The Bhai is a two-hour feature film that tells the origin story of India's most powerful criminal syndicate.
Directed by Thomas Jacob the film is a contemporary re-telling based on the lives of dons who ruled the Mumbai Underworld.
Starring Ashraf Ali and Abbhimanyyu Singh, the film shows the journey of Aamir and his brothers from poor kids to young hoodlums to dangerous gangsters. Along the way, they encounter violence, bloodshed, death and guilt.
It is rumored that The Bhai is the origin story of the D-Company. The film is supposed to show a young Dawood Ibrahim and brothers enter a life of crime and move up to become gangsters.
If so, it'll be the first film to focus on the late teenage years of India's most famous don. But the filmmakers deny any such reference. It is purely a work of fiction they say.
Thomas Jacob was working in New York before moving to Mumbai. He has made international award-winning short films like Strait Jacket, Mumbai 2025 and The Actor. He was invited to the Berlin International Film Festival in 2010.
We talked to the director while he was location scouting in Barcelona.
Q: Congrats on making the film. What was the experience like?
A: Thank you. It was tough but exciting. We were shooting on a limited budget so there were always challenges but it's an experience I'll cherish.
Q: How long back did you conceive this project?
A: I've been carrying the seed of the idea for 3 or 4 years I guess. But it's only now that I am able to make a film about it. Technically, I had to learn a lot more before I could tell this story.
Q: Violence is an important part of the movie I see.
A: Yeah. It's absolutely an integral part of the gangster life. Not so much the violent acts in itself, more like the ever-present looming threat of violence. I think I have tried to shoot the violence in as real a way as possible.
Q: You mean showing more blood?
A: No, no. More like the camera is an observer. We constantly asked ourselves what would a violent scene look like if we standing next to it. So for most of this stuff, we tried to use minimal editing and let the scene play out.
Q: I noticed that the film feels more Hollywood than Bollywood.
A: I don't know. I just made it the only way I know how to. I mean, I am a huge fan of Latin-American cinema. I think that's the tone I was going for. We tried to keep the acting real, the editing and cinematography had to be urgent. The colors are very saturated. It was a feel I think that works for the film.
Q: You've done a lot of short films. Did that help you in this film?
A: Absolutely. The goal always has been to learn something from a project. So whether I am doing a short or a music video, I am always playing with different stuff, technically and emotionally. Something that has helped me a lot is that I've been able to take my work to international festivals, where you meet amazing artists from around the world.
Q: I have noticed that a lot of your shorts are based on the Underworld. What's the fascination? Any experiences while you were growing-up?
A: Haha, no, no. Growing up I had a pretty comfortable and protected life. My father was an IAS officer. There was no gangster stuff going on. I think I am drawn to the genre because there is the potential for so much drama. I mean, if I just film a gangster sitting in a bar, in low-light, there is a already suspense. Considering the life he leads, anyone can come into the bar and shoot him, or he can instigate the violence, there is just so much potential in the story-telling.
Q: Any other genres you would like to make a film on?
A: Of course, I love horror. I love science-fiction. Maybe even a biopic. I would love to make a film about Jim Corbett. Man Eaters of Kumaon is one of my favorite books.
Q: Any other books you would like to adapt?
A: Sure, many. Dostoevsky's The Idiot. I'll probably set it in Mumbai though.
Q: Can I ask you who this film is about? You have not directly mentioned any names of gangsters in the Underworld.
A: I'm not legally allowed to mention names. Let me just say it's about one of India's most wanted men.
Q: Thank you for your time.
A: Thank you. It was fun.