SPECIAL INTERVIEW: “Whether you are a newcomer or a senior, it is very difficult to make a film in Hindi with big stars”

SIMMY JOSEPH, the director of Anya, a bilingual in Hindi and Marathi, tells JYOTHI VENKATESH in this exclusive interview for bollyy.com and Mayapuri.

What prompted a Malayalee writer like you to set out to make a film like Anya in Hindi as well as Marathi?

I was planning to make a film in Hindi since 2014 as I was settled in Delhi but unfortunately the project did not materialize at all, though I am a Malayali as I do not consider language a big barrier as long as you are adept at your job.

Why did you cast known actors like Atul Kulkarni, Raima Sen and Prathamesh Parab, besides Tejashree Pradhan and Bhushan Pradhan in key roles in your film Anya?

That is only because I know for a fact that you can make a film successfully in a language only if you get an actor from that particular language to embellish your film.

Since Raima and Atul are known to the Hindi film audiences and Bhushan Pradhan and Tejashree are known in the Marathi belt, I decided to cast them in my bilingual in Hindi as well as Marathi.

Were they your first choices for the film?

To tell you the truth frankly, it was my desire to make a project with Malayalam actors like Jaya Suriya and Kunjakko Boban initially but somehow or the other, the film did not take off at all

Why did you not go in for mega stars like say Mohanlal or for that matter Mammootty instead of Jaya Suriya or Kunjakko Boban?

Frankly speaking, I could not at all approach Mohanlal or Mammootty only because down South, especially in Kerala, you cannot hope to approach either Mohanlal or Mammootty and enter their bracket, because big stars like them do not agree to be part of a newcomer’s project even if they like the subject. I decided to drop the project way back in 2014 and decided to make Anya two years back.

How did you approach Atul Kulkarni and Raima Sen for your film?

Here in Mumbai, it is very important to have a reference or piper introduction to any actor before you approach him to be a part of your film. A director friend of mine in Bollywood gave me a reference to Atul Sir.

Atul Sir agreed to be part of my film when he listened to the narrative by me and was supportive right from the word go towards a new director like me.

How did you zero in on a talented actor like Raima Sen in the first place?

It was Atul who recommended Raima’s name for the project, after he listened to the narration. Not only that, Arul even offered to call up Raima and ask her to be a part of the film. Raima liked the subject and agreed to be part of the film.

If I am not mistaken, I think Shreyas Talpade was in your mind when you decided to start the subject!

But that was before I met Atul Sir for this film. I had Shreyas Talpade in mind for yet another film which also could not take off because it was also a social subject which was far from commercial.

When I decided to launch Anya, I thought of signing on Atul Sir and Prathamesh Parab, who is a top actor in Marathi films and a romantic lead actor in demand but very down to earth in real life.

Prathamesh is very similar to Malayalam actor Dileep and Tamil actor Sivakartikeyan. I met Raima through a casting agent and got her lines dubbed in Marathi though she spoke in Hindi for the Hindi version.

To what extent, were you inspired by the success story of Sairat to make Anya?

I confess Sairat was a big inspiration for me to decide to make a film in Marathi though my mother tongue is Malayalam.

How was your experience of directing a bilingual like Anya?

All the actors understood the intricacies of my script and were very co-operative. The best thing is that I did not have to go in for a single retake though we completed both the versions in a span of 38 days in and around New Delhi. My film has not only romance but also a strong social issue running as an undercurrent like in every film of Sathyan Anthikkad, a top Malayalam director.

How do you rate yourself as a director?

Anya is my first film as a writer-director. As a director, I am realistic enough to understand what my limitations are.

I know that a film with a social message like Anya will have only a limited appeal but I am also very confident at the same time that the film will win at the turnstiles, because nothing can ever beat the content as proved by Malayalam films.

Have you been able to sell your film to any OTT platform?

I am confident that Amazon Prime Video came forward to buy the Malayalam film The Great India Kitchen after it was streamed on a small OTT platform in Kerala.

I have approached almost every OTT platform in the country but most of them have told me point blank that they would not buy my film since I have not cast mega stars but only good actors.

What do you think of the Hindi film industry?

I feel that the Hindi film industry is basically hierarchical. Whether you are a newcomer or a senior, it is very difficult to make a film in Hindi with big stars, because all said and done, it is necessary that you should follow all the diktats of the corporate companies and sadly Bollywood is missing intellectual pockets.

What next, as a writer-director?

As of now, I have nearly a thousand scripts written by me in English as well as Malayalam.