I ALWAYS TRY TO MINIMISE FILMINESS: SHOOJIT SIRCAR
The filmmaker says he always looks for the portions in his films, which can be made more realistic
Till date, he has directed four films – Yahaan (2005), Vicky Donor (2012), Madras Café (2013), and Piku (2015) with his next, October in the pipeline. Besides the fact that all his films have been done well – critically as well as commercially, what stands out in Shoojit Sircar’s films is his realistic and relatable style of storytelling, which is devoid of any ‘filminess’.
But the film-maker feels he can do better. “On the contrary, I try to minimise the ‘filminess’ as much as possible in my films. So, I always look for those spaces in my films where I can cut that out (smiles). That’s why a lot of times, when I watch my films, I feel, ‘oh, I could have been better here, should have been much more subdued [in other parts], or could have been less loud. Honestly, I feel I am improving day-by-day [in terms of cutting out the filminess], or at least, I am trying to. You can say that I am learning with every film,” says Shoojit.
After Piku, Shoojit has lent his name to two films — Pink (2016) and Running Shaadi — albeit as a producer. “Frankly, the only production that I was absolutely involved with is Pink. Running Shaadi, in a way, was my guru dakshina for my guru, who I worked with in the past. So, it was like giving back. Plus, Amit Roy (director) is a friend and he was not getting any [right] platform. At that time, I spoke to Ronnie (Lahiri; partner and producer) who agreed about us backing the film,” he says.
The film-maker adds that backing Running Shaadi was an “emotional way” of looking at it because Amit is the nephew of his mentor. “Not many know that I had assisted his uncle for two years when he was making documentaries in Delhi. That way, we have a very long-standing relationship. So, till now, we have independently produced very selective work including a couple of Bengali films,” says Shoojit, adding that he personally follows a variety of films including “a lot of Satyajit Ray as well as European cinema”.
Frankly, the only production that I was absolutely involved with is Pink. Running Shaadi, in a way, was my guru dakshina for my guru, who I worked with in the past. SHOOJIT SIRCAR, FILMMAKER