Film direction has turned out to be the ultimate destination for actors looking to exercise their creativity, with several Bollywood stars choosing to go behind the camera lately. The latest actor to be bitten by the direction bug is Kangana Ranaut, who has announced that she will direct a comedy once she has wrapped up her current film.
Actor Konkona Sensharma seems to have successfully emulated her mother, actor-director Aparna Sen, after having made a successful debut as a filmmaker with the groundbreaking film, A Death In The Gunj, which received overwhelming response from all quarters. The actor was back to the big screen in no time, with her film, Lipstick Under My Burkha.
Explaining the reason behind this trend, actor-director Rajat Kapoor says directing a film allows one to express themselves fully, and filmmakers with an acting background tend to understand actors and their challenges better.
“When you work as an actor, you work for somebody else, and it is somebody else’s vision. You direct a film for complete creative expression. You have that freedom. Konkona and Shreyas are both fantastic actors. You can turn a director when you want to expand your expression,” says Rajat, who has directed films like Mithya (2008) and Ankhon Dekhi (2014), besides starring in the successful films like Drishyam (2015) and Kapoor & Sons (2016).
{{/usCountry}}“When you work as an actor, you work for somebody else, and it is somebody else’s vision. You direct a film for complete creative expression. You have that freedom. Konkona and Shreyas are both fantastic actors. You can turn a director when you want to expand your expression,” says Rajat, who has directed films like Mithya (2008) and Ankhon Dekhi (2014), besides starring in the successful films like Drishyam (2015) and Kapoor & Sons (2016).
{{/usCountry}}The 56-year-old further adds, “As an actor, you bring your own experience; it is an all-round experience that you bring to the table. You understand your actors, you understand their insecurities a little better, and you have empathy for them.”
Shreyas Talpade, who turned director with Poster Boys — remake of the Marathi film Poshter Boyz — says that doing acting and direction at the same time was not a challenge for him. “I am in this new phase. Directing is the biggest kick; it gives the highest of highs because you are the captain of the ship. It means you are involved in every aspect of filmmaking — story, screenplay, dialogues. I haven’t stopped acting to take up direction, as essentially, I am an actor. But I would like to continue to make films,” he explains.
Just like Shreyas, actor Rahul Bose was also part of the star cast of his maiden directorial venture Poorna, a biographical adventure film based on the life of 13-year-old Poorna Malavath, who, coming from a nondescript village in Telangana, became the youngest girl ever to scale Mount Everest. Bose was lauded for choosing to tell his story with utmost sincerity and authenticity.
Trade analyst Komal Nahta says many actors have taken the plunge into direction in the recent times, as cinema in India has gone through a sea change with different kinds of films being made.
“Manoj Kumar did it [long back]. It is more common now because different kinds of movies are being made and they’re working as well. Earlier, there was just one kind of cinema. Now, a middle-of-the-road cinema has come into being. I think there is more freedom now, and people are more secure about turning directors,” Nahta elaborates.
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