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This post is not about the same name movie in Tamil from Gautam Menon. That movie was incredible and well proved beyond doubt to its viewers about the capabilities of Gautam. I am rather writing about the urban legend surrounding the name. Apparently Kakha Kakha is ascribed to a poem and literally means “Waiting Waiting“. Gautam had put this name as his movie title simply because he waited for a really long time before he could make this movie.

These past few weeks and months, I feel exactly like that and believe me, its not funny from any angle. We have bound scripts but are only in a mode of waiting waiting. Harsha & Me (We write/direct and want to eventually become filmmakers) have been knocking on many producer doors and waiting in their lobbies for time immemorial. These past few weeks seems to me like the same with me sitting in some of the fanciest foyers which all look the same with a nice interior and a pretty receptionist. But the producer is nowhere in sight and the same responses are provided in the different offices like as if they all went to the same school of rejection. All these producers also have websites and emails but GOD FORBID if they ever do access any mails. I know its sounding like a rant but honestly I actually heard this statement from a large production house in Mumbai, that I had called. -
“We do Not NEED NEW STORIES. we have our own team inside and they are more than sufficient to write stories”. I got bugged by this remark but still pestered this lady to find out if I could become part of this creative team within the production house and she promptly told me that “Its not possible also as we do not hire”.

I come in from a professional world and it surprised me to see such a obtuse attitude. They do not hire and they do not want new stories but this is a CREATIVE industry. In all industries there is an Entry Level program where college freshers are hired and they are then inculcated into the system after some training and then handed a job. I understand this is not possible here but do production houses feel so big and mighty that they feel there is no new content required anymore.

This stems basically from the herd mentality followed by almost 90% of this godforsaken industry for all and high passion to a few like me. There was an era when all movies centered around a “Bad system” & “Ma”, then it led to a cool look film where we really did not have to have a story if we had the locales and all the other look factors in place. We hence have an era of movies where if the costume designer and hair stylist are in place, then the script hardly mattered. We hence revere movies which are even 10% different simply because that is considered OFFBEAT. There is no research or study going into almost 99% of the movies released and its a joke the way they treat the audience.

Add to this already big mess a fear of this industry for being unprofessional and with huge borders, moats and swamps that you really feel like you are a knight in shining armor and your script the damsel in distress you need to save from the cruel witch of the east (Film Industry). Hence a normal middle class guy from suburbia feels totally at sea when he/she enter then industry and after a struggle walk away from the mess leaving it to the great soldiers of the craft (who by the way are either rich or born into film families and hence keep getting chances irrespective of how big a moron or moroness they are).

I know this is sounding extremely pessimistic and we can see many a guys like the new breed of creative guys who are making a difference like Shimit Amin, Jaideep Sahni, Anurag Kashyap, Rajat Kapoor et al but even they have not been able to make a large dent in this rather impregnable fortress that we all so lovingly call the film industry. We are in reality scurrying around like small animals trying to find cracks from which we can enter and then try to tell a telling tale.

I left a high paying job to come over here and sometimes feel that passion and creativity are not even required here and is it only having a good last name and the myriad network of buddies and family to plug your concept however ludicrous or mundane it might be.

Sorry If I put the readers of this post in a bad mood but am feeling really down and I know this is one forum which should understand people like me. I LOVE MOVIES AND WILL DO all that is within my control to keep trying to make movies and stick on to this creative world but its getting difficult as there is hardly any creativity and its now just an industry being run by some heavyweights who keep throwing their weight around. I hope and pray that one of us at PFC can be a david for this goliath to finally let creativity and passion for cinema get back to center-stage in this field of dreams.

Thank & Best of luck for the war ahead - Deepak