If only macho men get to rule the box office with guns, spectacles and a mission to save the world, where do those who are nursing a broken heart, dealing with a dysfunctional family or navigating the guilt of infidelity go? Filmmaker Shakun Batra, known for mounting acclaimed dramas, says the answer is pretty simple: Those looking for internal conflicts don't need a massive screen, as the power of intimate storytelling can be sensed even on a mobile phone. Shakun made a gentle debut with his much-loved 2012 romantic comedy, Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu and followed it up with his crackling family drama, Kapoor & Sons, regarded as his best so far. For his third feature, the filmmaker went braver and bolder and helmed Gehraiyaan, which released on Prime Video last year. The film, starring Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday and Dhairya Karwa, tackled infidelity, generational trauma, betrayal and love. One of the most anticipated films of last year, Gehraiyaan divided the audience upon its release. "When I reflect on the reactions that came in, it was definitely a confusing time for me," Shakun tells indianexpress.com on the sidelines of HGStreet Festival 2023, where he was part of a panel discussion moderated by Smriti Kiran and joined by actor Sayani Gupta, filmmakers Abhay Pannu, Sonam Nair and Nimisha Pandey, Chief Content Officer, ZEE5. In a chat with indianexpress.com, the filmmaker talks about the future of drama films at the box office, the learnings from Gehraiyaan, what he would do differently with the film today and the idea that is taking shape for his next project. Edited excerpts: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Shakun Batra (@shakunbatra) What happens to intimate dramas, like the ones you make, at box office when it is believed that only spectacle films will now do huge numbers. That there is no space for such films anymore theatrically? I think Abhay Pannu (director Rocket Boys) said it very well, that if you are telling an internal story, you go to OTT, if you are telling a story with external conflict, you go theatrical. At some level it really speaks for what the times are right now in the movie industry. But, I am not a filmmaker because I wanted to see something I made on the big screen. I am a filmmaker because I want to tell stories, I want to connect with people, I want audiences to relate and emote. If I am making an experience that would connect better on the big screen, then I would go there. I grew up on a lot of Woody Allen films. I actually didn't watch a single film on the big screen for the first five years. They had an impact on me from my laptop! If I felt I could be a filmmaker after watching these films on a 13-inch screen, then you can impact people too on a small screen. Would it better if we kept telling it on the big screen? Why not, yes. But at the same time, I think a powerful story on the right medium will find its audience. Finding the audience is more important to me than where they are watching my films. If they are watching it on a 200-feet screen and still not connecting, it doesn't matter. If they are watching it on a four-inch screen and feeling wowed, that's all that matters to me. Has the pressure of box office interfered with your storytelling when you directed your two theatricals? The box office doesn't play on my mind so much, as long as I feel I can make the films I want to make and get to make my next. The number beyond a point doesn't matter as long as those who have invested their money recover it and make some money. I don't think I make films so that they can be the next big box office success. If it does become that, then great. Kapoor & Sons was one of those films, which nobody was expecting to do the numbers it did. My driving force isn't box office though. (But) of course a little bit one has to (alter) when you are making a certain kind of a film, which needs a certain kind of budget and you have to hear the producer out. Kapoor & Sons, back then, could have been made without songs. The reason why we were putting songs in it was that you could have an album and songs to promote the film. You have to make sure that your producer feels secure, he should also feel that he can get a return on this film. I have obviously thought of all of these things, in all my films. I always had to keep certain things in mind, like, 'Would this help the visibility of the film' and all of that stuff. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Shakun Batra (@shakunbatra) Would Gehraiyaan be any different if it released theatrically? Umm (long pause). It wouldn't be different because of that reason; it would be different because of how I view it may be now. Just purely from a storytelling point of view, how I would tell it, the tone of it. But I wouldn't change that so much because of the numbers. I mean, it went to OTT so there is no box office attached, but I would change it for creative reasons, not for numbers. What would those changes be? Mostly the tone of it. It is tough to say it in a tangible, articulate way. But it is mostly tonally how I'd prepare the audience for what kind of film it was. That would not just change the film but also the marketing, of how it was done. It was perceived as a certain kind of film and then it surprised people in not such a good way. I would prepare the audience differently, but at the same time tell the story differently, starting from the very beginning. So that when they arrive at the surprise, they would be a little more in for it, prepared for it. When the film released, it did receive polarising reviews, a first in your career. How was that first week post release like for you? The week wasn't bad. The first two days were very confusing. But very soon, in about three-four days' time, a part of me was like, 'I am here because I want to tell stories' and there is no way I can continue to tell stories that will be agreed upon by everyone. As a filmmaker, I have to embrace whatever a story becomes. I have to first ask myself some questions: Did I do everything that I wanted to do with it? Did I put my heart? And if I didn't make the film for the wrong reasons. Then I have to accept the views in totality. I can't be like those who have written good things about the film are right people, those who have written bad things are wrong. I have to accept that a film is capable enough of creating both these reactions. If I am taking the good that people are saying, I must also understand what they are saying when they don't like it. That was for me a new learning, which honestly helped me in my growth as a storyteller. That as a filmmaker, I should take all kinds of reactions and now, knowing that all of this exists, how do I make something now and how should this awareness inform that? View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jouska Films (@jouska.films) How do you reflect on the film today, a year later? As a film, as a step from Kapoor & Sons, the direction I wanted to go in was definitely this. I wanted to tell slightly darker stories, with slightly more questionable characters. Step in the right direction. Did I succeed a hundred percent in landing it? May be not. So, step in the right direction, a lot to learn and I hopefully think that learning can convert into the next one. Have you thought about exploring long format on streaming platforms? The space is populated with crime thrillers and there are hardly any lifelike drama stories. If you look at all the great long format stories, it doesn't hold because of the plot, it holds because of characters. Of course, because my love for telling stories come from my interest in people and characters and what they go through, long format is a huge thing on my list right now. It is just about wanting to pick a story I feel I want to explore. There was something before Gehraiyaan that I was preparing for, a very ambitious project which let's see where it goes. The Osho one? Yes, that one. It is an amazing story that I have been very interested in for years. Now there is something else I am starting to develop. So long format is definitely on the cards. It is about making sure it's the right one and then jumping into it. Have you zeroed in on your next? There is something cooking that has started to pull me in. It is too early for me to talk about it but I know this when I wake up and every morning it is the same idea that I am thinking about. So now for the last three or four weeks, every morning it is the same idea and that's making me excited. I am at a stage where I am spit balling with people, bringing more people into the room, chatting about it. So, it's good. Let's see where it goes!
