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FILM AgonyThe Kapoor Since July last year, film-maker Rajat Kapoor has been exhorting his two-lakh-plus followers on Twitter to crowdfund his next project: RK/R Kay. The budget of the film is `2.5 crore, and he needs 50,000 people to give `500 each. Which begs the question: why is one of India’s finest independent film-makers perennially short of cash? BY EKTA MOHTA omeone needs to gift Rajat Kapoor a book on how wire the money. And, most recently, for another of his scripts, Kadakh, to win friends and influential people. He’s already a the producer “ran away before the shooting started. But, somehow we gifted screenwriter, film-maker, theatre director and managed to finish the shoot anyway.” actor. But, given recent events, no one can deny he Kapoor is now ready with a script called RK/R Kay, which has a needs help as a salesman. “slightly mad” plot. It’s a film-within-a-film in which the fictional lead Kapoor has written and directed six films: Private character becomes a person in real life. He needs `2.5 crore to make it, SDetective, Raghu Romeo, Mixed Doubles, Mithya, Fatso! and Ankhon but given his history, he isn’t knocking on the doors of film producers Dekhi. His signature is to make entertaining films in an artistic way, for the dough. “They (producers) read the script, and they reject it,” which is why film critics are usually pleasant towards him, such as he says, without any trace of heartburn. “They say, ‘It’s very nice, but Shubhra Gupta, who wrote in The Indian Express, “He is one of the not for us.’” What of the producers who have already worked with few Indian directors who understand whimsy.” But, in a classic case of him? “Sunil Doshi produced Mixed Doubles and Bheja Fry, and then self-sabotage, Kapoor has a knack for attracting creatives and repelling he stopped the business. Mithya was produced by Planman [Motion suits. He made Raghu Romeo only after borrowing money from friends. Pictures], and then they stopped the business. Don’t blame me. PNC Of the experience, he recalls, “What I did stupidly, I said, ‘Even if the (Pritish Nandy Communications) did Fatso! and they haven’t done film makes a loss, I will return your money. If the film makes a profit, very much after that. Manish Mundra is doing well (Mundra founded a you’re a partner in the profits.’ Which was a stupid thing because the production house called Drishyam Films after Ankhon Dekhi). Manish film didn’t make money, I lost a lot of money, and for the next five Mundra is one producer who has grown from strength to strength, but years, I was [repaying].” In 2011, he was ready to quit films when he he didn’t like Kadakh and RK/R Kay.” So, now Kapoor is asking his couldn’t find a producer for Ankhon Dekhi. In a remarkable turn of fans, such as the two-lakh-plus people who follow him on Twitter, to events, entrepreneur Manish Mundra slid into his DMs and offered to donate money via crowdfunding. ROHIT GUPTA/MW JANUARY 2016 2016 JANUARY ROHIT GUPTA/MW 122 APRIL 2018 • MW FEBRUARY 2018 • MW 123 given `500, `2000, `2 lakh. My idea is that, for example, I say that I ‘Ki saala, you watched it for free, now at least for my next film, pay in want to do something for the environment. I don’t know what to do, so advance. Make amends.’” I do nothing. But, if tomorrow somebody comes to my door and says, ‘Uncle, I need this because I want to clean up the garbage on the streets,’ he thing with Kapoor is, once you’ve met him in person, I say, ‘Yes. Take it.’ So, I’m hoping that there will be many people who it’s impossible not to root for him; he’s disarmingly sincere. say, ‘Okay, I want to see different cinema. I want a change in cinema. TThe pragmatist in me wants to warn the idealist in him, but What do I do?’ So I’m going to them and saying, ‘This is what you can do Kapoor dismisses my concerns. “RK/R Kay will happen this year. I’m to start — `500, `5000, `50,000 — whatever you think you can throw very confident. I have faith in people in general. And why shouldn’t I? away and not feel the pain.’” [Bertolt] Brecht said something very nice. ‘Will there be singing in dark Kapoor also has an ace up his sleeve: Ankhon Dekhi , the story of Bauji times? Yes, there will be singing in dark times. There will be singing (played by Sanjay Mishra) who refuses to believe anything he hasn’t about the dark times.’ People are beautiful, and people are capable of witnessed himself, charmed its way into many hearts. “The love for Ankhon doing incredible things. Somebody wrote to me on Twitter, saying, ‘Sir, Dekhi is incredible,” he says. “Tomorrow, we have a show at Cinepolis, [in I was watching Ankhon Dekhi yesterday, and my father was watching, Andheri]. Ten tickets are left out of 200. Jab picture release hua tha toh and he loved it. So, I told my father that this same director is wanting to nahi aate the log, yaar. Abhi kya fayda iss word of mouth ka (When the make his film and is crowdfunding. My father said, “Paanch sau rupaiye movie released, no one saw. Now, what’s the point of this word of mouth)? meri taraf se de do (Give `500 from me).” Meri ma ne kahaan, mere bhai Unless it translates ne kahaan (My mother and brother chipped in). Toh, sir, yeh hai dhai into my next film, hazaar rupaiye hum paanch logon ki taraf se (Here’s `2500 from the five “Crowdfunding is a into RK/R Kay. of us).’ How beautiful is that? How can you not feel grateful for a gesture desperate measure Then there’s a point. like that? Somebody from Bangalore has given `5 lakh. I don’t know who because I have to make They’re watching that person is. That’s why I’m saying this will happen. There’s so much films, yaar. I can’t it for free. People good energy coming my way. I’m overwhelmed by the generosity and love stop making films just are watching it on of people.” Ankhon Dekhi because conventional YouTube, Netflix, Much like Ankhon Dekhi’s Bauji, Kapoor has chosen to place his faith funding sources have Hotstar, Star Select. in people because he sees them for who they truly are. Perhaps, it isn’t dried up” That’s what I’m Kapoor who needs help with making friends, but the rest of us who could apoor and I meet in an apartment in Bandra, Mumbai, that’s day. Obviously, somebody is making a lot of money just showing it telling people, take a lesson or two from him. filled with discarded furniture and discarded scripts. Kapoor on satellite. But, they don’t want to invest [in me] in the first place, Kwrites prolifically, churning out at least two new scripts a year, because they want to buy cheap and make lots of money.” Kapoor and in addition to polishing his old drafts. When I tell him of writers who In a powder-blue shirt and boyfriend jeans, sporting the beard of a Sons don’t even manage to finish one script a year, he interjects, “Woh toh distinguished European poet, Kapoor is bristling with integrity from gaddhe hai jinki nahi hoti kyunki woh likhte nahi hai (People who every pore. “Who are [our] producers?” he asks, warming up to the don’t sit down to write are donkeys). I think it’s a problem of discipline. subject. “Our producers are the big studios who make big-budget films. I manage to sit down and write. The thing is that what you are writing They only know one way of film-making, one template of film-making. is not going to be the masterpiece as you finish it. But, I always tell So, even if they like it, they’re not willing to go for it. Some of the studios, myself that, ‘It’s okay. It’s only a first draft.’ The important thing is for example, which rejected Ankhon Dekhi, have seen Ankhon Dekhi finishing it, not [just] having a great idea. I have been writing RK/ and said, ‘My god, what a beautiful film.’ So, it’s not that they’re illiterate; R Kay for eight years.” they’re not. But, it doesn’t work in their philosophy of what they want Kapoor, 57, started out by directing plays in Delhi. He then to make. They want to make this (points to an advertisement of Ajay studied film direction at FTII, Pune; assisted film-makers such as Devgn’s Raid), and this (points to a photograph of Kartik Aaryan).” But, Kumar Shahani and Mani Kaul; and directed a clutch of short films, surely digital platforms (ahem, Amazon) have some loose change hiding before directing his first feature, Private Detective, in 1997. Since in their office couch? “What has Amazon made so far?” he asks. “Amazon the early 2000s, he’s also had a parallel career is only buying films; they have not commissioned as a character actor in films such as Monsoon any film. Netflix has not commissioned any film. Wedding (most memorably) and Kapoor and “You would think that What digital players? Maybe it will happen after Sons (most recently).

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