Abhishek Sharma, known for Tere Bin Laden and The Zoya Factor, speaks about his decade long journey in Bollywood, the changing times in Hindi cinema and his next film Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari.
Director Abhishek Sharma was lucky to finish the shoot of his film Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari just days before the lockdown. The Diljit Dosanjh, Manoj Bajpayee and Fatima Sana Shaikh starrer completed its shoot in March and the makers have been trying to finish the post-production so the audience can enjoy the family-friendly comedy.
In this interview with indianexpress.com, director Abhishek Sharma, who has previously directed Tere Bin Laden, Parmanu, The Zoya Factor, among other films, spoke about his decade long journey in Bollywood, the changing times in Hindi cinema and his next film Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari.
You have never stuck to one genre of films. What is your idea of filmmaking?
My basic idea is that my USP should not be one particular genre. I have always wanted to be diverse when it comes to filmmaking. When I started my journey, I was making more comedies but Parmanu was a break from that, kind of a turning point. Versatility is important for a filmmaker to grow. I want to keep pushing the envelope and try different genres and pursue different stories.
You are completing your 10 years as a filmmaker at a time when filmmaking and film-viewing is changing so much. How are you preparing for the next phase in your career?
You change with the time in a very organic fashion. I don’t want to plan how I want to change my filmmaking or grow in it. You have to try and keep up with the time.
Now, how films are watched, I don’t think that it is going to change in a major way. OTT is fine right now, it is a temporary phase because of COVID-19. Ultimately, films belong to theatres. We have seen theatres being challenged before, when the television came in, and then when VCR came, even the web coming in was a challenge to cinema halls. But cinemas have only grown. It is an outing for people, it is all about the experience. So, I don’t believe in the theory that this phase will change cinema-viewing. But of course, with OTT a lot of films are being made and storytellers are getting a lot of chances. But, as far as cinema-going audiences are concerned, they will always be there and there will always be films that are made for cinema-viewing.
What is the film release plan? Would you consider releasing it directly on an OTT platform?
We are waiting for the theatres to figure out because we don’t know when the theatres will be reopening. We all believe that Suraj Pe Mangal Bhaari is a theatrical experience as it is a family comedy. We are hoping that families will get together to watch the film. But then, everything depends on when the theatres will reopen, once we know for sure, a final call will be taken.
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| Abhishek Sharma’s Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari stars iljit Dosanjh, Manoj Bajpayee and Fatima Sana Shaikh. |
Director Abhishek Sharma was lucky to finish the shoot of his film Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari just days before the lockdown. The Diljit Dosanjh, Manoj Bajpayee and Fatima Sana Shaikh starrer completed its shoot in March and the makers have been trying to finish the post-production so the audience can enjoy the family-friendly comedy.
In this interview with indianexpress.com, director Abhishek Sharma, who has previously directed Tere Bin Laden, Parmanu, The Zoya Factor, among other films, spoke about his decade long journey in Bollywood, the changing times in Hindi cinema and his next film Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari.
Here are some excerpts from the interaction:
You have never stuck to one genre of films. What is your idea of filmmaking?
My basic idea is that my USP should not be one particular genre. I have always wanted to be diverse when it comes to filmmaking. When I started my journey, I was making more comedies but Parmanu was a break from that, kind of a turning point. Versatility is important for a filmmaker to grow. I want to keep pushing the envelope and try different genres and pursue different stories.
You are completing your 10 years as a filmmaker at a time when filmmaking and film-viewing is changing so much. How are you preparing for the next phase in your career?
You change with the time in a very organic fashion. I don’t want to plan how I want to change my filmmaking or grow in it. You have to try and keep up with the time.
Now, how films are watched, I don’t think that it is going to change in a major way. OTT is fine right now, it is a temporary phase because of COVID-19. Ultimately, films belong to theatres. We have seen theatres being challenged before, when the television came in, and then when VCR came, even the web coming in was a challenge to cinema halls. But cinemas have only grown. It is an outing for people, it is all about the experience. So, I don’t believe in the theory that this phase will change cinema-viewing. But of course, with OTT a lot of films are being made and storytellers are getting a lot of chances. But, as far as cinema-going audiences are concerned, they will always be there and there will always be films that are made for cinema-viewing.
Did the lockdown affect Suraj Pe Mangal Bhaari?
We have been quite lucky actually, we started shoot on January 6 and our last day on set was on March 14-15, and the lockdown happened 4-5 days later. So, during the lockdown we were finishing our post production, and we all worked from home, and we have we complete film ready.What is the film release plan? Would you consider releasing it directly on an OTT platform?
We are waiting for the theatres to figure out because we don’t know when the theatres will be reopening. We all believe that Suraj Pe Mangal Bhaari is a theatrical experience as it is a family comedy. We are hoping that families will get together to watch the film. But then, everything depends on when the theatres will reopen, once we know for sure, a final call will be taken.