Anurag Basu was self-admittedly ‘apprehensive’ about releasing his film straight on the digital until he warmed up to the idea for his multi-starrer drama Ludo (2020). Now, he is in the running for the Best Director trophy at The Indian Film Festival Of Melbourne (IFFM) among nine other nominees, while Ludo contests to be the Best Film and Rajkummar Rao vies for Best Actor. Anurag, meanwhile, has become more open to web-exclusive content and also shares how this change of heart is connected to his 2017 film Jagga Jasoos.
He says, “I am not insecure anymore. I don’t think of ifs and buts. Initially, when you are making a big-budget film, we used to question every decision. Whether this will work or not? Now, there is an audience from all sorts of backgrounds appreciating all kinds of work. This has given us more power and I’m looking forward to it in the future. Every creative person is greedy for more audiences. OTT was the correct choice for Ludo’s release at that time. I was apprehensive but we made the right decision. It was released internationally and dubbed in 35 languages. This would not have happened with the theatrical model. I opened up to OTT when Jagga Jasoos got a great response 2-3 years after its release.”
Related | Rasika Dugal Of Mirzapur Fame Speaks About Doing Bold Scenes, Says Concept of Intimacy Directors Positive Step
On how viewers reacted to Ludo, the writer-director adds, “We are used to gauging the response for a film by visiting the theatres and watching with the audience. With Ludo, it was very different. I never sat behind a computer screen reading reviews and what people from around the world are saying about the film, positive or negative. It was very humbling. It prepares you for your next release. I’d never seen such a response for any of my films that were released in cinemas. I really enjoyed it.”
Anurag is all praise for his fellow nominees Amit Masurkar (Sherni) and Abhishek Chaubey. “I really like Amit’s work. I was rooting for Sherni. I also love Abhishek’s movies. But he takes longer than me to make a film (laughs).”
On his and Rajkummar’s nomination for Ludo at IFFM, Anurag feels elated. “This year all the awards functions have been cancelled so it was a pleasant surprise. They just don’t nominate Hindi films but movies from India, so that makes us proud. I messaged Rajkummar also and he was really excited. He had no idea that he would be appreciated so much for his role,” he signs off.
Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Assembly Elections Live Updates here.
Comments
0 comment