Siddharth Roy Kapur on creating films, using AI in filmmaking and more

The first thing you notice about Siddharth Roy Kapur is how much of a true-blue Punjabi he is. He tells you that he can not distinguish between sambars, “I’ve not got the palette for that,” he smiles. Yet, the very first thing he asks you upon meeting is what you would like to eat. He looks at you with a slight head tilt, reminiscent of a certain other brother Kapur, and speaks with the eloquence of a seasoned industry expert. 

In Bengaluru for a conference, the film producer and founder of Roy Kapur Films caught up with Indulge in a free-wheeling conversation some time back. The producer, who was recently in the news for having explained the economics behind the fees of Bollywood stars, opens up on his illustrious career so far, how decision-making in creative businesses is often instinctive, the growing prominence of artificial intelligence in filmmaking and more. 

You have commercial potboilers like Chennai Express as well as sleeper hits like The Lunchbox in your portfolio. How do you decide which film to produce and which not?

The first reaction to a film’s narration is always an instinctive reaction, where you react to it as an audience and you either like it or you do not – you know whether you’re intrigued and want to be associated with it. All the thinking around — is it going to be commercially viable, the people involved, the timeline you need to look at — comes later. But your first reaction is always going to be as an audience.

Can you think of one such film where your instincts worked great?

Dev D was a film which left us very divided. Half the people in the room loved it, half hated it. I was on the former side. Thankfully, we went ahead and made the film, which then turned out to be a cult.

But building this instinct must have taken years of watching films…

I’ve always loved movies and would drag anyone to the latest films in Bombay. I pretty much went to all the cinema halls on that side of the city several times, often watching multiple films on repeat. I read every film magazine I could get my hands on and even read trade guides as a kid. I was obsessed with movies, but for anyone not from the movie business at that time, it was hard to find a way in. I only found my way into the business much later when I joined UTV.

The first film under Roy Kapur films was The Sky Is Pink. It was a very warm, personal film – something you do not think of as an inaugural film…

I know what you mean; sometimes a script just comes to you, and you feel it’s the film you want to make. If you think logically, it might not be the first film you’d choose. But in creative fields, you need to be flexible and embrace opportunities as they arise, regardless of practicality. 

My biggest learning from that film was that even though it did incredibly well on streaming, it didn’t perform as well in theatres. That probably indicates that these are not the kinds of films people want to watch in a cinema hall anymore. Instead, they’d rather enjoy them in a more intimate atmosphere. 

Then, are the age-old formulas needed in a film to be released in the theatres changing?

Earlier, it was presumed that you had to have six lip-synced songs in every film for it to make sense. Then we moved into original soundtracks. Today, even commercially successful films can exist without any songs. In that way, I think it’s one of those presumptions that seem like a rule, but doesn’t really have to be; which is why we need to question our notions all the time. 

We can not be in Bengaluru and not talk about south Indian films. These films are gaining stronger appreciation by the day. What do you think they are doing differently? 

They’re being very ambitious in the scale at which they’re operating. They want to tell larger-than-life stories, and they are not afraid of investing in telling those stories in a way that they believe in. They’re taking very big bets. 

Secondly, they’ve been very true to their culture. They’re not trying to be something to everyone. So when you look at any of these films, a certain conviction in the filmmaker comes through. They are not trying to presuppose what will appeal to a particular section – they’re just making a film that they believe in. And that’s what we probably lack in Bollywood, because we've always had to cater to the whole country. But sometimes the best films are the ones that actually are rooted in one cultural medium, and then, strangely enough, they appeal to everyone because of that. 

Speaking of trends, what do you think about so many films re-releasing since the last few months?

Exhibitors have realised that there is so much nostalgia when it comes to films from the past, and their desire to be watched in theatres, and they’re tapping into that. These are films that an entire generation has been watching on television for many years, wondering what this would have been like on screen.This is so inspiring for filmmakers, because you realise that your IP (intellectual property) has value, and a film is a living, breathing thing. It does not need to then be consigned to streaming forever. It can come back and do well theatrically, right? 

Of late, you have been talking about the use of AI in filmmaking. Have you yourself used AI tools in film production work recently?

Tools like Midjourney are what we're using day-to-day. We’re trying to understand the uses of it in pre-production. It’s still very early to create storyboards or visual renditions of the world of the film for actors to understand it better. Directors are using it so that their crew can understand what they're trying to talk about a little better, rather than just words on a page. Those are areas that I see AI being used already. 

Do you anticipate any pushback from artists in India?

If the AI tools bring the artists into the conversation early, then I don’t think there’ll be much resistance. But the less people talk to each other, the more presumptions will develop on both sides. That’s why it’s important for that dialog to begin right now. 

Upcoming releases?

We have Matka King on Amazon Prime, starring Vijay Verma and directed by Nagraj Majule; and we have also got The Anarchy (based on the book by William Dalrymple), which is being developed as a global series, among other projects currently under development. 

Fab four:

An Indian film that made a mark in film marketing?

Rang De Basanti

The last film you watched and loved?

Sholay, at a recent re-release.

The film that left the strongest mark on you?

Cinema Paradiso

Your guilt watch?

Any of these very bizarre, survival reality shows!