The journalist turned filmmaker is confident that his debut film Peeda which is the first film in the world which boasts of only two old characters will touch the hearts of the audiences with its emotional content

What is your film Peeda all about?

My film is all about the acute pain of parents whose children leave them and go abroad in search of education and a career and do not bother to return back home. It isn’t based on my own personal experience. I was inspired to write the subject after I made a documentary called Ek Koshish Aisi Bhi on old parents who are asked to live in an old age home. It is on youtube. It was about old parents who have money, car and a bungalow but no one they can call their own to take care of them in their old age.

Peeda is not your first attempt to make a film. Is it?

Before I made Peeda, I had directed a patriotic play which starred only two characters. One of them was Sudha Chandran. I wanted to make either Lala Hardol or Babu Ki Cycle but I could not proceed to make them because of paucity of funds at my disposal. I decided to make Peeda which is the first Hindi film in the history of cinema to have just two old characters in the lead-a male and a female

Why did you opt for Veerendra Saxena and Suhasini Mulay instead of well known stars?

If you make a safe mainstream film and have a couple of hits behind you, you can make a film with Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan or Aamir Khan but if you want to make a film which is different from the others, you should have confidence in your content. I know that I just cannot afford to approach stars like Amitabh Bachchan or Shabana Azmi for my debut venture as a director, because I have yet to prove my credentials as a director. Even when I was writing the subject, I was visualizing Veerendraji and Suhasiniji as part of my visuals in the characters that they play in the film. My subject by itself a Khan

How tough or easy was it for you to cast Veerendra and Suhasini in your film?

Though I did not know either Veerendraji or Suhasiniji as a journalist or how much they would charge me to act in the film, I approached them with my script and both readily agreed to be a part of my vision. I am more than happy with both of them since I feel I could not have got actors who are more suited to the roles than Veerendraji and Suhasiniji. Both went out of their way to cooperate with me in the making of my film though I had heard that Suhasiniji was very arrogant.

Was it easy for you to get an investor to back your film?

Though I had always wanted to be creative, no one wanted to invest even a rupee on a meaningful film like Peeda, which boasts of just two old characters in the lead. I waited for someone who believed in my vision to back me. I did not want to make a sleazy film to cater to the lowest common denominator. I do not run after money. I make corporate films and am doing well in life. I’d rather be remembered for my good work. I made my film in just 15 days on a meager budget of Rs 50 lakhs.

Which are the directors who have inspired you a lot?

Manoj Kumar is one filmmaker who I admire. I would like to call myself a student of Manoj Kumar- his Eklavya. I have been a fan of his shot taking as well as scripts. I am also very fond of directors like Anurag Kashyap and Anurag Basu.

What next?

After the release of Peeda, I want to make a film which will create a name in the history of world cinema  and right now I am toying with some script ideas