‘My dream was to make films’
For ace adman, Sudip Bandyopadhyay directing movies has been an ultimate dream, which is finally coming true with Hope Aur Hum. The director loves the transition and says that he is enjoying every bit of being a Bollywood filmmaker.
“From the day I scripted the film to putting together all the cast, crew, location, shooting and now finally gearing up for the release, all this has been a joyride. In the initial stage, I had many questions. But when the trailer was out, and everyone expressed that they liked it, all my questions were answered,” says Sudip, who has been in the advertising world for 20 years.
For his debut, the director has chosen a story that is close to his heart and something that has been brewing in his mind for the past many years.
Talking about the slice-oflife, family film, Sudip says, “The story has multiple layers, and I wanted to capture the day-to-day life for which I have looked at my experiences. My dream was to make films. I joined the advertising industry, but films were what I always wanted to do.” Other than the story, something else had been on Sudip’s mind: He wanted to cast actor Naseeruddin Shah in the film and says if the veteran actor had not said yes to the film, he probably would not have made it. “I was sure that I wanted to have him in my film. I was certain that I would only make the film with him. I had sent the script over to him and for a while didn’t hear from him. I was not sure if he would agree to do it. But then finally one day he called, and we met, and he said that he loved the story and would be a part of it,” shares the director.
Produced by Samira Bandyopadhyay of Thumbnail Pictures, Hope Aur Hum, also starring Sonali Kulkarni, Kabir Sajid, Naveen Kasturia and Aamir Bashir, is releasing on May 11.