For the love of cinema
Raj Singh Chaudhary opens up about his passion for filmmaking and upcoming project
Director Raj Singh Chaudhary is a man of many talents. Apart from direction, he has also tried his hand at acting and writing. The Free Press Journal caught up with him for an exclusive chat.
Opening up about what he enjoys more, acting or direction, Raj says, “I have not always been an actor. I have worked as an assistant in Gulaal and Black Friday. And apart from acting in Gulaal, I have also written it. I have always done varied stuff in the filmmaking sphere. I always wanted to direct my own films. This was indeed a natural way as you know it’s very difficult to direct your own film. I was always in the process. It’s not that I left acting for this. Direction takes a lot of time and focus, so at one point in time, I started focusing on direction. I was always doing direction and acting.”
Raj is very clear that if he has to make a choice between acting and directing, he will choose the latter. “I would definitely choose directing. I love acting. If given a chance, I will surely act. In direction, you are in the space of creating your own world, and that’s tremendous. That is such a place to be as you can create your film in your own world and say things you wish to say,” he explains.
Raj is working on quite a few directorial ventures already. “I am doing a film with Anil (Kapoor) sir’s company. I am also in the process of beginning two other films. The process is on. Next with Anil is an urban story based on some real incidents,” he reveals. Elaborating further, he adds, “I don’t associate necessarily with any particular genre. My last film Shaadisthan was not a thriller. It was a slice of life film. My next script is based on relationships. I need to put it into motion. Its work is in progress. It’s about a complex relationship true to life.” When asked if his next film bears any similarity to Gehraiyaan, he avers, “This is not like Gehraiyaan as it was about infidelity. My film is not about infidelity. It’s about people put in certain situations in life. It is because of how we are human and create those complexes in our life.”
Today, the film industry is infamous for having many camps. Raj, however, has had a different experience. “I grew up in a boarding school. Yes, I am very strong-headed, but living in a boarding school, you meet people from all walks of life. So, you have this ability to gel with everybody. For me, there is no camp. Fortunately, whoever interacted with me has gelled with me and has remained friends with me until this day. Everybody is your friend, and at the end of the day, you are alone. I just want to work with everybody. If you get out making true stuff, people with like minds come in together,” he concludes.