It’s been a busy time for producer Shaailesh R Singh. After JudgeMentall Hai Kya released in July, Jabariya Jodi is set to release today. Singh, whose production house The Karma Media And Entertainment has produced both the films, is happy with the response that JudgeMentall… has received despite the controversies surrounding it. The producer says, for him, the story is the most important factor. “My focus while producing a film is the story. If it’s exciting enough and engaging, nothing else matters to me,” he says.
Making films before the digital era
The kind of films that Singh has produced under his banner are not only out-of-the-box but niche. He is known for backing films like Bas Ek Pal, Tanu Weds Manu, Issaq, Shahid, Maadari, Omerta and others. Producing such films before the emergence of Netflix and Amazon must have been challenging because distributing them is a huge task. Says he, “If you ask me, making these films was difficult five or 10 years back but because of the digital platform, things have become much easier today. You can get 60 to 70 per cent of your recoveries from the digital market and satellite rights. Having said that, you have to make sure the film’s economics do not fail because that becomes very crucial.”
He further adds in the case of JudgeMentall.. and Jabariya.., the productions houses were sure what kind of budget they wanted for the films. “We went with the pre-decided budget but did not compromise on the quality because we wanted the audience to like the films. In case of JudgeMentall…we knew it’s something experimental and definitely people are going to like it.”
Continuing on the subject of right budgeting, Singh says that a film should be made on a budget that works in the worst case scenario. “I firmly believe that if you fail on the budget, you fail with the film. The kind of team and actors I work with, I make sure that we stick to the budget. Among the 10 films that I have backed, I have been successful with seven or eight films by sticking to the right budget,” he adds.
The producer believes that when the budget fails, one has to depend on pure destiny to see whether the film will work or not. But balancing between making the film economically viable and the project worthy of watching is crucial, which Singh says lies in the hands of those involved with it. “We should not fail in these two areas because we can take care of them. We have to understand the nature of the subject, how experimental and accessible it is before working on the economics,” he points out.
Making the films he believes in
In spite of the challenges involved in making a film, Singh says the subjects have been a motivating factor for him. “From day one, I have been producing these kinds of films; in fact, that’s the reason I am making cinema. If I have to make the same kind of films, I don’t think I would be here; it does not excite me. I am not going to produce a film because it will work at the box office because at the end of day, I don’t know what kind of film will work,” he says.
Singh believes that most of us start taking the audience for granted but no one really knows what kind of films the audience likes. “There are so many big-budgeted films which are not working in spite of the fact that the people behind these films kind of know the pulse of the audience. They have been making films for 25 years,” he explains.
But the failure of films featuring bigger stars and acceptance of films starring young actors shows that the audience is looking for a change. “Many of our big stars like Akshay Kumar are doing films on different subjects. They are investing in stories and not just flaunting their stardom. We cannot deny that their stardom is an added advantage but if you feature a star, you should not take them for granted. Makers have a huge responsibility towards the star and the audience,” Singh says, adding that the audiences are smarter today and they will not watch a film just because it features a big actor. “They want to see their star doing a great film. The young actors are working wonders at the box-office because of the kind of subjects they are choosing,” he observes.
Taking criticism in the positive way
Many of Singh’s films have been criticised by both critics and audience but he believes that criticism is important for the growth of an individual. “We should take criticism in a positive manner. It should be constructive, progressive and cannot be for the sake of pulling down someone. We all make mistakes and personally, I have to understand my mistake and not repeat it,” says Singh who will next start working on J Jayalalitha biopic starring Kangana Ranaut.
