It feels I have just begun: Zoya Akhtar

Actor-filmmaker Aparna Sen, who was the head of the jury for this year’s selection committee, said Gully Boy’s energy was infectious and would speak to the audience. When asked if while writing or shooting Gully Boy, she was aware of its global reach, the filmmaker replied, “Not at all! I wasn’t even aware of its local appeal. You just make the film you want to. I wasn’t aware of any such thing.”

The Gully Boy nomination came days after anthology series Lust Stories, which featured a segment co-written and directed by Zoya Akhtar, was announced as one of the entries in the TV Movie/Mini-Series category at the International Emmy Awards. Zoya’s segment starred Bhumi Pednekar and Neel Bhoopalam in the lead roles. Earlier this year, Zoya, along with three other women filmmakers, directed and produced Indian original series Made in Heaven, which was lauded by critics and the audience.

So, how does a storyteller, who completes a decade in the industry, make sense of such stupendous success? “It makes me feel like I have just begun. I can’t get into any kind of pressure. You can’t think about it because then you won’t do anything. I mean it’s all cyclical. People have highs and lows. Some films work and some don’t. You just have to know that and hope for the best,” she said.

Zoya Akhtar’s next is Ghost Stories, another anthology series for Netflix. For the series, she will reunite with her Lust Stories team of directors – Karan Johar, Anurag Kashyap and Dibakar Banerjee. Zoya’s segment stars Vijay Verma and Janhvi Kapoor.

Meanwhile, at the MAMI Word to Screen Market, Zoya was seen listening to pitches from various authors and publishing houses. The filmmaker said she was interested in adapting written work for the screen.

Zoya Akhtar added a director will have to be conscious of retaining the essence of a book so that his or her version leaves the audience with the same experience as that of the book.

She said, “As a screenwriter or a director if you have decided to adapt, means you have liked that book. Of course, there is pressure to do justice to that book and if that book is successful or popular, then you owe the audience of that book a very honest version of it. So, there is pressure to deliver to the fans of that book.”

“The most important thing would be to retain the essence. It can’t be the same thing because you are using a completely different medium so you have to adapt to that medium. There will be changes. You will be cutting things out. You will be shortening things. Things will shift but if you retain the essence and you make the person feel the way they felt while reading the book, then that will be good,” Zoya concluded.