TOP STARS PICK NEW DIRECTORS
Gone are the days when actors would prefer to team up with their favourite directors, usually established names, over and over again. With evolving audience tastes and content overriding everything else, actors are keen to work with first-time directors. The year 2017 saw some of the best films churned out by debutant directors — Avinash Das (Anaarkali of Aarah), Konkona Sen Sharma (A Death in the Gunj), Ravi Udyawar (Mom), Suresh Triveni (Tumhari Sulu), and Advait Chandan (Secret Superstar). The year 2018 is taking the trend forward, with the top names teaming up with new directors.
Yesterday’s release, Kaalakaandi, starring Saif Ali Khan, has been directed by debutant Akshat Verma, and this film has been getting high praise from the word go.
Saif says, “New directors bring a lot of magic to the field. You get dated as a director and, after a point, we see some directors making the same kind of films or taking the shots in the same way.”
The coming months will see first-timers directing soughtafter names like Anushka Sharma (Pari); Rajkummar Rao and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (Fanne Khan); and Nawazuddin Siddiqui (Ghoomketu), among others.
Richa Chadha, who is working with two debutant directors — in 3 Storeys, and Love Sonia — says that she isn’t sure if creativity is the only factor in top stars saying yes to new directors, “but am glad the industry as a whole is taking some risks”.
Kushal Srivastava, the debutant director of Vodka Diaries, feels that Bollywood is no longer averse to welcoming fresh talent. He says that if a new director is well prepared, “everybody welcomes you”.
That 2017 was a year of content-driven films may be the reason, filmmakers feel, that big stars are not choosing only hardcore commercial projects anymore. This shift is helping new directors shine.
Akshat says, “People are willing to bet more on stories. It’s no longer about working with a big director or a new one. Actors want fresh plots.”
Actor Samir Soni, whose directorial debut releases soon, feels that the old thought process is waning. “It’s like passing the baton,” he says. “India is a younger nation and even the stars realise the importance of being in touch with what’s out there.”