After making big hits like Loev, Big Girls Don't Cry and Ulajh, Sudhanshu Saria, a filmmaker who has won National Film Awards, is now ready to produce two new films with fresh stories. Under his company, Four Line Films, he is producing Kumar Chheda's Pech, which deals with class and how people are treated unfairly in Mumbai. Another film, Silverfish, is directed by Krishna and written by Sudhanshu. It's about a strange creature that appears in Silicon Valley. In an exclusive interview with source Sudhanshu talked about becoming a producer and more.
Does his experience as a director help him as a producer?
Sudhanshu answered, "Yes, definitely. I have a lot of experience and can predict things before they happen. Every film is different, but I know the process well. Sometimes I might be very careful, almost too much, because I know how things work. If done right, this can be helpful. But if not, it can be frustrating. So, like anything, there are good and bad sides. I want to use the good sides and help my filmmakers make great first films in a way that feels safe and lets them be creative."
It's harder to make films these days, especially with a certain budget.
Sudhanshu sees this differently. "Every industry is facing challenges now. People have less money and more unemployment, so budgets are lower. I don't complain about that. I'd rather have a time when many films are made with very low budgets. I think when there is waste, it can hurt creativity. My instincts as a producer start when we pick a subject. After making many films, you get a sense of what kind of budget a film needs. With a first-time filmmaker, you also know how much money the market can risk, what kind of actors can be cast, and who the audience might be. So, that math starts when we pick a subject. If it doesn't add up, then I'm not doing my job as a producer."
Sudhanshu's past films have been shown at film festivals.
Will Pech and Silverfish be shown there too? He explained, "Showing a film at a festival is one of the best parts. It gives you live reactions from people of different cultures. But each film decides its own plan. Both these films have content that is easy for audiences to like. I picked these stories to make people go to the cinema and watch them. That's the main purpose. As we try to grow our business, now is the time to focus on films that bring people out of their homes. Festivals play a big role, but I have to do what's best for the films and make sure they reach their audience. If that means holding back the film from festivals to build up excitement in the cinema, that's fine. If it means giving people a taste of the film early to create buzz, that's also fine. I'm grateful for the support I've received from festivals."
Will he direct these films or focus only on producing them?
Sudhanshu said, "I keep saying I'll do both, but so far, that hasn't been true. I feel I should focus more on these films than on my own directing. I want to protect these filmmakers, so I need to do my job well in the pre-production stage. If I do that, the team can take over during production. I'd really like not to direct anything during the shoot. But if that happens, we'll handle it then."
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