It’s a misconception that a director has to compromise on his ideas when working with a big banner, says Aurangzeb director Atul Sabharwal. He admits that under the umbrella of a big name “you are protected”.
Aurangzeb, coming out of the Yash Raj Films’ stable, marks Sabharwal’s big screen debut, after TV show Powder, which he directed for the same banner. He said there is a “misconception about compromise in the industry while working with big production houses.”
“When you have a person, who is a writer and director and if you are willing to accept help, then the person can bring a lot of experience to the table. At no point do you compromise. They only do value addition,” the director told IANS.
When asked if a big production house ensures security, he said, “It ensures a good release, promotion, and some very healthy inputs. You are protected here. They guide you.” He added that no matter how experienced you are, it’s not easy to deal with “the whole media machinery and the way information is manipulated.”
“They guide you through all this, so that you can focus only on your film,” he said. Sabharwal, who had written Phir Milenge and Darna Mana Hai, always nurtured a dream to wear the director’s hat and say cut. “I wanted to learn the ropes and see how a director functions in a professional scenario. There were two ways in front of me — to work as an assistant director or screenplay writer. I wrote three films and then I started trying out for direction,” said Sabharwal.
His TV serial Powder was about the drug mafia, while his film Aurangzeb is about the land mafia. Both are crime thrillers, but he now wants to work on a good story in any genre. Aurangzeb, which is coming out on Friday, has a mixed cast — seasoned artists like Rishi Kapoor, Jackie Shroff and Amrita Singh will be seen with new brigade of actors like Arjun Kapoor, southern star Prithviraj and Pakistani actor Sashaa Agha.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 16th, 2013.
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