Conscious decision to send A Death in the Gunj to festivals first: Ranvir Shorey
Mumbai: Ranvir Shorey is one of the few actors who has always preferred to do content-driven films instead of the run-of-the-mill commercial projects and has found success with them too. He will be featuring in another such film, 'A Death in the Gunj', the directorial debut of his ex-wife, actress Konkona Sen Sharma.
He talks about his film 'A Death in the Gunj', the challenges it had to face and his upcoming projects in an interview.
Excerpts :
Do you believe that A Death In The Gunj struggled a lot to have a theatrical release?
I have had number of films like that in the past. I feel that the turn around period for an independent film is longer than a mainstream film. A mainstream film can afford to have a release date even before it rolls, but that’s not a luxury which independent films have. The film has to be completed, followed by the hunt for marketing and distribution. In the meantime, festivals come in between to provide the platform. This much is the time an independent film generally takes, so I don’t think that at any point A Death In The Gunj was stuck.
Go on…
It was a conscious effort to send A Death In The Gunj to the festivals first because this is how an independent film markets itself. We don’t call it independent just because it doesn’t have a big production or a big star, it’s also doesn’t have marketing resources. Also such films speak the language of cinema and not the mass entertainment. Therefore, to get the buzz around it, films have to travel to the festivals.
What is your role in the film?
I play Vikram in the film, who is a local guy from a royal family. He is kind of a brat who thinks he can compete with the kid. It is an ensemble film where everyone has distinct roles.
We are hearing such great things about the story of the film, what is it?
It is a slice-of-life film. The story revolves around a week preceding the New Year in 1978-79. Just before a week, few friends and family members come together to this place and what happens in that one week is the primary plot of the film. Although, it captures just one week of their lives but one will also witness another event which is the core of the film.
How was it working with rest of the cast?
I have worked with all of them earlier. Tilotama, Gulshan, Kalki are friends. It was great. It was like a working vacation with everyone. The only difficulty was to travel two hours one way from Ranchi to the location.
What are your next projects?
Well, I am quite excited for Kadhvi Hawa as it has shaped up really well. It has Sanjay Mishra and Tilotama in it along with me. It has a beautiful story. I have been doing a lot of children’s films since I have become a father.
