Into the life of a freelancer

A career in freelancing is something everyone has admired at some point in their lives. Getting to work on your own terms, without adhering to any rules, could be a dream job — or are we just scratching the surface?

A freelancer’s career is not all it seems to be, many would say. And that’s precisely what director Sandeep Mohan has captured in his third film titled Shreelancer. Starring Arjun Radhakrishnan, Monika Mahendru and renowned theatre personality Salmin Sheriff, the English-Hindi film follows the lead character (Shree), a Bengaluru- based  freelance copywriter in his mid 20s, battling with nagging self-doubts regarding his artistic abilities.

As the film is all set for a limited release on August 18, we talk to Sandeep about who inspired him to come up with the script.

“I was a copywriter in an advertising agency and I quit the job to pursue filmmaking. Whenever I go to cafes, I see youngsters  in their own bubble working on their own terms. I’ve always wanted to capture that part of life. Now that freelancing is becoming prominent, I thought of making it a film,” he begins the conversation.

After completing the script in seven months, Sandeep took the help of Facebook and other platforms to finalise the cast. He goes on to add, “I did not have a casting director nor did I hold any audition. Apart from the lead cast, most of them are non-actors from various parts of the country  like Himachal Pradesh, Mumbai, etc. I also used a guerilla way of filmmaking (where scenes are shot in real locations without any warning). We had a tight budget and I didn’t want to compromise on the quality as well. I was very careful that it shouldn’t look shoddy. We completed the film in 21 days.”

Arjun Radhakrishnan, who is originally from Tamil Nadu, is well-known for his short film, A White Feather. He makes his debut into mainstream cinema through Shreelancer.

“I got this opportunity when my co-actor Monika tagged me on a casting call post a year back. I play Shreepad Naik in the film and it is a contemporary take on a freelancer’s life. I could relate to the character, as I had quit my IT job to get into acting. The only difference is that Shree is travelling for the first time, while I travel often. If Shreelancer gets great responses, it will open up avenues for many aspiring actors,” he reveals.

Elaborating about her role, lead actress Monika reveals, “I play Amarjeet, a graphic designer, who has returned from the US and is fond of creating a new font in her name. Being a theatre actor, film is a different medium for me. But, Sandeep pushed us to keep it real. We got to explore the Kulu Dusshera festival and I had so many first-time experiences while shooting for this film!”

Sandeep shares that he has already conducted 30 screenings across the world in cafes, co-working spaces etc, by converting them into a mini-theatres.

“We had our film compete in the Best screenplay category at the New York Indian Film Festival. We didn’t win, but it was great validation for our work. Shreelancer is an inspiring travel-oriented contemporary tale that people could easily connect to,” he says and concludes.