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Journalism of Courage
Sanjay Suris latest production I AM is winning rave reviews. The actor,who first produced My Brother Nikhil in 2005,looks back at his journey as a producer.
Three films old (My Brother Nikhil,Sorry Bhai and I AM) as producer,actor Sanjay Suri never thought of getting into production,he just got pulled into it. It all started with My Brother Nikhil. It was a good story and we wanted to make the film but we could not find any producers. We tried our best but nothing worked. That was the time when I thought of producing it along with the director of the film Onir who is a dear friend, says the actor.
Making a film and then releasing it requires different sets of skills,Suri says and elaborates,After making a film,distributing it is a big task. You should get a good distributor. Once your idea is born (film),the distributor plays a big role in taking it to theatres. For My Brother Nikhil,we were fortunate to get the backing from Yash Raj Films. The film got released and was well received in Indian theatres and even at various international film festivals.
The entire experience of producing a project tired the actor who took time off from producion after the release of My Brother Nikhil. Later,he again teamed up with Onir for Sorry Bhai,which he acted in as well as produced. He says,With My Brother Nikhil,I learnt how to produce films and with Sorry Bhai,I became a pro with production and release of films.
Suri further explains his partnership with Onir,I have worked with Onir in three films. It has been a fruitful experience to work with him as a producer and an actor. We share a good work relationship. We like similar kind of films. We argue,fight,debate but we respect each others faith. As a producer,I can trust him with the creative decisions and as an actor,I like to get directed by him.
When it came to their third flick,I AM,the actor and Onir had to face a lot of difficulties. The duo had four good stories to tell but no funds to turn them into a film. It was then that they decided to take help from social networking websites. At that time,there was recession all over which was followed by the theatre strike. It was not easy to get backing for a film that is only dependent on its rich content. I thought,Who do we make film for? The audience! Then why not seek their help for finances. That is how the idea of ‘crowd sourcing’ came up.
With this formula,the actor and the team,not only garnered bucks for the film,but also a strong support system,a few volunteers and technicians for the film. Whether it was assistants for direction or production,the makers relied on websites like Facebook and Twitter to source talent and got almost 400 people involved in the project. For example,one of the composers,Rajeev Bhalla was found on Facebook.
Post I AM,Suri says he feels the need to produce and act in a lighter film. A film that will draw less out of me,both as an actor and as a producer. Something that engages as well as relaxes the audience,like Tere Bin Laden or Band Baaja Baaraat. I would also like to do a romantic comedy. I have no plans of getting typecast and am open to something different. As for comedy,I want to explore as an actor. After all,I am an actor first and then a producer.
onkar.kulkarni@expressinda.com
