Filmmaker Amole Gupte says he doesn't fit into Bollywood, feels it's better he is away from it

Filmmaker Amole Gupte talks about the difficulty of making films in the Hindi film industry and why he prefers to stay away.

Filmmaker Amole Gupte, known for films such as Stanley Ka Dabba, Hawaa Hawaai, and Sniff, says mainstream producers are now reluctant to back sensible stories and that's one of the reasons why he is not able to make films for the big screen.

Amole Gupte has helmed films like Stanley Ka Dabba.

The director, who has also acted in movies such as Kaminey, Phas Gaye Re Obama, Singham Returns, said it has never been easy for him to make his kind of films.

"The fact that they are not knocking on my door is an indication that they are not willing to back my vision. That's good enough (reason) for me to stay away. Life is okay. I don't fit into Bollywood, and it's better I'm away from it," Gupte told PTI in an interview when asked about why he makes fewer movies.

"It has always been difficult. It's not like a red carpet for me. It has never been," he said.

The director recalled the time when filmmaker Karan Johar helped him find a producer for his 2011 acclaimed movie, Stanley Ka Dabba, which was screened at the ongoing Jagran Film Festival.

"Karan came for the music launch of Stanley Ka Dabba. He came unshaven and undyed and said, 'I've to come straight from the airport, because I've promised Deepa (wife), I am coming to launch the music'. These are the people who kind of held my hand at that time. So that I could make the next and then the next. Otherwise, it's difficult," Gupte said.

The filmmaker also talked about the struggle to make and release 2021 biographical sports drama, "Saina", which was based on the life of Indian badminton champion Saina Nehwal. Actor Parineeti Chopra played the title role.

"In 2015, Saina became world number one in February. And I said I want to make a film on her in May 2015. Finally, it was made and released in 2021. I did nothing else in that period," he said.

Gupte said in the last four years he had approached people in the industry but was "disappointed" by their response.

"I did seek (support) in the last four years and I was sadly bitten by disappointment because I was like, 'I can't talk to this person as they are not seeing my intention and track record'. That shocks me. They want me to convert it into some common marketable commodity. I won't do that," he added.

The 64-year-old filmmaker attributed the changing landscape of Hindi cinema to the decline of theatre going audiences following COVID-19 pandemic.

"The mainstream has moved away from sensible cinema. It's not recent. Like, post-COVID, the storytelling has changed. People are not going to theatres. If they're not going to theatres, those with moneybags are saying, 'Why should I put money in that?'" he said.

Gupte is now working on the third part of his educational short film. The first two short films, titled One Idiot (2012), and its sequel, Return of One Idiot (2017) were released on YouTube. It is being supported by Bandhan Mutual Fund.

"I'm creating a universe for financial awareness for the youth of India. This is my mission. I used to do general questions, Vox Pops, asking the youth, 'What do you think about savings?' Sadly, these young kids in the age bracket of 20, or 22, had no answers, they didn't know much about savings.

"In the west, the kids go to work so that they can pay their college or tuition fees. But here, they've their parents... So, it is all about financial independence and the idea is to make the youth aware about it," he said, adding the team is toying with the idea of releasing all three films on an OTT platform.