… Ab ek Baap chahiye!
Hello people… apologies for being away for so long… what else can one say, except that life caught up or rather i was doing a lot of catching up with life…
Both are true i guess…
Over the phone yesterday, Oz was asking me when i’m getting back to my blogging… well the answer is Now.
Oz, here i am.
You also asked me whats been happening on my end during this interim… so here goes.
For starters i’ve been part of the setting up of an organiztion/ alliance called IIF-Worldwide. ( Indian Independent Filmmakers Worldwide)
We launched it in Mumbai on the 27th of March as a space for “independent spirit”-ed film makers/ technicians/actors to meet/confabulate/ resource/ network and build up a support system that would help promote and nuture independent film making. You could check out the web site (still under construction) at www.iifw.in
Some of the IIF Worldwide founder members are Ketan Mehta Deepa Sahi, Sudhir Mishra, Rahul Dholakia (Parzania), Madhur Bhandarkar, Anurag Kahyap, Rupali Mehta, Rajan Khosa, Piyush Jha and yours truly.
And now a bunch of 25 members are off to Cannes in the next few days to not just launch the UK and US chapters of the organistaion on the 21st of May (to be headed by Mrs. Parminder Vir and Ms. Kruti Maujumdar respectively) but armed with films and film scripts, to announce to the world that Indian Cinema is not just Bollywood….
Our other activities in Cannes will include two panel discussions on: a) WHY NOT INDIA?: THE INSIDE STORY OF WHY INDIAN FILMS DO NOT MAKE IT TO THE TOP FESTIVALS & AWARDS
b) GETTING INDIAN FILMS MADE & SEEN: FINANCE & DISTRIBUTION OPTIONS FOR TODAY’S INDEPENDENT FILMMAKER
Eventually, IIF-worldwide has plans to launch an Indian Indie Film Festival; an Indian Independent Film Awards and also an Indie fund to finance independent films, apart from workshops/ seminars to hone talent.
Yes, its early days, but i do believe a start has been made in the right earnest spirit.
And with new members being added every day, maybe its a movement whose time has come.
Because the need for films to be made where the story is the real star, where the voice of the film maker is paramount and protected from circumvention by the studio or disfiguration by the onslaught of the ‘mainstream’ onslaught.
Its one thing to want to make a film with a distinct personal stamp of an auteur; and a compeletly different battle to actually get to make it.
i should know… having fought many battles over the past two years to make a film i have dreamed of making ever since early 2005. But yet, i’ve not won the war …
Which is why after seeing No Smoking, i told Anurag that a major major star of the film is a guy like Vishal B- who backed you to make the film you wanted to make. That for me is awesome.
Someone having the audacity to back your own audacity… thats awesome.
Anyways, back to my story.
While doing Haqeeqat- my TV show based on real life human interest stories- i came across a very moving story about a kashmiri woman. The pathos, emotion and final triumph of this womans life saga mesmerised me.
We shot a two part episode of her story, which was very well recieved. My desire to make it into a film only strengthened.
i went to Kashmir to meet this woman and spent a week videotaping her story and her, besides getting the legal rights from her and her lawyer.
followed this up with writing a script based on all the info i had gathered and then found a producer too.
Met Vidya Balan for the central role- post Parineeta- she agreed and signed on- and i was that much closer to realising my dream of bringing that story to screen.
A recceee to Kashmir along with the coming on board of a talented and passionate crew, had me believe that i was finally going to do a film that was born from the stories i was adept at telling on TV; which was coming from within.
But ironically enough, thats when the wheels began to come off… as Bollywood struck.
Voices from Distributors, recovery experts, ‘industry well wishers’ began to whisper around my producers ears… a solo heroine film? you’ll lose 80 % of your money… Its too arty… Its Cannes not Cinemax…. *&%!#!!….
The budgetary allocations began to diminish, shooting days decreased, as did other variables.
I juggled with figures, got technician pals to take a pay cut- net-net got the film budget down to the very bare minimum that the film- the script- demanded.
Below this i refused- the film wouldn’t be the film i wanted to make. But this below was still way above the so called sacred ‘recovery point’ of the financial experts…
An uneasy stalemate followed, after which an epiphanic moment arrived… a Eureka moment!
“If we can get a ’star’ to do a guest appearance in the role of the male protagonist… Sourabh can make the film the way he wants to make it, and the financial recoveries could be worked out…”
i’ll finally bell the cat, me thinks.
But what me doesn’t know is that another crazy merry go round is about to begin… Many stars, endless hours of work, another script redraft, months of agonising and waiting ( actors are famous for neither saying yes nor no)… the end result?
The script still lies in my study drawer waiting to be made.
Ironically.. or perhaps aptly.. the script is about a kashmiri woman.. who’s spent a lifetime waiting herself.
A brand new film script lies next to it. The one i’m working with Nikhil Advani on.
But my eyes still rest on that Vidya script.
Maybe, like Anurag lived with No Smoking for eight years, i too may have to live with this for a few more years, through a few more films…
Maybe, like a friend said, each film has a destiny.
And maybe this story, this film will find its own.
Maybe i’ll find a producer who believes in it as much as i do.
Till then, mujhe aur meri is script ko us ” Baap ” ka intezaar rahega…
Anurag Kashyap
Abhay Deol
Dibakar Banerjee
Hansal Mehta
Khalid Mohamed
Kundan Shah
Anish Kuruvilla
Jaideep Verma
Manish Gupta
Navdeep Singh
Bhavani Iyer
D. Santosh
Onir
Ashvin Kumar
Ramu Ramanathan
Sudhir Mishra
Pankaj Advani
Revathy
Saurabh Shukla
Shilpa Shukla
Sujoy Ghosh
Suparn Verma
Santosh Sivan
Shashank Ghosh
Shivajee
Pavan Kaul
Partho Sen-Gupta
Prroshant Naryannan
Sam Langoria
Satish Kasetty
Oh Teri! the title got me =))
Welcome back Saurabh .. was wondering where u had dissappeared …
I wish that kashmiri movie gets made asap. it deserves to be toold becuse so much of ur effort in it.
“Its Cannes not Cinemax
all the best saurabh…maybe get the vaastu shastra correct…kidding
hindi film industry ke jyadatar producer baap CHOR
ho gaye hain.un sabhi ko mediocre director chahiye.lekin nirash na hon saurabh…
Lage raho……woh subah kabhi to aayegi
Did the producers just ask for a cameo by big star?
They should have asked for some sleek action scenes. How can anybody make a movie on Kashmir without a few dozen people dying?
On the other hand, did your script already have some action scene, to have managed a producer in the first place?
A sad tale indeed.
i loved u since d days of “haqiqat” n certainly not expected a “vastu….” but u did..sori to say but u hav missd d bus…but being a junior from jamia…i still wishes u guluck…i lov kabir kaushik for his frst attempt…i lov kabir khan for kabul…i loved tishu also..(but not now)…but i hav a confidence on u…go on..plzz
sourabh.. back in ishtyle boss.. wonderful post! gonna send you an email… but in the meanwhile, here’s praying for that kashmiri film to go thru.. good luck
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kya title diya hai, sourabh, superb! i really wanna see your kashmiri script made into a movie. now, does it absolutely have to be made by bollywood producers? can your IIFW collectively produce the movie? you get to make the movie you wanted to make – and they get to showcase their passion in action (not just by words). and, have you tried contacting folks like adlabs, jag mundhra, etc who might be interested in participating in the venture – because they’re known to have done so before? my 2 cents, for what it’s worth.
good to c d sunlight back, mr sun! n all the best for iifw. liked the logo. always wonder who r the guys who think one kajrare is all they need!!!way out ???
Narang Sahab ki jai ho…
Sir aap buss lagey raho, hum tumhaare saath hain… I know what it feels like to go through this shit… actors, their dates, their secretaries (barring KS, he is our friend), actors not telling either yes nor no (chutiya’s sala), Producers asking to add an item number, futurists consultations, mahurat timimgs et al… U know what i am talking about… but look at this. There are o many of us who just believe in you. And will wait to see what you are actually capable of delivering what you are best at…
So don’t ya worry my jaan… Inshaallah all shall go well. I just hope that your project starts soon… Hum tumhaare saath hain… Cheers!!!
sourabh…the site was superb..www.iifw.in
good beginning…the look was so indian…can’t stop laughing proudly, pls. don’t change the look of it..
thanks guys for ur wishes… hopefully, my kashmir film will get back into the ’sunshine’ and get made… i guess one has to continue to, as aditi said, be in ‘lage raho’ mode … thanks dipankar for liking Haqeeqat.. i gather you didn’t like/ expect me to debut with a scary film after that body of work.. in fact that is something a lot of people ask me about… i’ve been meaning to speak about that in my next post about making one’s first film… next few days, i hope… phoenixnu/ jai… the web page has been coceptualised and designed by Rajan khosa..FTII alumnus… made a wonderful film called dance with the wind a few years ago… he’s one of the core members of IIF-W. In fact as i write this post, i’ve just got a phone call from cannes.. where our launch party is about to unravel… last minute excitement… wish i was there…
Surya.. every time you start off with “Narang Saheb”.. i’m half expecting you to ask ” Sona docks pe pahunch gaya kya?”… !!!! … so stick to Sourabh .. ha.. ha.. while i shift from castigating you to congratulating u… i hear the Bollywood and Beyond festival guys have aranged for you to travel with your short to Stuggart and have thrown in a five day stay as well… great news… Cheers!
ps- since my pal Anurag Basu’s “Metro” has been hot news on PFC this past week, this bit of trivia is not out of place at all… his wife Tani has delivered a healthy baby girl a few hours ago… its truly been a wonderful last ten days for them both… Off to congratulate them!
ha ha ha…
Sourabh… U are so funny… anyways pal, thanks a million, I just hope that my passport issue gets sorted out soon ya…
hope, faith and hardwork. your film will get made. god bless and all the best.
hello sir how are u?
have recently started surfing the website PFC. The first thing i saw is your photograph with ” Aur ek baap chahiye” it was too funny! Especially that photogaraph of yours! Looking down on all those people who are your “well wishers” i know one of them!
Currently i am doing a lot of work in television and will be editing a show for utv by Abhinav kashyap.
finally all the best for whatever you are planning. its better to stay in touch by email.
take care
buzzu!
sir ji…sorry for writing in late…but the way u have written about the script that u r waiting to be made…it seems that nothing is easy in this world…veterans like u or like Anurag Kashyap sir..people have to wait for infinite time to make their kind of films…but they finally get to make it…b’cause of their determination and their conviction in the concept..truth and passion prevails…regards,
hello saurabh,
i hope u r doing good, but u suggest the new talent how to get the place in industry and how he show his talent if don;t have the exp. about the industry.
tks.
hello mr. narang,
aap ka ye tital ab ek aur baap chaiye matlab kaya. i mean logo ko ek baap nahi milta aap ek aur kitallash kar rahe hai ya loggo ko kya jatna cha rahe hai ki agar baap do shaddi kar sakta hai to maa kyon nahi kar sakti i mean i not getting the right flick by this tital. i m confused…..
tks.