Kohrra co-creator Sudip Sharma chats with Abhishek Chaubey on self-censorship: ‘Want to understand 2023, watch 10 films’

Sharma said that while he grew up on movies, they’ve ‘lost their charm’ over the years, and now, he can’t see himself working in the feature film medium any more. Chaubey said that he would love to return to the theatrical filmmaking space, but it seems unlikely. “I’ll be happy to make a movie, but if it’s going to be all spectacle, then no, I prefer (streaming)… Because this is still allowing me to tell a story the way I want to tell a story.”

Watch the full conversation between Chaubey and Sharma here:

He continued, “It’s not that restrictions are not there, but at least I’m able to say it in the way I want. With movies, even when things were hunky dory, there was a lot more. There was the issue of censorship, the issue of spectacle, and also the star system. The overwhelming oppression of the star system was always upon us, and it is still there. This (streaming) frees you up. For all its problems, it frees you up. For the time being, I’m happy doing this.”

Chaubey is no stranger to experiencing conflict with the Central Board of Film Certification. His film Udta Punjab was held up because of the CBFC’s suggestions, which led to a public protest by the film’s team. He has since directed Sonchiriya and two segments in the Netflix anthology films Ankahi Kahaniya and Ray.

Sharma noted that he was able to cast fine actors such as Suvinder Vicky and Barun Sobti in Kohrra primarily because of the freedom offered by streaming. Chaubey concurred. “In OTT, there is a lot of good riddance. We are not obliged to have a song and dance (number) for example. I don’t have a problem with song and dance, but you don’t have to have it in every film, right?”

Both filmmakers did, however, agree that self-censorship is something that they practice. “There’s definitely a pressure about how political you want to get,” Chaubey said, as he asked Sharma, “Are we self-censoring?” Sharma replied, “100%.” Chaubey added, “We are self-censoring, and sometimes, we don’t even realise we are doing it.” Cinema and storytelling, Chaubey said, is ‘going to be an equally reliable document of our times as factual data.’ He added, “Sometimes, by not talking about the times also they represent the times. For example, you want to understand what 2023 is about, watch 10 commercial films, and you’ll probably get a sense.”

Chaubey will next direct the Netflix project Soup, starring Konkona Sensharma and Manoj Bajpayee. Sharma has finished filming the second season of Prime Video’s Paatal Lok.