[LISTED] THE UNDERDOG TURNED SUPERSTAR ANURAG KASHYAP, GUNEET MONGA, NAWAZUDDIN SIDDIQUI, RICHA CHADDA, VIKRAMADITYA MOTWANE Text Shahnaz Siganporia Photography Ishika Mohan Motwane N THE INDIAN FILM INDUSTRY, there are good and bad words. ‘Un- derdog’, ‘struggler’, ‘starlet’ are clubbed into the ‘bad’ category while I words such as ‘Superstar’, ‘100 Crore Club’, ‘legacy’ fall into the ‘good’ category. However, sometimes the two combine to form a heady cocktail. The starlet bags a 100 crore film and the underdog becomes the superstar. The latter is a tricky balance—there’s the formulaic superstar and then there’s the superstar who paves his or her own way and creates cinema that goes way beyond the norm. Over the last few years, the tides have been busy changing, contorting and transforming our home-grown film industry. And let’s face it, in an industry raking in the moolah, thanks to wish-fulfilment and feel- good stories, we’re suckers for the runt who becomes the alpha. In the 100th year of Indian cinema, Platform celebrates the erstwhile underdogs who have gone on to carve out a space for themselves and have begun their ascent to stardom. NOV/DEC 2013 · PLATFORM · CREATIVE LIFESTYLE · 031 [LISTED] Anurag Kashyap FROM BANNED TO LAUDED THE BEGINNING I don’t know why I wanted to make films. It’s like asking yourself why you love someone. How do you explain that? You just do, you know? I just knew that filmmaking is what I wanted to do. I was studying to be a scientist and something just snapped—I knew that I should have- been making films. As soon as that realization hit me, I didn’t waste any time. Within six months, I had quit my studies and was on my way to Bombay. There’s been no looking back since. THE BUMPS ALONG THE WAY The film industry in India, by and large, did not take the art of cinema seriously. It was all driven by profit and nothing else. But you have to realize this first before you can figure out how to deal with it. When my films were banned and I was given no initial acceptance, I had to figure my own way out. I knew one thing for sure; I would not change the way I made films. So I had to figure out if there was an audience for the kind of cinema I wanted to make. So I travelled across the world to find my audience. And I did it. I just loved it so much that there was no second- guessing myself at any point. THE TURNING POINT I think lots of things have led to where I’ve reached today. But there have definitely been certain defining moments. The first was when I travelled with Dev D and when I served on the jury of the Venice Film Festival. The second was at the Cannes Film Festival where Udaan (which was pro- duced by me) won so many awards. The third (and probably my big- gest break) came with the release and reception of Gangs of Wasseypur. Everything has changed now. Yes, there might be a lot of adoration and fame, but I feel I’m more hated now than ever. The perception people bring with them is so ironic. They will support the underdog as long as he stays the underdog. The minute the underdog becomes the dog, the perception changes. Then he automatically becomes a sell out. I know people think I’ve sold out, but it’s okay. People will think what they will; as long as I know what I’m doing and I’m proud of it, it’s all good. THE WAY AHEAD I want to travel now. I still need to see a lot more of the world and I want to make more cinema and tell all my stories. I have produced a lot of films in the past and I’ve enjoyed it, but now the time has come to leave the producing to the producers and concentrate on making more of my own cinema. 032 · PLATFORM · CREATIVE LIFESTYLE · NOV/DEC 2013 NOV/DEC 2013 · PLATFORM · CREATIVE LIFESTYLE · 033 [LISTED] Guneet Monga FROM AWESTRUCK TO AWESOME BOTTOM-UP My journey into films was rather sudden. As bizarre as it may sound, I was a DJ when I was still studying. Then my best friend told me that her mother was working in the production depart- ment for a few international films and my friend didn’t want to assist her mother, so I jumped in. I still remember being in awe of the way films were being made. I began at the bottom. When I came in, all I wanted to do was produce my own film. When I did, I wanted to make my second! My ultimate goal is to contin- ue making films and also own a sea-facing bungalow! AGAINST THE ODDS I believe our films have crossed over into new territories, opened up markets and the numbers we have managed to achieve inter- nationally have been great. Yes, it has been challenging, because like everything else, it has taken time for people to understand how we function. It has changed now. Over the last few years, there have been many more co-productions and more Indian films making the mark internationally. It’s an ever-changing industry and I am just so happy that today co-productions, fes- tivals, markets etc are active discussion points while making a film, even in studios. GETTING TO THE TOP I have goals, and when I achieve them, I move on. However, to be honest, I think I have been close to the people with whom I entered this industry. They are part of my everyday life and I cannot do without them. We all work together. My other mile- stones have been producing films like The Lunchbox, VTMK, Monsoon Shootout, Peddlers, Danis Tanovic’s film—each one accomplishing something completely unique. THE VISION I want to be a happy producer, one who is able to support the directors through whatever stories they want to tell. I want to be part of films, which when revisited years later, are still as pure as they were on their first screening. I am proud of all our films. I want to ensure that Indian films are perceived as a force to reck- on with and that this notion of Indian films being all ‘song and dance’ is done away with. 034 · PLATFORM · CREATIVE LIFESTYLE · NOV/DEC 2013 NOV/DEC 2013 · PLATFORM · CREATIVE LIFESTYLE · 035 [LISTED] Nawazuddin Siddiqui FROM RAGS TO RED CARPET ACT I SCENE I After I graduated, I was working as a watchman in New Delhi. I was bored and one day my friend took me to watch a play. I saw close to 70 plays after that. I knew mechanical jobs weren’t for me, and I had to do something creative. I didn’t think I would need a recom- mendation from anybody fancy. So, I joined a local theatre group and after a few months I joined the National School of Drama. In 1996, I graduated and continued performing with various groups, mainly in street plays. I used to make a bit of money—just barely enough to manage rent and food. I thought, ‘Why struggle in Delhi? I might as well go and struggle in Mumbai.’ THE STAGEHAND The year I came to Mumbai, I got this two-minute role in Sarfarosh where I got beaten up and had to cry. After that, I got one scene here and there, barely a few seconds long. It was a strange time, and I used to take a loan from one friend to pay back the other. I thought about quitting, but I didn’t know what else to do. All I can do is act. I then went to audition for Anurag Kashyap’s Black Friday and I got a nine-minute role. He promised me back then that he’d cast me as the main lead in one of his films and he actually did. CUE LIGHTS Early in 2010, I got cast in the lead role in Ashim Ahluwalia’s Miss Lovely and Prashant Bhargava’s Patang. Then came Kahaani and Gangs of Wasseypur—the latter was what put me on the map. It was a film that made it clear to the world that I wasn’t just a supporting actor. This year has been fantastic; I had three films in Cannes—The Lunchbox, Monsoon Shootout and Bombay Talkies. Now, I only want main roles—I’m 100% sure of that. You get slotted very easily in this industry and I don’t want to be slotted as a supporting actor. THE ENCORE I have already finished shooting for a couple of films that will be releasing next year and I’m very excited about them. Ketan Mehta’s The Mountain Man is my first biopic and then there’s Buddhadeb Dasgupta’s Sniffer and debut director Shlok Sharma’s Haramkhor. Stardom and fame aren’t things I’m chasing, in fact, they scare me because I don’t want to ever get complacent about my work. All I know is that I want to feel challenged. 036 · PLATFORM · CREATIVE LIFESTYLE · NOV/DEC 2013 NOV/DEC 2013 · PLATFORM · CREATIVE LIFESTYLE · 037 [LISTED] Richa Chadda FROM STARRY-EYED TO STELLAR PERFORMER THE LONG SHOT I think in this country, cinema creates a very unusual kind of icon. I dreamt of being a movie star ever since I was a kid, and as I grew up, I just couldn’t see myself as anything else.