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Producer-director Sanjay Gupta is all excited to see the audience's reaction to his soon to be released experimental film DUS KAHANIYAAN. Sami Jan catches up with Gupta to talk about the film's milieu.

His film DUS KAHANIYAAN is ready for release and producer/director Sanjay Gupta is all agog to see the audience reaction to his experimental film which is an anthology of ten short films directed by various directors. Though Bollywood has experimented with multiple themes earlier too, this film, however, promises to be a different experience as the stories do not have any link with each other. So it will be like watching ten stories in the price of one.

Excerpts from an interview:

What kind of a film is DUS KAHANIYAAN?

Well, it's a series of ten short films showcased as ten different stories in a feature length film. We started such a film since we wanted to give the audience something new and fresh, and when I say new and fresh I mean that. Not only will we be showcasing interesting stories but also a different way of presenting our stories.


But isn't it a bit experimental when you talk about commercial Bollywood?

I agree it's an experimental theme, but not without deliberation and proper research. Before embarking on the project, we made sure that such a project was commercially viable. So, we have made sure that the film does well commercially too. And I believe the audiences would love to watch a film that differs in its storytelling method.


Now, that Sanjay Dutt is out on bail, does that impact your promotional strategy for the film?

We postponed the release of the film earlier because we had firm faith that Sanjay Dutt would get out on bail. Now that he's out, it's a great relief. I mean, he has already suffered so much. As far as the film promotion is concerned, we can do it more actively with Sanjay around.


How many stories have you directed in DUS KAHANIYAAN?

I have directed four stories in DUS KAHANIYAAN. I found all the stories so exciting that I wanted to direct as many as possible (Laughs). To tell you the truth, I even wanted to direct the short film RICE PLATE but eventually Rohit Roy directed it. The film has Naseeruddin Shah and Shabana Azmi acting together after about two decades.


What if the film falls flat with the audience? Does this thought scare you?

Well, if that be their verdict, then I will accept that. But as far as I believe, the audience would appreciate a different kind of filmmaking and we have gone ahead with this belief. As a filmmaker it's always been my motive to try out different themes and ways of presenting a film.


Which other films are you making at this moment?

I am also busy with my other two films ALIBAUGH and WOODSTOCK VILLA. Apart from that, we at White Feather Films are also promoting art cinema. We have two films, THE GREAT INDIAN BUTTERFLY and PANKH ready. Both these films have been highly acclaimed at various film festivals across the world.