I have money & brain too

Jasmine Singh

A film producer... what is the one image that comes closest to defining them? Apparently, the one that most of us have in our minds is of a man (sorry women) with a stack of notes tucked in his sleek-looking suitcase (the briefcases in Hollywood cinema are always sleek); someone who despite walking around with the ‘I own this man’ look, would shriek even if a rupee extra is spent on a cappuccino! This is simply a brief sketch of a film producer, but hey, this man here is carrying another hat with ‘creative producer’ written on it. Now where did this come from? Money and creativity, viola have the film producers, Hindi and Punjabi alike, just got hit by a creative tornado or was this the scenario always. We find out...

Our baby too

Recently, director producer Anurag Kashyap spoke about his film Udta Punjab’s director Abhishek Chaubey maintaining silence over the entire censor board issue,  “Abhishek is the director of the film, he knows the best about it.” Does this mean a film clearly belongs to only a director, and producers are not supposed to interfere? “No, this isn’t how it works,” Chandigarh-based Punjabi film producer Gunbir Sidhu from White Hill Production has a point to make. “Apart from keeping the budgets in check, a producer, and I am talking about the one who knows the art and business of movie-making, is always a part from of the film right from the inception.”

Gunbir shares that as producer he is involved in listening to the final draft of screenplay sitting as well as thoroughly involved in the post production, “I sit through the final edit for sure, because I know what the Punjabi audience want, and what kind of product should go out.”

Well, if you were to look at Karan Johar, Aditya Chopra, they aren’t just money bag producers; they reserve a big chunk of creative right. 

So, says the captain 

It is not easy to imagine, how the director who steers the ship would like a ‘presumed’ non-creative producer calling the shots on his turf. Film director Rakesh Mehta would welcome any suggestion from the producers, “only if they have knowledge about film making and films at large. In case they don’t know a thing about filmmaking, I would ask them to back off because I am the director at the end of the day, and I know my job.” 

Let’s draw a line 

So how much of creative input is too much for a producer, what is the point from where he needs to just sit back and watch. Pawan Gill, film producer for Mundeyan Ton Bachke Rahin and for an upcoming much-talked about project, knows well where to draw the line. Pawan is involved in the entire working of the film because of his experience adds, “When it comes to budget, I put forth whatever I can offer, and leave it to the director to make the most of it, in a way he wants.” Gunbir on the other hand, lets the director take a call on the technical aspect, “My director gets to pick the DOP, make-up artist, fashion designers, and the rest of the technical team he wants to work with.” 

With money in one bag, and a sling bag full of creative skills, looks like film producers really mean business!

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