manish kumar, post news network, Bhubaneswar, July 24: Come August 28, the Orissa-born ‘independent’ director of ‘I am Kalam’ fame will see his satirical movie ‘Kaun Keetne Paani Mein’ hit the big screens across the country. Delhi-based Nila Madhab Panda’s movie portrays the harsh realities of western Orissa. The film revolves around the paucity of water and the rivalry between two villages on account of that problem.
When asked what made him do a film on an issue such as water scarcity, he said, “I was born at Sonepur in Orissa and have seen the ground realities. I have seen people travelling 20-25 kms to fetch water. It was really disturbing for me to see these struggles in front of my eyes. Through my film I have tried to depict all the sufferings I have seen, but in a more entertaining way.”
Panda has in this movie consciously treated a very ‘serious’ issue in a way that he thinks would be entertaining and hence very acceptable to the young generation, who in turn will be aware of a problem but not get bogged down by the complexity of the issue. Talking exclusively to Orissa POST, he said, “I tried my best to make a film which at one place talks about a serious issue, but treats it in a lucid and acceptable way so that it strikes a rapport with the audience of the present generation. We have tried the satire route to make it more entertaining and appealing to the film lovers.”
The trailer and poster of the film, shot in Orissa and other parts of the country, were released Wednesday in Mumbai amid much fanfare. The film has actors such as Kunal Kapoor, Radhika Apte, Gulshan Grover and Saurabh Shukla.
When asked about the fate of social cinema in the country, he said, “It is always a Herculean task to make social cinemas. We have to take care of the audience’s mind. I always try to portray serious and complex universal issues through my films, but I also try to make sure that it does not bombard the audience with heavy philosophical preaching.”
When asked can satire successfully meet the expectation behind the making of the ‘Kaun Keetne Paani Mein’, he said, “Leaving in Orissa taught me many things. It is only at this state that I learnt how to portray the plights of the people through satire on screen. The local flavours and humours, which are there in this film, are largely inspired by the state and the people living in the state. I am hopeful that the people of the state will surely strike a chord with the film.”
The film also has a folksong, in Hindi of course, inspired by the famous Sambalpuri folksong ‘Rangabati’. The director has however, “taken (necessary) permissions related to the song/s from the stakeholders”.
The Director’s Cut
On being an Independent director: My films are mostly independent as I don’t rely on big studios and big investors; neither have I used item numbers to sell the content of my films. I largely depend on my content and try to depict it in the best possible way.
On Oz co-producers and actors (of a project announced earlier):It is in the pipeline. The (shooting of the) film is likely to start by the end of this year. It will be a film on food insecurity. In this movie Bollywood and Hollywood actors will come together.
On his passion for documentaries: Documentaries allow me to breathe, as these give me a chance to gel well with the people and to know them more closely. Documentaries also give me a chance to know myself and my talent and lacunae better. These always teach me lessons, which are often crucial in making good movies. I have made many documentaries and there are several in the pipeline. All such future initiatives are listed!
On August release: I find August a good time to release films. (The director’s second feature “Jalpari”, a children’s film, which got the MIP Junior award for best film in Cannes was also released in August). Although I am not very superstitious, yet I have some preference for August.
I will do more films, says Kunal
Mumbai: Actor Kunal Kapoor, who is returning to the big screen after a gap of almost three years with Nila Madhab Panda’s directorial “Kaun Kitney Paani Mein”, says he intend to do a lot more work after the release of this film.
Kunal was last seen in the 2012 release “Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana” with Huma Qureshi. The actor was present at the trailer launch of “Kaun Kitne Paani Mein” here on Wednesday when he was asked to explain why he was doing less film and was there any plan to do more movies after “Kaun Kitne Paani Mein”.
“I hope so… I was just looking back at my career and I have realised that I have done very few films and I don’t think that’s a good idea. I intend to do lot of work,” he said. Kunal made his debut in 2005 with M F Husain-directed “Meenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities”. After that he did multi-starrer films including, “Rang De Basanti”, “Laaga Chunari Mein Daag”, “Don” and “Aaja Nachle”, among others.
Explaining the reason for doing very few films in his decade-old career, he said that he only did films that excited him.
“There are two ways in life… one is just do whatever comes your way and the other is just do what excites you. So far I have chosen the latter. Hopefully, there will be scripts that I enjoy so I will be able to stick to the latter, but if that is not a possibility then I think I have to take a slight step towards the other side,” he added. IANS
