Things have changed after Pink, I am getting offers: Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury

With a debut Bollywood film like Pink behind him, director Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury is now contemplating to helm another Hindi film while also simultaneously working on a Bengali subject.

Pink, a courtroom drama, starring Amitabh Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Kirti Kulhari, Andrea Tariang, Angad Bedi among others, was a critical and commercial success.

Aniruddha says he is currently working with two ideas and is not sure which one will become a film first. “I am working on a Bengali subject and a Hindi film at the same time. I don’t know which will happen first. It’s too soon to tell what the films will be about. But I have ideas for films in both the languages as of now,” said Aniruddha.

While the Shoojit Sircar-produced film was Aniruddha’s foray into Hindi films, he had already made four award-winning Bengali films like Anuranan, Antaheen, Aparajita Tumi and the 2014 release Buno Haansh.

When asked if Bollywood producers have started to approach him after Pink he says, “I did get offers before Pink but Shoojit was a friend. So he held my hands and said ‘let’s do this together’. The credit goes to him. It’s 100 per cent my film, it’s 100 per cent his film. Both of us made it happen.”

The director says things have changed post his Hindi debut but he wants to approach a film the same old way- to make it only when it appeals to him. “Definitely, things have changed after Pink. I am getting offers for Hindi films. I want to make Hindi films, Bengali films also. I love different languages. It is very symbiotic if you love a story and the story loves you and that’s how you decide to make a film.”

The director was speaking at a session at the ongoing 47th edition of International Film Festival of India (IFFI).

Aniruddha says for his debut film in Bengali, nobody was willing to invest money into the project, which ultimately bagged a National award.

The film explored the relationships of two married couples, and the impact and consequences of their relationships. “For my first film, nobody gave me money. They said, ‘this is an art film, do you want to make an art film?’. I didn’t have money. We used to make ad films. We bought a camera and put our money, me, my wife and a friend. I had to wait for one and a half years to sell the film. We sold it properly, the film ran for 100 days and also got a national award. It is a very difficult task to get Rs 1 crore or 80 lacs,” he added.

Joining him on the panel were filmmaker Sudhir Mishra and Raam Reddy.

Anuranan was premiered at IFFI in 2006 and for the director, film festivals are a very important medium. “We need festivals because it is a place where networking happens. By that I don’t mean money networking but a place where I can show my film to people. That cultural exchange is very important.”

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