20 years of Page 3| Madhur Bhandarkar: '15 minutes into narration, Konkona Sensharma said she wasn't getting the film'

As Konkona Sensharma’s Page 3 turns 20, director Madhur Bhandarkar gives an insight into the world building behind the film that became a cult classic

Konkona Sensharma made an impressive entry into mainstream Bollywood with Page 3, on the heels of winning a National Award. As the film turns 20, director Madhur Bhandarkar shares some unknown facts and details of the Konkona Sensharma-starrer that has made it stand the test of time and still remain relevant.

Madhur Bhandarkar on 20 years of Page 3

A drive with journalists gave rise to the film

Calling it a “game changer” in his career, Madhur Bhandarkar reveals that he was fascinated by the world of Bollywood parties that he started attending after the success of Chandni Bar (2001) and Satta (2003). He wanted to make a film on it but didn’t know who the protagonist should be. “One day, I went to a party where I saw big politicians, Bollywood celebrities, and all of them were interacting with the journalists there. After the party, I dropped a few of them in my car to a taxi stand. That meeting helped me decide that I want a journalist’s point of view, as I realised that these people who have access to the biggest people in the world, their own life is still so normal and middle-class.”

‘People thought it was a murder mystery’

Madhur shares that since there was no social media or pap culture at the time, many people were confused about what Page 3 even meant. “Many of them thought that this is a murder mystery. Someone even questioned if the film is based on a literal page numbered 3,” he quips.

Konkona Sensharma’s entry in Bollywood

Reportedly, actor Kareena Kapoor Khan was first approached for the lead role in the film but she said no. Ask the director about the casting process and he shares, “I did approach a couple of big actresses. They heard the idea, some liked it, some had date issues, and some had drive issues as we didn’t have a budget. Some actresses didn’t even see any merit in the idea. They didn’t understand what I wanted to say through the movie, so they didn’t want to do it as it fell in the ‘arty’ area. There were a lot of apprehensions.”

Eventually Konkona came in his mind as he had seen her film Mr and Mrs Iyer (2002). “Nobody in Bollywood knew of Konkona Sensharma and she had told me to reach out to her if I ever had anything for her. I called her and she had no idea what Page 3 culture was all about. We were 15-20 minutes into the narration, and she said bluntly that she wasn’t getting the film. But she had faith in my vision as a filmmaker, so she said yes even without hearing the full script,” the director shares.

The iconic driver scene was the last addition

A scene from Page 3 that became iconic was of actor Manoj Joshi, who played a chauffeur in the film and is seen gossiping about the industry. Madhur reveals that it was taken from real-life incidents and was the last addition in the film. “The whole sequence was put at the end. I called up Manoj to play the driver, and that sequence was derived from real life, and he agreed. We shot it all in four hours and it became a highlight of the film. 80% of Page 3 is derived from real life incidents that I have witnessed on my own. I went to a Bollywood celebrity’s funeral, and I saw people discussing the designer they were wearing, inviting people to trial screenings and all. So, I put that exactly that way in the film,” he says.

No Page 3 without Lata Mangeshkar: Madhur

At a time when singer Lata Mangeshkar had almost stopped playback, Madhur got her to sing Kitne Ajeeb Rishte for the film. “It still resonates with every world and industry. Page 3 is incomplete without Lata Mangeshkar. It was very difficult as we didn’t have a budget, but she agreed to sing because she loved the song. She was travelling when I called her, and she said that she can only record it after two months and I said yes. She asked me for a reference, and I gave her Ek Chehre Pe Kai Chehre Laga Lete Hain Log (Daag, 1973). She would stop after every word to check if I was getting what I wanted. When she heard the whole thing together, she gave her input and asked to change a few words. Her dedication at that age [she was in her late 70s} was so inspiring. I got to work with both the Mangeshkar sisters (also, singer Asha Bhosle) in that film and I feel so lucky about that.”

A film universe before the concept of it

Madhur believes Page 3 started the trend of the behind-the-scenes processes of the world. “It was appreciated globally in film festivals and in India too, it was a critical and commercial success, even winning multiple National Awards. I still continue that path, with even my next film Wives of Bollywood, that is like Page 3 on steroids,” he says, admitting that he did create a universe of his own which started with Page 3 and continued with Fashion (2009) and Heroine (2012).