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I enjoy the pressure: Neeraj Pandey
Today, Neeraj Pandey is one of the most sought-after filmmakers in Bollywood, having delivered films that have been praised by the audience and critics alike. But he’s not the one to feel pressure to live up to any kind of perception. Instead, he “enjoys it” and says that he feels more “responsible and accountable” towards his work.
“One would like to live with such responsibilities, as that’s what we wanted all our lives, right? We stand for a certain kind of cinema, and keep on pushing the envelope. We will continue to do so,” adds the man behind films such as A Wednesday (2008), Special 26 (2013), M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016), Baby (2015), and Rustom (2016). Here’s a chat with Pandey, whose latest film, Aiyaary, was out last month.
Actor Manoj Bajpayee says that ‘Neeraj Pandey breaks rules and does not follow formulas’. Is this a correct description of you?
Manojji is a very generous guy (laughs). He comes up with thoughts that I’ve no clue about. I’m not doing anything consciously; it is my work that takes me down those paths. When you step out of your house, you don’t think, ‘I will break rules today’. There is no conscious effort to change the world, but if our film becomes the talking point, then that’s good, as we don’t want to waste the audience’s time and money.
People feel that after MS Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016), you came back to your ‘zone’ with Aiyaary…
I find it funny that [people] have made up their mind that I belong to a particular zone. The fact of the matter is that Dhoni was an exciting story. So was A Wednesday, Special 26 (2013), Baby (2015), and Aiyaary. The story becomes a common thread and that it is exciting is why I make a film out of it.
You seem to be working constantly without a break...
Yes, because I don’t think anything good will come out from pausing and thinking... Often, you invest time in an idea and then realise that it won’t be fun chasing that story. So, you should [also] have the courage to walk away. In fact, sometimes that takes more courage. You get a ‘pause time’ after a film is done.