see on the screen matches your story? Like Midi, did you, too, win a snooker competition as a teenager?
Mridul Toolsidass: I wanted to make a film with a child protagonist, and I had such fond memories of my own life and experience of playing snooker that I thought it appropriate to pick this story. Of course, it’s been adapted and dramatised for cinema to create the maximum possible impact. It’s in no way a biopic. But it’s a story that goes back 25 years.
Growing up, I was a huge fan of my father. From the time I was eight or nine, I used to go watch him play snooker. He was my superhero. He was the reason I started playing snooker and the reason I made this film. But it’s not just the relationship between father and son that mirrors itself in the film. All the other relationships you see are quite close to what I’ve had in real life. The bond between Goti and Midi is exactly how my brother and I were. To this day, we do our chaddi toss, just like it’s shown in the film! If I had to put a number on the accuracy, I’d say the story is 80 per cent true.
Mridul with Rajiv Kapoor Unsplash
Your father and Rajiv Kapoor, who plays the father in the film, passed away before the release of the film. How did that affect you?
Mridul Toolsidass: Both had seen the final cut. Rajivji’s passing was really heartbreaking; none of us was expecting it. He was so excited during the film promotions, we had even set up several interviews. It was his comeback film after 30 years and every day while coming for the shoot, he’d call up his friends and tell them that he was back to shooting. He used to speak to me practically every day, and I’m sure he had plenty of acting left in him. He wanted to start a second innings. But when you look at it another way, the film also proved to be a great swansong for him. He hit his last ball out of the park.
As for my father, he loved the film and gave his approval to how everything, including the character of Toolsidas, was portrayed. My whole family loved the film. My wife started crying to the point I had to tell my kids that it was a good thing that their mother was in tears!
Most sports dramas in Bollywood are known for an overdose of adrenaline and sentimentality. But Toolsidas Junior is mellow and restrained in comparison. What made you decide to make a sports film without any frills?
Mridul Toolsidass: For me, the most important thing in a film is the story. My approach in writing the script was that I have to tell a simple story. Yes, it’s high on emotions and high on drama, but it should be a film that everyone gets. Right from a five-year-old to an 80-year-old, it should engage everyone. When you think about it, snooker is not the front and centre of the film. So, it’s not really a sports drama. It’s a family drama built around the father-son relationship. That’s why it has been able to become a proper family entertainer.
Lagaan had convinced me to give up on a corporate life and dedicate myself to filmmaking
Was it a struggle to find a producer for Toolsidas Junior ? How did your conversation with Ashutosh Gowariker (co-producer) go when you pitched the idea to him?
Mridul Toolsidass: Before coming to Ashutosh sir, I had virtually knocked on every producer’s door. They all liked the story but weren’t willing to gamble on a film with a 13-year-old protagonist, that too one that’s based on a non-glamorous sport like snooker. Some producers told me that I should make a film about cricket or wrestling and change the protagonist to a 17 or 18-year-old actor. But I didn’t want to make any compromises.
Eventually, I spoke to Ashutosh sir, for whom I had written the show Everest earlier, and he had no hesitation. He agreed to take up the film just as it was. He heard the narration and said “I’m doing it”. Working with Ashutosh sir was not just a privilege but also a matter of destiny. Because back in the day, it was his film Lagaan which was a gamechanger for me. Lagaan had convinced me to give up on a corporate life and dedicate myself to filmmaking.
Tell us about the casting choices. Why and how did you settle on Varun Buddhadev (as Midi), Rajiv Kapoor (as Toolsidas), Sanjay Dutt (as Midi’s coach, Mohammed Salaam) and Dalip Tahil (as Jimmy Tandon)? How much snooker did they have to practise for the film?
Mridul Toolsidass: Rajiv Kapoor was Ashutosh sir’s choice and I couldn’t think of anyone better. The way Rajivji carries himself throughout the film, especially during the last few shots when he celebrates with Midi and picks up the trophy… I still cry while watching those scenes. For Salaam Bhai, the question of who to cast was the first thing Ashutosh sir asked me after hearing the narration. I told him that I had always imagined Sanjay Dutt in the role. So he called up Sanjay Dutt on the spot and within two days Sanjay sir had heard the narration and given his confirmation.
For Midi, we had to audition some 150 to 200 kids and it was a huge risk because Midi was supposed to be in every frame of the film. Whoever played him had to be with me at every step of the way. Varun came in with a very strong recommendation. Once he had made it to the final three, my wife and I were looking at the pictures of the three kids in contention for the role when my wife showed me a picture of Varun and a teenage me side-by-side. That’s when I realised the uncanny similarity and the choice was made. When Varun got a special mention at the National Awards, I was elated. But deep down, I really wanted him to win an award. What he’s done is exceptional. I’ve never seen a child artiste capture such a range of emotions on screen.
As for the role of Jimmy Tandon, we didn’t have anyone finalised until a week or so before the shoot. We’d sit down, go through and cross names everyday. Then one day we thought– what about Dalip Tahil? When I met Dalip sir, he was at a bar having his beer. The moment I saw him, I knew he was the perfect Jimmy Tandon.
When it came to snooker, Varun practised rigorously for two months and was trained by snooker stalwarts like Yasin Merchant and Shivam Arora. Rajivji also trained a bit under Yasin sir but he was an atrangi player, like Sanath Jayasuriya or Mahendra Singh Dhoni in cricket. He had his own quirks, similar to my dad. Sanjay sir would scare us during practice, but as it is with these legends, once the camera started rolling, he’d be smashing everything in style. The best player was Dalip sir. He was a natural and would pocket just about every ball during the shoot. In hindsight, I realise I should’ve played a game with him, too.
Since the film is set in the 1990s, it acts as a wonderful throwback to the Kolkata of the past. Were the snooker scenes shot in Kolkata?
Mridul Toolsidass: The snooker scenes were shot in Mumbai, as it was easier to control the interiors and also because all the actors are from Mumbai. But all the outdoor shooting was done in Kolkata. There’s no way I’d get those roads, the tram lines, the architecture, the way the side characters spoke or just the feel of the city anywhere else in the world, let alone in Mumbai.
Innocence is the right word if you’re trying to sum up Kolkata from the ’90s. There were no social media or mobile phones back in the day. I think the ’90s were a time in Kolkata that allowed you to explore. I, for one, was let loose and allowed to do my thing, which really shaped my experience and identity in the city.
What are your best memories and favourite places connected to Kolkata?
Mridul Toolsidass: I spent the first 20 years of my life in Kolkata. My schooling took place at La Martiniere for Boys and then I went to The Bhawanipur Education Society College for my bachelor’s. Kolkata means everything to me. Some of my favourite places in the city, the ones that I still go to whenever I’m back, are – Kusum for its rolls, Shiraz and Rehmania for their biryani, and Peter Cat for its chelo kebab. I also happen to know all the best tea shops in the city, since my brother and I used to drink a lot of tea before our exams.
Growing up in Kolkata, the clubs in the city were a very important part of my life. I spent a lot of my time at The Saturday Club, Tollygunge Club, Calcutta Swimming Club and the Bengal Rowing Club. What I liked best about them was that you could just walk in as a member and play any sport you wished. That’s not something my kids get to do in Mumbai. I really miss that about Kolkata. That’s what makes the city’s clubs so special.
What are you working on next?
Mridul Toolsidass: I’m essentially working on a number of projects, many of which I’ve been working on for around 15 years. There’s a comedy, a family drama as well as a sports drama. Destiny will decide which one comes out first.
