Ananth: Himesh And I Never Had Any Differences
Here's the latest update from the world of Bollywood. We bet you wouldn't want to miss this. Read on for details... The director talks about his equation with the music composer-turned-actor
Ananth Mahadevan's Gour Hari Dastaan is far from your run-of-the-mill films. But the director is confident that his movie will stand out from the potboilers that are the norm today. SpotboyE.com catches up with the actor-director ahead of the film's release. Excerpts:
Gour Hai Dastaan deals with quite a sombre topic...
It was sad to read that Gour Hari Das, an unsung freedom fighter, had to fight for 30 years for a freedom fighter's certificate because he was accused of being a fraud. I felt that it was a story waiting to be told.
Would you say that films, which are high on content but not star-driven, don't find takers in the audience?
Majority of our audience has been 'drugged' into accepting films that are formulaic in the name of entertainment. It's not surprising that films with high content are slow starters. But people who watch these films spread the word and make your day eventually.
The film has Konkona Sen Sharma and Vinay Pathak in lead roles. Don't you think roping in a bigger star would have helped?
Stars don't make the fortunes of films like these, which go beyond the formula. The stars are the performers like Vinay Pathak, Konkona Sen Sharma, Tannistha Chatterjee and Ranvir Shorey. These actors bring real people alive on screen without drawing undue attention to themselves. Big stars tend to distract from the real issue.
Had you approached big stars for this project, to begin with?
No, I was clear from the start that I was looking for thinking actors.
Rumours were rife that you're making a sequel to the Himesh Reshammiya starrer, The Xpose. What's the status?
No plans for a sequel yet.
Is the sequel on hold because of the alleged fallout between you and Himesh?
Himesh and I are the best of friends, not just from The Xpose days but from 20 years ago when I acted in the serials he produced. We are a great team together. And we never had any differences.
Will you two be working together again?
We're working on India's first action biopic. It will present Himesh like never before!
Besides the biopic, what else is in the pipeline?
My next film Rough Book takes a look at the education system in India. It's garnering critical acclaim at international festival
Gour Hai Dastaan deals with quite a sombre topic...
It was sad to read that Gour Hari Das, an unsung freedom fighter, had to fight for 30 years for a freedom fighter's certificate because he was accused of being a fraud. I felt that it was a story waiting to be told.
Would you say that films, which are high on content but not star-driven, don't find takers in the audience?
Majority of our audience has been 'drugged' into accepting films that are formulaic in the name of entertainment. It's not surprising that films with high content are slow starters. But people who watch these films spread the word and make your day eventually.
The film has Konkona Sen Sharma and Vinay Pathak in lead roles. Don't you think roping in a bigger star would have helped?
Stars don't make the fortunes of films like these, which go beyond the formula. The stars are the performers like Vinay Pathak, Konkona Sen Sharma, Tannistha Chatterjee and Ranvir Shorey. These actors bring real people alive on screen without drawing undue attention to themselves. Big stars tend to distract from the real issue.
Had you approached big stars for this project, to begin with?
No, I was clear from the start that I was looking for thinking actors.
Rumours were rife that you're making a sequel to the Himesh Reshammiya starrer, The Xpose. What's the status?
No plans for a sequel yet.
Is the sequel on hold because of the alleged fallout between you and Himesh?
Himesh and I are the best of friends, not just from The Xpose days but from 20 years ago when I acted in the serials he produced. We are a great team together. And we never had any differences.
Will you two be working together again?
We're working on India's first action biopic. It will present Himesh like never before!
Besides the biopic, what else is in the pipeline?
My next film Rough Book takes a look at the education system in India. It's garnering critical acclaim at international festival
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