"It does not take an army to make a film. It just takes love to do that," declared Hansal Mehta while introducing his small team of about a dozen and a half who made Shahid.
As everyone who worked on the film gathered at PVR Juhu on February 26 for a special screening organised by the delectable duo of Prayrak and Rohan K Mehta under their Versova Homage Screenings Foundation, the cinema hall erupted with applause and whistles. And why wouldn't it? For two hours, the crowd was captivated by the journey of advocate Shahid Azmi, who persevered through humiliations, ultimately finding the strength to fight for justice for those denied it.
For the next hour, they'd be equally enthralled by a journey no less heroic: of how this motley crew banded together to make this film. Hansal's story, in essence, mirrors Shahid's.
"I had given up on filmmaking. I really had no idea that I would be able to make a film again. And then I read about the killing of Shahid in the papers. I wanted to work on it, but I had no means," Hansal told the rapt audience.
Over the next year, Hansal – thanks to producer Sunil Bohra, and Anurag Kashyap – assembled a tiny gang of crew and actors. They begged, borrowed, or simply took every camera they could find – from Canon 7Ds to 5Ds to Red Ones and Red MXs, even an Alexa. They shot in small bursts of 3 to 5 days for 11 months to complete it.
Looking at the film 13 years on, it's hard to believe it was a patchwork of different cameras and shooting schedules.
Hansal explained, "None of that mattered: What camera you were using, what lenses you were using... it became irrelevant because the need to tell the story was so strong."
Harder You Work, Luckier You Get: Shahid is the film where Rajkumar Rao truly shone, essentially introducing him to the industry despite his previous work. However, he wasn't the first choice – it was originally meant for someone already big in Bollywood. But casting director Mukesh Chhabra insisted Hansal meet "this boy" he was sending over. Hansal reluctantly agreed, but the moment he met Rajkumar, he knew he'd found his Shahid because of "the purity that Rajkumar brings to his character."
Hansal was convinced that "the film will be made with him no matter what. And that's what happened." Little did he know then that Rajkumar would go on to play many more memorable characters for him throughout his career.
The film also "discovered" famous singer Arijit Singh. Shahid features only one song, Beparwah, which was among Arijit's first in the industry. The fun fact? The makers discovered him while he was eating chowmein!
The third discovery? Hansal himself.
First Takes on Second Chances: For 20 years before Shahid, Hansal admits, "I failed consistently. I did stuff that, when I look back, I shouldn't have done. I lost my way." But those very failures shaped him. "They really sort of made me. They constructed the person I have become."
Interestingly, the film wasn't just about Hansal finding himself but also about rediscovering his son Jai Mehta, who first collaborated with him on this project and has been his closest collaborator since. Jai worked as an assistant director, securing locations (with or without permission) to shoot the film. It was a logistical obstacle course that Jai navigated without complaint and without much money.
What's particularly magical is how the film captured Mumbai with raw honesty through its guerrilla-style shooting. It's been just 13 years, but that Mumbai is already gone — lost to redevelopment and perpetually dug-up roads — preserved now only in films like this one.
The film was made for under ₹70 lakhs, possible only because everyone poured their hearts and souls into it while taking home barely anything. Yet it became the defining project for everyone involved, launching careers and offering second chances to some and first breaks to many. The first take of a second chance is always the first day of the rest of a filmmaker's life.
Limitations Maketh A Film: Many scenes were improvised, like when Shahid proposes to his wife – that wasn't in the script. Shot mostly handheld, the film adapted to circumstances at every turn. Even the editing followed this philosophy. Cinematographer Anuj Dhawan noted, "The language of the film got formed because of all the restrictions. You get your grammar from it. But now it's in your hands. The tricky part is to maintain that balance all through your film and how you control that."
One of the most powerful moments is Shahid's death scene. The film doesn't show Shahid getting shot, which seems like a deliberate artistic choice to avoid glorifying his killers. The truth is quite different. Being so connected to the real Shahid Azmi's story, they filmed in locations intimately tied to him – his actual house, his real office, even the very chair in which he was killed.
The office was cramped, and they had run out of money for action sequences. With no squibs (small explosive devices used to simulate gunshots), they got creative. The makeup artist quickly created the blood and wound between takes. After multiple attempts at filming Rajkumar being shot, they couldn't hide the makeup artist at work, so editor Apurva Asrani made the inspired choice to show the scene as it appears in the final film.
Learning From Your Own Work: Hansal hadn't watched the film in years, and seeing it at the screening taught him a thing or two – most importantly, why he became a filmmaker in the first place.
"I had forgotten the film. Obviously, when I watched it, I felt I was seeing something new. I was also looking at how easily I could ignore matters of craft while making it. How craft is so secondary to telling a story that you really want to tell. So, the screening has been a learning experience. I wish I could go back to these days."
He says the screening reminded him of his purpose in filmmaking. "I am scared of nostalgia because it can be very debilitating, but sometimes it is important to revisit. We become spoilt over time. We have huge crews and huge entourages, but we don't have the purity. So, revisiting reminds you that you were in more honest, more pure times."
Collaborations Are Key: Hansal candidly admits that the film could only be made because Anurag Kashyap lent his name to it. The audience – along with Mr Kashyap himself – roared with laughter when Hansal recalled, "Anurag wrote his first film for me. It was 340 pages, and like a fool, I shot all those pages. That film never got released. Thank God." When Hansal approached producer Sunil Bohra about Shahid, Bohra sent him to Anurag, saying he'd only greenlight the film if Anurag approved. Anurag was on board instantly.
Love him or hate him, Anurag Kashyap has been responsible for much good in Bollywood. Many talented individuals got their start working with him. In 20 years in Mumbai, I've observed this pattern: your first few workplaces and colleagues shape your career through what you learn and the connections you make. I've known brilliant people who began working for the wrong people, who exploited them and stifled their growth, leaving them lost and unable to fulfil their potential. But Anurag and the people he's brought into the Mumbai film industry have shaped it like few others have. Hansal is one such beneficiary, as is Guneet Monga, who also produced Shahid.
Hansal laments that while we have all the cameras in the world, we lack the voices to tell the stories that need telling. He urges us to find the Shahid in ourselves – both in fighting for justice and in fighting to make meaningful films. The irony, as friends joked after the screening, is that it's not just Shahid but the filmmaker who might meet Shahid's fate in today’s climate. Yet, comfort can be found in one of the film's most iconic lines: "It is difficult to swim against the tide. But if you do it, you might find a shore nobody has ever seen."
Hansal found that shore. So did many who worked on the film. And if you, dear reader, are fighting your own battle, hang on and swim against the tide – you too shall find it.
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