AUGUST 2019 — 000INTERVIEW: NIDHI GUPTA. IMAGE: NETFLIX (SACRED GAMES STILL)
great street musician while shooting
an action sequence. He had this
strange made-up instrument – built
with a can of Coke, a bottle, one
string and one bamboo stick – and
it produced this beautiful sound. So
we just recorded him and built the
action sequence around him. Those
elements are very good.What has Neeraj Ghaywan brought to
the table?
His incredible sensitivity. We keep
our processes separate, not just
for Sacred Games, but even before
[except Gangs Of Wasseypur, on
which Ghaywan was an AD]. It
makes me so proud that this man,
who was once my junior-most
assistant, is now my co-director.
I gifted him my precious grey
Balenciagas, which I’d never have
parted with, on the first day of
the shoot.How is Good Bad Films going to be
different from the production houses
you’ve set up in the past?
It’s not, really. I love making
films, and I love making certain
kinds of films. I have been part of
some companies before, and each
one comes with its own pressure.
Companies have these big ambitions
and I’m not terribly ambitious. Some
people look at my movies and my
need to work with newcomers and
explore newer ideas, and take it as a
liability. I’m conscious of business – I
don’t want to lose money either, and
I’m happy if I make profits. But I
don’t want to sacrifice cinema at the
altar of it. I came to Mumbai to be
part of movies. So finally, I’ve started
a company where I can continue
to make my own films and I am
responsible only for myself.What are your takeaways from the
turbulence around Phantom?
I’ve learned that we’ve got to be
answerable for ourselves. With this
new company, we have to put into
practice these processes to take us
where we want to be. I’ve learned
that I can’t be a creative producer
who doesn’t like to be in his office.
I’m taking that responsibility now.With all that’s happening around us,
do you feel that we need to change the
way we tell stories?
I’ve always felt that. Certainly,
things are evolving. The new
generation’s different. But at the
same time, I wonder if what’s
happening in the entertainment
business now might actually be the
death of us. Look at Hollywood in
the 1970s, they changed the way
they made films; but now, the Marvel
Universe has taken over again. We
want to be constantly entertained,
no one wants to dwell, we don’t know
how to think about things.You’ve spent nearly three decades in
this industry. What have you learned
(and unlearned) about film-making?
That I don’t make much of a
difference. Earlier, I was like,
“I’ll change the whole industry!”
[Laughs] But I’ve realised that
everybody has their own take on
life and what they want from it. I
used to try to form communities and
bring people together – chhod diya
[“I’ve given up all that”]. I’ve realised
that 90 per cent of the people who
come here don’t know how to handle
success, and many also don’t know
how to learn from failure. Plus,
people change with success. I just
want to do my thing now, it’s
my journey.Who do you find yourself inspired by?
I think my biggest source of energy,
inspiration and hope right now
is Anubhav Sinha. The way he’s
changed how he looks at things after
Mulk and Article 15 – he gives me
hope that if and when I go astray,
I can find myself again. But also, I
guess, people who just go out and
do things. Like David Fincher. He’s
back to making features, after House
Of Cards and Mindhunter and
all, he’s now doing that biopic on
screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz.
It’s a great time to be doing this,
because earlier people would look for
precedence or reference points and
wonder if there was a market. Now, if
people want to tell a great story, they
tell a great story.
Sacred Games S2 is on Netflix on August 15Batting
Order
Prashant Kidambi’s
Cricket Country
might help alleviate
those withdrawal
symptoms after
a season of
exceptional cricketBOOKSFUN FACT: It was in 1911
that the first all-India
team toured Britain for its
first international cricket
tournament – an occasion
that coincided with the
coronation of King George
V. Cricket Country is as
much the story of this tour
and this team, made up of
princes and commoners,
as it is about a sport that
today defines a nation.
Through anecdotes and
analysis, Prashant Kidambi,
an associate professor of
colonial urban history at
the University of Leicester,
traces the ascent of India
into a global cricketing
power. Not least, it’s a
celebration of the men- Bhupinder Singh, the
maharaja of Patiala and
Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji,
among them – who got us
there. `450, Penguin India