Gauri Shinde on break from direction: There is no rush
Her last film was Dear Zindagi (2016) and she had plans for a third outing. But, Covid-19 put a dampener on Gauri Shinde’s plans. However, despite the long gap, the filmmaker isn’t in a hurry to get things going.
“As the norm would have it, in three years (from 2016) I would have been ready, but unfortunately, the pandemic hit. I had no choice, but there is no rush,” she shares.
Shinde believes that sometimes, life throws these things at you for you to take that break and see if what you want to do is worth it. “Films take so much effort, strength and stamina out of your life that it better be worth it when you make one. Somewhere, life is telling me to hang on for slightly longer,” adds the English Vinglish (2012) director.
Talking about how showbiz has shaped up during the pandemic, Shinde, 47, opines that the industry has managed to find a way around things. “I’ve shot some ad films, it has become a second nature where we’ve accepted this kind of living,” she says, but hopes it doesn’t go on this way “for too long”. “We still have to work, a lot of people still need to earn. We also have the need and urge to channelise our ideas. I hope it shapes up, and that we aren’t stuck to our televisions. I am really missing theatres and the outing,” she confesses.
While films may have taken a back seat, Shinde has her hands full, as a jury member of the upcoming virtual edition of the KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival. “I’ve wanted to be a part of this jury for some years now, I’m very honoured and proud. It is about a very unique expression that has deserved a platform for long. It is about all kinds of unique stories, points of view… That kind of gaze is very important, cinematically. It’s a wonderful platform, I ended up seeing beautiful films,” she shares.
Filmmaker
I really want to wait a little longer to see where all this goes. GAURI SHINDE,