‘You Can Piss Everyone Off’

‘If
you
respect
people,
if
you
accommodate
people,
these
are
good
attributes
to
have.’
‘Like
the
whole
world
is
a
mixed
bag
of
people,
our
industry
is
the
same.’

Playing
besties
in
the
film

Pune
Highway,
their
bond
between

Jim
Sarbh,
Amit
Sadh
and

Manjari
Fadnnis
was
visible
even
offscreen.

But
their
mood
was
in
complete
contrast
to
the
sombre
mood
of
the
film’s
whodunit,
as
they
cracked
jokes,
laughed
and
generally,
let
their
hair
down.

“Sometimes,
you
find
some
very
strong
bonds
while
working.
I
have
been
lucky
that
way
because
I
have
really
found
some
really
nice,
close
friends,”
Manjari
tells

Mayur
Sanap/Rediff
while
Amit
and
Jim
give
her
funny
looks.

How
would
you
describe

Pune
Highway
to
anyone
who
has
no
idea
what
this
film
is
about?

Amit:
Well,
this
is
from
a
play
called

Pune
Highway.
It’s
a
story
of
three
friends.
They
have
a
very
deep
friendship
and
know
all
the
secrets.
The
way
this
friendship
blossoms
is
one
of
the
USPs
of
this
film.

Somewhere
afar,
a
murder
unfolds.

The
story
is
about
how
that
murder
brings
about
a
lot
of
ups
and
downs
in
their
friendship.

I
never
thought
a
murder
mystery
would
be
so
well
woven
with
a
coming-of-age
or
friendship
film.
It’s
like
watching
two
movies
at
once.

When
a
movie
is
releasing
in
theatres,
it’s
not
only
about
your
performance
or
the
quality
of
the
content.
Many
other
factors
come
into
the
picture
like
the
opening
weekend,
screen
count,
box
office
numbers.
Is
it
unnerving
to
have
a
theatrical
release
in
today’s
times?

Jim:
It
is
more
unnerving
for
the
producers.

It
is
unnerving
for
us
in
the
same
way
that
we
want
something
to
be
successful
because
we
worked
hard
on
it
and
hope
that
people
will
go
and
watch
it.

We
want
it
to
resonate
with
the
audience.

It
is,
of
course,
more
concerning
for
the
producer
because
the
money
and
the
commercial
aspects
enter
into
it.

As
far
as
we
are
concerned,
we
just
want
it
to
do
well.

The
poster
has
three
of
you
in
puzzled
expressions.
Can
you
recall
a
moment
from
your
life
when
you
felt
as
puzzled?

Amit:
There
are
so
many
times.
That’s
the
beauty
of
life;
it
just
puzzles
you
every
second
step.

And
the
moment
you
think
you’ve
cracked
it,
you’re
on
the
downs
again.

Jim:
Welcome
to
my
podcast
(All
three
laughs
together).

(Jim
continues.)

I
have
a
very
specific
story.

One
of
my
best
friends
from
college,
we
were
a
group
of
four
very,
very,
very
close
friends.
Me,
Isaac,
Nuna
and
Victoria.

For
a
while,
there
were
two
other
friends
that
joined
in
as
well,
but
this
was
the
like
core
group.

About
12
years
ago,
I
got
an
email
from
Nuna
saying
that
Victoria’s
ex-boyfriend
has
murdered
her.

Manjari:
*shocked*

Jim:
Yeah,
that’s
when
I
had
this
most
puzzled
expression
where
you
think
about
how
you
could
never
imagine
something
like
this
would
happen
to
someone
so
close
to
you.

This
is
something
you
read
about
in
the
newspaper,
it
doesn’t
affect
your
actual
life.

It
made
me
think
about
the
nature
of
wanton
violence
and
how
anybody
that
can
act
with
such
violence
in
reaction
to
a
circumstance.
It’s
totally
un-understandable
by
me.

Slowly,
I
came
to
the
opinion
that
these
things,
when
they
happen,
are
similar
to
a
falling
coconut.

Falling
coconuts
also
kill
people.
It’s
un-understandable.
It’s
chance.

In
an
industry
which
is
so
make-believe,
how
difficult
it
is
cultivate
real
friends?
And
how
difficult
is
it
to
maintain
these
friendships?

Amit:
It
depends
on
you.

You
can
be
an
obnoxious
person
and
piss
everyone
off.
But
you
can
be
a
nice
person
too.

You
can
be
an
actor,
a
banker,
you
can
be
anything…
it’s
not
necessarily
a
job,
it’s
your
trait
as
a
human
being.

If
you
respect
people,
if
you
accommodate
people,
these
are
good
attributes
to
have.
Like
the
whole
world
is
a
mixed
bag
of
people,
our
industry
is
the
same.

It
has
great
people,
not-so-great
people
at
a
point,
but
then
maybe
a
few
years
ago,
they
are
great.
It’s
just
evolution
of
life
that
carries
on.

Manjari:
Sometimes,
you
do
find
strong
bonds
while
working.
But
not
all
relationships
last.

I
have
been
lucky
that
way
because
I
have
really
found
some
really
nice,
close
friends.

Like
the
chaotic
situation
in
a
murder
mystery,
there
is
a
lot
of
chaos
in
an
actor’s
day-to-day
life.
How
do
you
make
sure
you
stay
focused
on
what’s
important?

Jim:
Different
people
handle
it
different
ways.

You
should
just
be
open.

You
should
be
open
to
friendships.

You
should
be
open
to
the
power
of
social
media.

You
should
be
open
to
working
as
hard
as
you
can.

You
should
be
open
to
workshopping.

You
should
be
open
to
receiving
the
script
five
days
before
the
shoot!

You
can’t
control
these
things,
you
can
just
be
open
and
react
to
what
you
get.

Amit:
Be
adaptable
and
flexible.

Amit,
you
have
been
around
for
more
than
20
years
in
the
industry
if
one
includes
your
TV
days.
How
would
you
describe
your
journey
in
one
word?

Jim:
Eventful!
(Laughs).

Amit:
(Takes
a
brief
pause)
I
can
say
I
am
happy.

Manjiri,
I
think
your
Meghna
from

Jaane
Tu…
Ya
Jaane
Na
is
the
most
memorable
character
in
your
filmography.
Do
people
come
to
you
and
say
like,
hey,
I
remember
you
from
that
movie?

Manjari:
All
the
time!

Amit:
I
didn’t
say
that
to
you.

Manjari:
Thank
you.

It
happens
all
the
time
but
I
really
would
want
people
to
watch
more
of
my
films
and
connect
me
with
the
other
characters
I
have
also
played.

I
am
hungry
for
people
to
watch
me
in
different
roles.

Amit
and
Manjari,
you
two
have
already
worked
together
in

Barot
House.
When
you
already
know
your
co-star,
does
it
ease
out
your
process?

Manjari:
When
you
have
worked
together
for
so
long,
there’s
a
natural
amount
of
comfort
that
we
share.
I
think
that
makes
life
really
easy.

It’s
so
much
fun
on
the
set
when
all
of
us
are
working
together
because
we
understand
each
other,
our
processes,
and
what
we
expect
out
of
each
other
in
scenes
and
roles.

I
think
we
feed
off
each
other’s
energies,
so
that
works
beautifully.
You
will
see
that
in

Pune
Highway.

Jim,
did
it
take
you
some
time
to
warm
up
to
their
partnership?

Amit:
Jim
was
already
warmed
up
when
he
came
(Laughs).

Jim:
It
was
very
easy.

I
think
they
are
so
relaxed,
they
rip
off
each
other,
they
joke
with
each
other.
They
already
had
this
brother-sister
vibe
going
on
when
we
met.

It
was
easy,
I
just
fit
right
in.

Amit:
This
film
is
about
the
exes
and
siblings.
They
are
ex-partners
and
I
am
her
brother.

Jim,
you’re
not
an
actor
who
would
like
to
talk
about
his
process.
But
is
there
any
technique
or
trick
that’s
constant?

Jim:
There’s
no
technique
or
trick
for
all
characters.

What
a
person
can
do
is
to
spend
time
with
their
lines.

I
love
getting
it,
putting
it
on
its
feet,
trying
to
block
it,
trying
to
think
about
the
movements.

I
like
inhabiting
it
in
my
body
as
soon
as
I
can
because
that
has
answers
that
you
can’t
find
intellectually.

Your
work
as
a
producer
is
also
getting
a
lot
of
recognition,
which
is
for

Baksho
Bondi
and

Sabar
Bonda.
Do
you
see
any
shift
in
your
acting
process
after
turning
producer?

Jim:
So
far
no,
because
it’s
all
been
new
for
me.

I
wouldn’t
say
there’s
a
direct
effect
on
my
acting
process.

If
anything,
you
understand
the
complicated
factors
that
go
behind
making
a
production.

You’re
a
little
bit
more
forgiving
about
a
lot
of
stuff
because
you’ve
seen
the
other
side
and
you
understand
that
it
is
a
lot
more
complicated
than
you’re
seeing
in
the
moment.
It’s
easy
to
get
upset
about
certain
things
as
an
actor.

When
you’ve
been
on
the
other
side,
you’re
like,
oh,
there
must
have
been
a
reason
and
it’s
worth
thinking
about
what
the
reason
is
instead
of
being
unnecessarily
emotionally
upset.

Lastly,
in
tune
with
the
title
of
this
movie,
what’s
the
playlist
for
road
trips
for
each
one
of
you?

Jim:
It
will
be
mood-based.

There
is
this
one
song
that
I
like
to
listen
to
on
my
scooter
in
Goa
particularly.
It’s
funny
because
when
I
went
to
watch

All
We
Imagine
Is
Light,
she
(Director
Payal
Kapadia)
had
chosen
a
similar
song
by
the
same
artist.
The
one
I
like
is
called

Homesickness
Part
2.

Give
it
a
listen.
It’s
gorgeous.

Amit:
Mine
is
Ben
Palmer.
Great
artist.
There
are
several
tracks
but
there’s
this
track
called

Father
Ocean.

It’s
beautiful.

Manjari:
My
playlist
changes.

When
I’m
travelling
to
different
cities,
I
try
to
find
the
playlist
of
their
local
language
and
like
to
listen
to
that.
It
puts
me
the
vibe
of
the
city.

Jim:
Oh,
that
makes
sense.

WATCH
The
Full
Interview
Here: