Director Aditya Kriplani, known for films like Tikli and Laxmi Bomb and Not Today, is absolutely over the moon that his latest venture I Am Not An Actor (Main Actor Nahin Hoon), starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Chitrangada Satarupa, has gone down well with audiences.
We kick things off by asking him how the idea for Main Actor Nahin Hoon first came about.“The idea came to me during the pandemic. I was making another film where I had to bring an actor from India to Singapore. But after I finished the screen tests and prep, the government simply didn’t allow it due to restrictions. So I thought, can I write something quickly so I don’t waste all that prep and time? My plan was to shoot in two countries over video call, with a crew in each place. That film never got off the ground. The idea was really born to solve a problem. Then I spent much more time on the script and honestly fell in love with it as a writer. I gave it a lot more care, and it became this film.”
When we ask whether the film is an experiment that became a story, or a story that became an experiment, he explains further.“As I said earlier, it started as an experiment that then grew into a proper story. It began as a way to deal with the problem of not being able to move actors between countries during the pandemic and still make a film. But as I spent more time with it, we nurtured it further. At some point it stopped being just a technical workaround and became a fully-fledged emotional story. So much so that people don’t even realise it was shot live anymore, because it’s so engaging.”
So, what drew him to relationships formed through video calls? “During the pandemic, I spent a lot of time speaking to my mum and dad. Before that, we’d usually meet over lunch or dinner because they live in another city. Or we’d go for a film. Time together always meant doing something else, and conversation came second. But during the pandemic, we spoke on video calls every day. They were on their own, and we were in Singapore. It became an hour every day for years. In that time, I really got to know them. I realised that video calls, when you’re fully present, can sometimes be better than meeting in person because you’re just there to talk. You’re looking at each other properly without distractions.”
Discussing the challenges of shooting across two countries, he recalls how demanding the process became.“It made it both more exciting and more challenging, honestly. For example, if Chitra has to shoot a 17-minute scene on a train, the ‘Donald Duck scene’, she has to travel from Jogeshwari to Mahim because beyond those points the network drops. We did 22 takes just on that route. Then she’d have to go back and do it all over again, and the same for the actor in Frankfurt. Both have to board from the same stop because it’s a live audio shoot. You can even hear station announcements in real time. There’s no mixing takes, no fixing it in post. You need a perfect run every time, because even the people in the background change with each take. It’s almost like a guerrilla shoot, really.”
So, how was the experience working with Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Chitrangada Satarupa? “Working with Nawazuddin Siddiqui was a real pleasure. I expected a bit of starry behaviour, but there was none of that. He fully submitted to the process and was genuinely excited about the live format. I think the actor in him was properly hungry for something like this, and it really fed him emotionally. Working with Chitra was brilliant as well because I’ve worked with her on four films. I know her rhythm now, so directing her is quite instinctive. There’s a lovely understanding between us. She also brought a great deal of emotional depth to the film.”
Earlier, Aditya had spoken about audiences losing the habit of going to theatres. We ask him whether convenience has made viewers less emotionally invested in cinema. “100 per cent, you’ve hit the nail on the head. Too much convenience, if I’m honest. If a therapist is in my pocket and available any time, I won’t value it the same way. Osho said that if there is complete security, there is no poetry. Cinema has to be something you go out for. I remember going to places like Getty Galaxy, standing in queues for Rangeela or DDLJ in 1995, sometimes for over an hour, only to find tickets sold out. Then you’d go and try your luck with a black marketeer and end up paying more. But that wait made the film feel valuable before you even stepped inside the cinema. Now films are just sitting in your pocket, waiting for attention. So naturally, people don’t value them in the same way.”
On the future of independent cinema, and whether it lies in smaller stories or more radical filmmaking methods, he offers a considered take. “I believe the future of independent cinema lies in filmmakers engaging more with theatre, because theatre is really on the rise. Audiences are still happily paying for it, whether it’s a Naseeruddin Shah play, a Manav Kaul production, or Rajat Kapoor’s work. They run to packed houses. Independent filmmakers would gain a lot from doing more theatre. It gives you freedom and discipline, and then you come back to cinema with sharper instincts. We also need more long-form fiction spaces so artistes are not constantly bottling things up. You need multiple canvases, otherwise you end up frustrated.”
He signs off on an exciting note. “My upcoming project is a play. I’ve already started writing it. I don’t really want to talk about it yet because it’s still very early days and I don’t want to jinx it. But yes, I’m writing a play. My next couple of projects are going to be plays, not films, for now.”
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