Hello folks! On this episode of #BlabWithSandy, we have Bollywood director Amit Masurkar with us. Amit debuted as a director with the much acclaimed ‘Sulemani Keeda’. He followed it up with an award winning film ‘Newton’ that had Rajkumar Rao and Anjali Patil in the lead. Amit’s third directorial was Vidya Balan’s ‘Sherni’, which did very well on the OTT space. Let’s wait no further and dive into the exciting blab I had with Amit:
Sandy: Could you throw some light on your early background?
Amit: I grew up in Mumbai. My younger brother and I spent a lot of time outdoors and watched very few films. My first love was drawing and I was quite good at it. I went to study engineering in Karnataka, but left it to pursue filmmaking which by then, had captured my imagination.
Sandy: Your debut film was an independent comedy titled ‘Sulemani Keeda’. It won rave reviews from film personalities back then. What made you pick this project as your debut? And, how easy or how difficult was it to bring the project to the audience?
Amit: The film is about two writing partners who struggle to make their mark in the Mumbai film industry – a world I was familiar with. The screenplay was written as a side project, whilst I was working on paid gigs. One of those gigs included co-writing the Hindi adaptation of ‘Happy Days’ which Sekhar Kammula was set to direct. I also visited Hyderabad for a narration!
The intention of making Sulemani Keeda was to make a film where I could retain full creative control without bothering about getting money or stars. Everyone involved in Sulemani Keeda worked for free or on minimum wage. We had a unit of less than 10, including the actors – most of whom were friends or friends of friends. While the release process was slow and painful, the experience of making a film like this is invaluable and is a great teacher. It proves you don’t need to work inside the system to make a film – if a few like-minded creative people come together, anything can happen.
Sandy: Your immediate next was ‘Newton’ and it created wonders at the box office. It was our official entry too at the Academy Awards! A few snippets on ‘Newton’ and as a filmmaker, what was your thought on winning such rich accolades from international audience as well.
Amit: It was very humbling. The issues addressed in the film are close to my heart. The film is very special to me – the people I met during the making are all very dear to me. Everyone involved, worked with love and dedication, and remember the experience with fondness.
Sandy: I personally love your third film ‘Sherni’ a lot. It’s one of the rarest films wherein one gets actually glued while watching and gives a feel of ourselves being there in the forest area. Not many wildlife films are made in India. Did you think of ‘Sherni’ as a risky project whilst it’s pre-production days?
Amit: Thank you! Sherni was made in the pandemic and it was incredibly difficult to shoot at that time. Thankfully, the writer Aastha Tiku had written a layered and well-researched script, we had a phenomenal crew and a fantastic ensemble of actors – from Vidya Balan and Sharat Saxena, to Vijay Raaz and Ila Arun.
Due to the lockdown, it was released on Amazon Prime Video as an Original. The film never felt risky as we had a core audience in mind – people who love animals and care about jungles – and that’s a huge population of India as these values are embedded in our culture. What was surprising is the great response we got from the South for a film that was in Hindi and set in central India.
Sandy: If we see your filmography, every four years is when we see a film from you coming out. Is that an intentional move to work out on every small detail and then come up with project? Can we see films coming out from your end at a quicker pace in the future?
Amit: I worked exclusively on one film for two-three years, juggling my time with advertising work to pay the bills, hence the gap. But in the lockdown and after, I worked on three scripts, and now they are being set up as we speak. So hopefully there won’t be any long gaps in the future. Fingers crossed!
Sandy: I feel that you are inclined towards making sensible cinema. Kudos on that front, Amit. However, in order to stay abreast with the financials of the industry as well as bring all set of audiences to watch your film, how do you manage to keep the sensible plot alongside having cinematic liberty in your story? Do you think that the gap between sensible cinema and entertainment is nearing or we are open to have the gap go even wider?
Amit: All my films have made money, so my belief is that if you make a film with all your heart, it will connect with an audience. A film is a heartfelt conversation I’m having with the audience – connecting with them, making them laugh and cry, feel emotions, and taking them on a journey.
Sandy: What’s in the pipeline for you in the coming months? What is your next project and what can the audience expect from that film?
Amit: The next film is still cooking! Something good is on its way.
Sandy: With South cinema doing well and we getting to see many Pan Indian films, your thoughts on the South film industry?
Amit: RRR put pan India cinema on the global map. But the film industry in South India is much more than the recent supply of pan India films. My earliest memory of pan India films from the South are Bombay, Roja, Shiva in the 90’s when I was growing up. Those films have stood the test of time. Mayabazar and Eega are two Telugu films that are in my Top 20 list of Indian films. There is also some amazing independent cinema happening in Malayalam, Tamil, and Kannada. I’m following the movement keenly.
Sandy: A few words about TheHyderabadLocal.com
Amit: It’s nice replying to your questions. Pardon the succinctness in answering your questions, as I’m in the middle of a project but I had a good time collaborating with you.
Follow Amit @amitvmasukar
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Interview by Sandy (Sandeep Rao)