5 takeaways from Twinkle Khanna’s interview of Christopher Nolan

Author and former Indian actor Twinkle Khanna received the opportunity of interviewing renowned Hollywood filmmaker Christopher Nolan, following the release and arrival of his Tenet in India.

Sharing the interview on his Twitter, her husband and actor Akshay Kumar wrote, “First my mom-in-law worked with him and now my wife gets to interview him. Seems like I’m the only one in the family yet to meet the visual genius! Watch this as I sulk.”

Akshay’s mother-in-law, Dimple Kapadia played the role of an arms dealer in Tenet. During the interview, Khanna asked Nolan about the idea behind the film, his reason for casting Kapadia, his thoughts on Bollywood and how he prepares his actors for the film. She also asked him to share an advice he would give his younger self.

Idea behind ‘Tenet’

“I wanted to explore time, the idea of a bullet being sucked out of a ball to return to the barrel of a gun,” said Nolan. “I put these ideas into momentums several years ago but I always wanted to harbour a world where the characters had to deal with the physical reality of that. And I’ve always wanted to make sort of a globetrotting spy film.”

Why Kapadia?

Recalling his interaction with Kapadia, Nolan remarked, “She said ‘No, no, you don’t want me.’ If anything, it makes you more excited to work with that person because you see a sense of modesty about them.”

Thoughts on Bollywood

Speaking of Bollywood he said, “I’m a fan. I think Bollywood films have a sort of primal sensibilities. They’ve got broad strokes. They are very big, broad movements of entertainment and music, sound, image all coming together. I think some of the energy of Bollywood films is missing a little bit from what Hollywood is doing.”

Directing tricks

Nolan confessed that he does not allow cigarettes and cellphones on his set, albeit, there are chairs. “I like to stay on my feet, though, because the moment I sit down my energy level drops,” said the expert. “We try to enforce a focus on what’s going on dramatically on the set. We can’t stop anyone from talking but we do ask them be quiet to have a sense of reverence for what the actors are doing.”

Advice to younger self

“Some of the mistakes that I’ve made in the past may have inadvertently led to where I am today,” Nolan claimed. “So I wouldn’t stop myself from making those mistakes. I would be very cautious about telling my younger self anything, in fact, I’d probably try to avoid myself,” he concluded.