Wednesday again

The film,though a thriller-drama,left a lot of loose ends to sketch out the characters and the story,like that of Jimmy Shergill as the volatile cop,Ali,or the angst-ridden yet sensible top cop Prakash Rathod (Anupam Kher),and that’s where he probably finds scope to elaborate and even experiment with the genre and “the prequel is thus more likely to be a drama than a thriller”.

However,a lot depends on the cast,the filmmaker suggests as he sinks further into his chair. “We will need to bring the team together and will take it forward only if we find the project feasible in all ways. But I am sure that if the script interests them,they all will come together.”

Meanwhile,the 32-year-old filmmaker is currently busy scripting a thriller for Ekta Kapoor’s Balaji Films and is likely to wrap it up mid-August. It takes some prodding,but finally Pandey comes around and admits to be alongside working on a book of short stories,each with an “engaging plot”. “I was to finish working on it before I began scripting my current project but it got delayed. Once done,I will begin to seek publishers. Hopefully,it should work out soon,” he smiles confidently.

It’s easy to link him to the thriller genre but the quiet director admits,with a hint of cynicism,that he wanted to make his debut with a love story. It didn’t work out then but he’s keeping it for later.

It makes you hot property when you have a successful movie behind you (more so when a veteran like Kamal Haasan has bought rights to the movie to make the Tamil version) when approaching financiers,or publishers,for that matter. The reticent filmmaker accepts that but admits that while it may sound heady,the pressure pretty much evens it out. That could probably explain the low profile he chooses to maintain. And is the makeover — a suave short crop and clean-shaven look — an attempt to dodge the glare? “Maybe,” he shoots,mischievously. Or maybe it’s just a well-earned look of les arrivistes.